Banh mi for US$1 or US$100, now luxury tourists in Vietnam can eat both

The week before Sam Aisbett opened Akuna in Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam, he panicked.

“I said, ‘What the hell am I doing? What an idiot,’” recalled the Australian chef of the July 2023 opening.

There was no way his restaurant, with a menu price of 3.9 million dong (US$155) – at least 20 times what stalls across the street were charging – could survive, he thought, even though he had a Michelin star under his belt.

But the risk paid off. Akuna flourished, and about a year later, the place bagged a Michelin star for Aisbett’s ingenious dishes created from Vietnamese ingredients. Shaved squid is served with local samphire, hearts of palm and squid dumplings, while uni is accompanied by fan shell clams and pickled durian.

Akuna is just one of the places on a burgeoning list of fine-dining spots in Vietnam. The country is famous for its array of cheap and delectable noodles, skewers, and sandwiches; now, it is gaining recognition among hungry travellers seeking luxury.