Food History of Hanoi

Key eras

1. Trade streets and early eateries (to 1900)

   At the start of the 20th century Hanoi still consisted of the '36 streets', each with merchants in a trade such as silk, jewelry or bamboo. In 1871 the Doan family opened an eatery on Hang Son Street that became Cha Ca La Vong, and the street was later renamed Cha Ca.

2. French colonial era (to 1954)

   Hanoi was the capital of French Indochina for most of the colonial period, from 1902 to 1945. The French introduced the baguette in the mid-19th century, and pho appears in written records in northern Vietnam in these years. Le Beaulieu has operated in the Metropole since 1901, and in 1946 Nguyen Van Giang began selling egg coffee at Cafe Giang.

   Taste it todayLe Beaulieu

3. Subsidy era (1954 to 1986)

   A centralized, planned economy, the Subsidy period, replaced the free market in the North in 1954 and covered the whole country after 1975. In 1979, in the middle of it, Nguyen Trong Thin opened Pho Thin at 13 Lo Duc and sold only pho tai lan, beef stir-fried in hot fat.

4. Doi Moi reform (1986 onwards)

   The Doi Moi reforms, adopted at the Party Congress of December 1986, gave market forces a larger role and allowed private ownership of small enterprises. Many of the shops Michelin lists in Hanoi are small family businesses, such as Banh Cuon Gia Truyen on Hang Ga Street, open since 1973.

   Taste it todayGia

5. Michelin era (2023 onwards)

   Vietnam's first Michelin stars were announced in June 2023, and Hanoi's three went to Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi. The 2025 guide added Bib Gourmands for Ha Thanh Mansion, Mien Luon Chan Cam and Uu Dam, and the 2026 guide added a fourth Hanoi star for ONVIT, the first Korean restaurant in Vietnam to earn one.

   Taste it todayGiaHibana by Koki

Immigrant influences

Chinese

French and Chinese cooking are believed to have shaped pho, and xa xiu, Chinese barbecued pork, is a common banh mi filling.

French

The French brought the baguette, which became banh mi, and pate. Le Beaulieu, at the Sofitel Legend Metropole, has served French cooking on the same spot since 1901.

Taste it todayLe Beaulieu

Central and Southern Vietnamese

Cau Go's menu draws on Northern, Central and Southern cooking, and Bach Phuong on Hang Dieu serves bun bo Nam Bo, the southern-style beef noodle dish.

Japanese

Hibana by Koki, a 14-seat teppanyaki counter in the basement of Capella Hanoi, has held a Michelin star since 2023, with premium ingredients flown in from Japan.

Taste it todayHibana by Koki

Signature innovations

• Egg coffee, first served at Cafe Giang in 1946 when fresh milk was scarce
• Pho tai lan, pho with beef stir-fried in hot fat, sold at Pho Thin on Lo Duc since 1979
• Cha ca La Vong, served since 1871 on a street later renamed Cha Ca
• Bia hoi, fresh draught beer brewed daily and delivered in steel kegs
• Pho cuon, rolled pho, which Pho Cuon Chinh Thang is said to have started in 2000
• The Old Quarter's 36 streets, each grouped by a trade such as silk or bamboo
• Vietnam's first Michelin stars, in June 2023, three of them in Hanoi