Vietnamese bread: The fantastic street food to rouse your taste buds

Vietnamese bread is a highlight on the global culinary map. Believe it or not, the dish has a long history of development in Vietnam. Now, it has many variations, thanks to the creativity of local chefs.

Vietnamese food has been more and more recognized in the world with its many mouth-watering delicacies.
Vietnamese bread, in particular, has gained the attention of many foreigners. Let’s see how it came to be and how it has been modified to suit the tastes of both locals and visitors. Then, you will understand more about Vietnamese culture and cuisine.

1. About Vietnamese bread

1.1. The origin of Vietnamese bread

Vietnamese bread, or Vietnamese baguette (or banh mi in Vietnamese) was brought to Vietnam by the French in the 1980s along with other baked goods such as pâté chaud. During World War I, many French soldiers were sent to Vietnam. The shortage of wheat forced local bakers to mix inexpensive rice flour with wheat, which also made the bread fluffier. Hence, the ordinary Vietnamese then could afford the once-luxurious bread and other French staples.

In 1954, Vietnamese bread was brought to Saigon by millions of migrants from the North. Two migrants, namely Le Minh Ngoc and Nguyen Thi Tinh, opened a small bakery named Hoa Ma in District 3. In 1958, Hoa Ma became one of the first shops to offer “banh mi thit” (bread with pork). Around this time, other migrants from the North began selling “banh mi cha” (bread with grilled pork paste) and stuffed it with Cheddar cheese, which was gotten from French food aid. 

After 1975, Vietnamese banh mi became a luxury commodity when state-owned pho (beef noodles) shops often served bread as a side dish. This led to the present-day habit of dipping quay (crispy bagel twists) in beef noodles. In the 1980s, market reforms made Vietnamese baguette popular again as a street food. At the same time, Vietnamese Americans introduced Vietnamese bread to various areas in the US. 

1.2. The position of Vietnamese bread in the global food map 

Since the 1990s, Vietnamese migrants have been popularising Vietnamese food to the world, including the presence of Vietnamese bread and Pho in London. Many foreigners now enjoy Vietnamese baguette as a staple food in their daily diet. 

Vietnamese bread was featured in the 2002 PBS documentary titled “Sandwiches that You Will Like”. The word ‘banh mi’ was added to the Oxford English Dictionary on March 24, 2011. In 2017, Vietnamese baguette was included in some 2% of restaurant menus in the US, which was a fivefold increase from that in 2013. On March 24, 2020, Google introduced Vietnamese banh mi in the Google Doodle. CNN has listed Vietnamese bread among the best 23 sandwiches in the world.