The roll is the point
A Vietnamese baguette is shorter and lighter than a French one, with a crust so thin it crackles and sheds when you squeeze it, and a soft, airy crumb that does not fight the fillings. Good shops bake in small batches several times a day, so the bread you get is often still warm. Many sell plain rolls by the piece or by the bag for well under the cost of a sandwich, and families buy them to make bánh mì at home or to dip in bò kho (beef stew) or curry.
When judging a bakery, the bread tells you most of what you need to know. The crust should shatter but not scrape the roof of your mouth, and the inside should be pillowy rather than chewy.
Building a bánh mì order
The classic is bánh mì đặc biệt, the special combination: cold cuts like chả lụa (pork roll) and head cheese, pâté, butter or mayonnaise, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro and sliced jalapeño, finished with a dash of Maggi seasoning. Other common options are grilled pork (thịt nướng), lemongrass chicken, meatballs in tomato sauce (xíu mại), sardines, fried egg and tofu. Sandwiches at most shops are still relatively inexpensive, and many run a buy-several-get-one-free deal.
Bánh beyond bread
Bánh is a broad word that covers breads, cakes, dumplings and snacks. In a Vietnamese bakery case, look for:
- Bánh pâté sô: puff pastry filled with seasoned ground pork, descended from the French pâté chaud.
- Bánh bò nướng: baked pandan and coconut cake with a chewy, honeycomb-like interior.
- Bánh da lợn: steamed layer cake alternating pandan and mung bean, cut into squares.
- Bánh bao: steamed buns stuffed with pork, Chinese sausage and a piece of boiled egg.
- Bánh cam and bánh tiêu: sesame-coated fried balls and hollow fried breads.
- Bánh su kem: cream puffs, often with a lighter custard than French versions.
Many shops also sell chè (sweet bean and jelly desserts) in cups, plus Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk.
Tết and special orders
Before Lunar New Year, Vietnamese bakeries and delis take orders for bánh chưng and bánh tét, the square and cylindrical sticky rice cakes filled with mung bean and pork and wrapped in leaves. They take hours to cook, so most shops make them in limited runs; order a week or more ahead. Some bakeries also take orders for trays of bánh mì or bánh bao for funerals, office lunches and family gatherings.
