Vietnamese woman leaves Google job to open banh mi stall in Clarke Quay, gets rave reviews in just 2 months

Formerly an executive at tech giant Google, a Vietnamese woman made a drastic career switch by leaving her role to open a banh mi stall in Clarke Quay.

Within two months, the stall received a 4.9 out of five Google review rating, served high-profile figures and received offers to be franchised.

Google to Clarke Quay

Ha Lam Tu Quynh, who is in her 40s, was previously a communications and public relations lead for Google Vietnam.

While financially and professionally secure, she made the decision to switch careers more than a year ago, according to Vietnamese media VN Express.

She cited the uncertainty of working under others as a driving factor, and was further fuelled to start her own business by the Big Tech layoffs of 2024 and 2025.

The stall, located along Clarke Quay, Banh Mi Society, opened in July 2025.

Quynh reportedly chose banh mi as her flagship product due to its international recognition and simplicity. It is also more appealing than similar items in fast food chains like Subway, she said.

To kick off her business, she sampled banh mi in Singapore and Vietnam, studied how shops operated and sought advice from Vietnamese chefs and industry experts.

Setting up the shop came with its own challenges, including needing to tailor the kitchen to suit the food safety needs of a banh mi stall.

The shop's prime location in Clarke Quay also meant that rental fees were S$10,000 per month, but Quynh was eventually able to bargain for a reduced amount.

The landlord's confidence in her business was also a boost in her own conviction, she said.

Instant success

The risk she took appeared to pay off, with the shop, measuring just 40 square metres, clocking in a 4.9 star rating in just two months.

The flood of reviews in that short time span even resulted in the system being flagged for verification on suspicion of fake reviews, according to VN Express.

Within four months of opening, the stall was also added by a Singaporean media company as a catering provider, a promising sign of long-term success for Quynh.

She admitted to working from morning till late at night and rarely having a day off, owing to the business being busier than expected.

At S$12 per banh mi, items on the stall's menu are pricier than most hawker centres and places like Subway, but Quynh explained that she aimed to reframe Vietnamese street food to a mid-to-premium level using quality ingredients and tailored preparations.

Each ingredient is reportedly homemade daily, with extra measures being taken to circumvent restrictions in Singapore's Food Agency requirements.

The stall's success saw it catering to high-profile patrons, including minister of state for defence Desmond Choo, the Vietnamese ambassador to Singapore and the Pope's representative in Vietnam.

Quynh also received offers to franchise her brand within two months of opening.

Though she declined, hoping to first perfect her operations, she reportedly plans to eventually expand her brand to five Singapore outlets.

Top images via Ha Lam Tu Quynh/Facebook & Banh Mi Society/Instagram