Coming Soon: Le Vietnam Is Closing Its Barrack Street Store and Moving to a New Location

When DJ and Emily Lee opened Le Vietnam on Barrack Street in 2014, banh mi was a rarity in Perth.

“Back then, there was only banh mi available at Asian convenience stores, that were ready-made and sat on the shelves from morning to afternoon,” DJ told Broadsheet in an interview last year.

Twelve years on, banh mi is now ubiquitous in Perth, with new cafes dedicated to the Vietnamese roll opening around town, many of which owe a debt to Le Vietnam. And the original Perth banh mi shop is entering a new chapter, relocating to a new space in Raine Square.

Le Vietnam’s current store sits inside the Bon Marche Arcade, which is being converted into accommodation. Slowly, all the businesses have been clearing out as building work ramps up, but Le Vietnam has stuck it out.

“Even though people are still working from home, we’ve been busier than ever. We’ve been breaking records every week, which is very fortunate,” says DJ. “With the support from the Vietnamese community, and appearances on TV in Vietnam, and being invited back to Vietnam to do some masterclasses, it’s grown us into a phenomenal institution, and even celebrities come through. So that made us look into other, bigger spaces.”

They found one in Raine Square near the new ECU campus. The new space will have a colourful fit-out inspired by the city of Hoi An, and a bigger kitchen, which will allow the team to expand its offering.

This means growing the salad range from two options to eight, more “breadless banh mi” – bowls with rice and soba noodle bases – and Viet-Tex dishes.

Viet-Tex fusion is gaining popularity in both Texas and Vietnam and the Lees hope to spearhead the movement in Perth, alongside their friends at Big Don’s Smoked Meats.

“It’s just basically comfort food,” says DJ. “As a Vietnamese, I’d love some smoky pork burnt ends over rice and a sous-vide egg on top.”

It’s all coming up very soon. “The perfect picture is not to have any breaks,” says DJ. “We’ve been pushed back in delays in about three times now. We were supposed to be in the store by now [but] it’s nowhere near completion yet. So we reckon maybe another two or three weeks. Perfect picture is to close up on a Friday here at Barrack Street and then reopen up on a Monday the following week over at the Raine Square.”

Le Vietnam’s new store will open in Raine Square (300 Murray Street, Perth) in late August or early September.

@levietnamcafe