"Desk work never taught me the true value of labor." So says Ha Lam Thu Quynh, who served as communications director for Google's Asia-Pacific region. Leaving the tech giant after 10 years, she launched a banh mi brand in Singapore as an overseas Vietnamese. About a year on, her regulars' return rate is 85%, and deliveries even go to the offices of Amazon and Meta. It's a story of a career change and food that overturns the assumption that "Vietnamese street food = cheap." The article was published on June 28, 2026.
Casting off stability to grill meat herself
After about 10 years at Google, Quynh co-founded a Vietnamese-style banh mi shop in Singapore. About a year since opening. In busy periods she works 15-16 hours a day, grilling meat herself. Some months, her sales fall below what her monthly salary used to be. Even so, she asserts, "Success isn't necessarily tied to titles or your bank balance."
There's another striking line. "Vietnamese food is delicious and cheap because the value of Vietnamese labor is kept cheap." Only after standing and cooking herself did she understand the weight of the labor behind that "cheapness."
Why she competes in the premium lane
The clientele of Quynh's shop is mainly foreign expatriates and tourists living in Singapore. In location, clientele, and price range alike, it draws a clear line from so-called "cheap street food." Deliveries to the offices of tech giants like Amazon and Meta come in because she's captured the demand for quality meals at the workplace.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ha Lam Thu Quynh (former Google Asia PR director) |
| Format | A Vietnamese-style banh mi shop in Singapore |
| Time since opening | About one year |
| Regulars' return rate | 85% |
| Delivery destinations | Offices of Amazon, Meta, etc. |
| Work style | 15-16 hours a day in busy periods |
Her commitment to quality is thorough too. The meat is grilled by hand, the herbs are faithful to tradition, and the baguette is managed for temperature and texture. She won't replace Vietnamese ingredients with cheap substitutes just because it cuts costs. Singapore's F&B industry is strictly regulated, consumers are discerning, and the closure rate is high. Amid all that, the high return rate reported suggests a quality-first line is winning support.
The context of overseas Vietnamese carrying "the taste of home"
The movement of Vietnamese who've gone abroad recreating the authentic taste of home locally is seen everywhere. Like the story of an overseas-Vietnamese couple who spent two years fermenting fish sauce in a Greek garden (Related articles), Quynh's challenge is also in the lineage of "launching one's homeland's food culture at high polish in one's adopted home."
It's an era when street food is rated by Michelin too (Related articles). The axis for rating Vietnamese cuisine is shifting from "cheapness" to "value," and Quynh's premium banh mi stands at that forefront.
A discovery for Japanese readers and travelers
In Japan, banh mi has a strong image of affordable takeout. But Quynh's shop shows that even the same banh mi can hold an entirely different value depending on "who makes it, with what philosophy, and with what ingredients." When you visit Singapore, savoring the "one loaf made by someone who cast off a career" around Clarke Quay becomes an experience beyond food. Now that convenience-store banh mi is enjoyed in Japan too (Related articles), it's well worth knowing the story of a maker at the opposite pole.
Summary
From a Google communications exec to a banh mi shop owner grilling meat herself. Quynh's shift is a choice of a way of living that finds value in labor itself, not in titles. The result of an 85% return rate proves that quality-first work and storytelling can hold up even in Singapore's crowded F&B market. Next time you encounter Vietnamese food, remember "the choice behind this one loaf."
The Singapore food scene as a stage
The Singapore Quynh takes on is a market with an extreme range of price and quality, from a cheap plate at a hawker center to fine dining. Rents and labor costs are high, regulations strict, and consumers' palates discerning. Making a new category of "premium banh mi" work in this environment is itself a considerable hurdle. The 85% return rate is a figure showing she's clearing that wall.
Her story resonates because it's not merely a success tale. She frankly admits some months her sales fall below her old monthly salary, and still says she chose "a value that isn't titles or balances." As rethinking work becomes a global theme, a tech-giant exec choosing to stand in the kitchen herself isn't someone else's problem for Japanese readers either. Next time you eat banh mi, you'll gain one more perspective: "who made it, and with what resolve."
Frequently asked questions
Where is this banh mi shop?
It operates around Clarke Quay in central Singapore. Its main clientele is foreign residents and tourists.
How is it different from ordinary banh mi?
The meat is grilled by hand, the herbs are faithful to tradition, the baguette is managed for temperature and texture, and it uses no cheap substitute ingredients. It differentiates on the maker's philosophy rather than price.
How popular is it?
About a year since opening, the regulars' return rate is 85%. Deliveries even go to the offices of Amazon and Meta.
Sources
CafeBiz: From a Google director to someone grilling banh mi in Singapore
