Hanoi (VNA) – Banh mi is becoming the most belovedVietnamese street food. With its typical flavor, Banh mi in the Old Quarter ofHanoi has established a reputation among both locals and foreign tourists.

There are banh mi shops and stalls in almost every street inHanoi. The dish features crispy bread and light, fresh and tasty fillings,including pork, pate, chicken, eggs, spicy chilli sauce and herbs.

However, banh mi shops in the Old Quarter of Hanoi have theirown secret. Some shops have served for decades. They can sell up to 1,000 sandwichesper day.


Harry Earnshaw, a tourist from the UK, said he loves the freshingredients and the crunchy bread of Vietnamese banh mi. He has tastedVietnamese banh mi in Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An ancient town in the centralprovince of Quang Nam and the capital city of Hanoi.

“During my stay in Hanoi, I have had Banh mi for about fivetimes in total. But banh mi in the Old Quarter of Hanoi is the best,” Earnshaw said.

The uniqueness of Vietnamese Banh mi not only lies within the crunchy French baguette, but also the flavourful and diverse fillings.

Cao Tien Manh is a Hanoi student in Canada. He works parttime at a Vietnamese sandwich shop in Canada. On his summer vacation, he camehome and enjoyed banh mi at his favourite shop on Cha Ca Street in Hanoi.

Manh said Vietnamese banh mi is very popular in Canada. Although it shares a similarity with foreign sandwiches, most Canadian customers like to call it by the Vietnamese name – banh mi, because of its unique taste.


“I want to eat Hanoi banh mi whenever I go home on myvacation. I can tell the difference in flavour right away. I think it isbecause of the pork liver pate,” Manh said.

Banh mi was listed in top 10 of the “World’s best streetfood” by Lonely Planet, while the British newspaper The Guardian saidthe world’s best sandwich isn’t found in Rome, Copenhagen or even New YorkCity, but on the streets of Vietnam.

Most tourists to Vietnam want to try a banh mi, while foodlovers put the dish at the top of the street food list.

 
Saoirse Murdoch, a Scottish visitor, said she was curiousabout Vietnamese banh mi as the dish is not only recommended by her friends, butalso praised by international food bloggers and tourism websites.

“We have a lot of sandwich shops but they are nothing likeVietnamese banh mi,” Murdoch said, adding she loves the fresh nativeingredients and crunchy bread of Vietnamese banh mi.

Vietnamese banh mi can be served for any meals during theday. You can take one away wrapped in a paper bag or sit down on a small stooland dig in.


Keiko Sakai, a Japanese national who has lived in Hanoi for morethan two years said Vietnamese banh mi is very convenient for foreigners to eatbecause it is cheap and easy to find.

“I have eaten banh mi lots, most of the time for breakfast,sometimes for lunch, or even diner,” she said, adding she ate banh mi indifferent places, so she can tell where to come back.


Vietnamese Banh mi has regional style, stretching from thenorth to the south.

Besides traditional fillings, Banh mi can be made withvarious fillings and feature regional tastes, depending on local ingredientsand customers’ order.


The dish used to be a food staple of the working poor longbefore becoming a Vietnamese iconic street food and gaining internationalfame.-VNA