Banh mi is Vietnam's national sandwich on a French-colonial baguette. The Hanoi version is restrained: rich pork pate, cold cuts, butter and coriander, with less mayonnaise than the Saigon style.

Banh mi emerged in the French colonial era (1873-1954) when local bakeries adapted the baguette using rice flour for lower humidity tolerance. The pate-and-pork filling appeared in the 1950s and the dish became fully Vietnamese after 1954. Banh Mi 25 has run the Old Quarter's most-photographed stall on Hang Ca since 2014; the Hang Gai stall has run since 1979 from a single family.

3 editor picks for Bánh Mì in Hanoi, ranked by editorial score. All Hanoi signature dishes · Bánh Mì across every city.