Patients sought care at Vung Tau General Hospital, presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever. In addition to the 69 individuals admitted for treatment, 10 others with milder symptoms received outpatient prescriptions and are being monitored at home.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health stated that it has directed hospitals to review the admission and treatment of patients with epidemiological factors related to the banh mi shop. Healthcare facilities are ensuring proper reception, classification, and management in accordance with food poisoning treatment protocols. They are also required to promptly report severe cases, microbiological results, and any complications to facilitate timely coordination and protocol standardization.

Authorities are currently investigating the incident; the shop has ceased operations at the request of the government. This banh mi shop was previously located at the intersection of Do Chieu and Ly Thuong Kiet streets in Vung Tau ward. It was popular among locals, operating in the mornings and evenings. Since the beginning of this year, the evening vendors relocated to Do Chieu street, opening from 16h30 to 21h. Ingredients such as pate, meat, Vietnamese sausage, and sauces were prepared at home before being brought to the shop for sale.

A doctor examines a patient suspected of food poisoning after eating banh mi from the shop on Do Chieu street. Photo: Minh Bang

In recent days, several mass food poisoning incidents linked to banh mi consumption have occurred in Southern provinces. On 1-2/3, 22 people in Ho Chi Minh City were suspected of food poisoning after eating roasted pork banh mi. Last week, over 70 individuals were hospitalized with poisoning symptoms after eating banh mi from Hong Ngoc 12 in Dong Thap. Authorities have collected food samples for testing in both cases; the causes are currently unknown.

Late last year, over 300 people in Ho Chi Minh City suffered food poisoning after eating banh mi purchased from Co Bich shops; the cause was identified as Salmonella bacterial infection. In mid-December, over 200 people in Quang Ngai also experienced food poisoning after consuming banh mi sold at a local chain, attributed to Vietnamese sausage and vegetables contaminated with the same pathogen.

Le Phuong