 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Vietnamese. (August 2025)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Alternative names | Vietnamese roll or sandwich, Saigon roll or sandwich |
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| Type | Sandwich |
| Place of origin | Vietnam |
| Region or state | Southern Vietnam |
| Invented | 1950s[1] |
| Main ingredients | Vietnamese baguette (also calledbánh mì) |
| Variations | See below |
| Similar dishes | num pang,khao jee pâté[2] |
InVietnamese cuisine,bánh mì,bánh mỳ orbanh mi (/ˈbɑːnmiː/,[3][4][5][6]/ˈbæn/;[7][6]Vietnamese:[ɓǎjŋ̟mì][clarification needed], 'bread' (Hanoi:[ɓaʲŋ̟˧˥.mi˧˩] or Saigon:[ɓan˧˥.mi˧˩])), is a shortbaguette with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with meat and savory ingredients like asubmarine sandwich and served as a meal, calledbánh mì thịt. Plainbánh mì is also eaten as astaple food.
A typical Vietnamese roll or sandwich is afusion of proteins and vegetables from nativeVietnamese cuisine such aschả lụa (Vietnamese sausage),[8]coriander (cilantro), cucumber, pickled carrots, and pickleddaikon combined with condiments from French cuisine such aspâté, along withred chili andmayonnaise.[9] However,a variety of popular fillings are used, likexá xíu (Chinese barbecued pork),xíu mại (Vietnamese minced pork),nem nướng (grilled pork sausage),Đậu Hũ (tofu), and evenice cream, which is more of a dessert. In Vietnam, bread rolls and sandwiches are typically eaten for breakfast or as a snack.
Thebaguette was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the mid-19th century, during theNguyễn dynasty, and became a staple food by the early 20th century.[10] In the 1950s, a distinctly Vietnamese style of sandwich developed inSaigon, becoming a popularstreet food, also known asbánh mì Sài Gòn ('Saigon sandwich' or 'Saigon-stylebánh mì').[11][12] Following theVietnam War,overseas Vietnamese popularized thebánh mì sandwich in countries such as Australia, Canada and the United States. In these countries, they are commonly sold in Asianbakeries.
InVietnamese, the wordbánh mì is derived frombánh (which can refer to many kinds of food, primarily baked goods, including bread) andmì ("wheat"). It may also be spelledbánh mỳ in northern Vietnam. Taken alone,bánh mì means any kind of bread, but it could refer to the Vietnamese baguette or the sandwich made from it. To distinguish the unfilled bread from the sandwich with fillings, the termbánh mì không ("plain bread") can be used. To distinguish Vietnamese-style bread from other kinds of bread, the termbánh mì Sài Gòn ("Saigon-style bread") orbánh mì Việt Nam ("Vietnam-style bread") can be used.
Afolk etymology claims that the wordbánh mì is a corruption of the Frenchpain de mie, meaning soft, white bread.[13] However,bánh (or itsNôm form,餅) has referred torice cakes and other pastries since as early as the 13th century, long beforeFrench contact.[14]
The wordbánh mì, meaning "bread", is attested inVietnamese as early as the 1830s, inJean-Louis Taberd's dictionaryDictionarium Latino-Annamiticum.[15] The French introduced Vietnam to thebaguette, along with other baked goods such aspâté chaud, in the 1860s, at thestart of their imperialism in Vietnam.[16]Many sources characterizebánh mì primarily as a French bread tradition adapted in Vietnam, with local fillings added atop the colonial-era baguette base. Vietnamese vendors layered herbs, pickles, chiles, and meats onto this foundation, producing a distinctive Saigon street-food form by the mid-20th century.[17][2][16]Northern Vietnamese initially called the baguettebánh tây, literally "Westernbánh", whileSouthern Vietnamese called itbánh mì, "wheatbánh".[18][19]Nguyễn Đình Chiểu mentions the baguette in his 1861 poem "Văn tế nghĩa sĩ Cần Giuộc".[20] Due to the price of importedwheat at the time, French baguettes and sandwiches were considered aluxury. DuringWorld War I, an influx of French soldiers and supplies arrived. At the same time, disruptions of wheat imports led bakers to begin mixing in inexpensiverice flour (which also made the bread fluffier). As a result, it became possible for ordinary Vietnamese to enjoy French staples such as bread.[21][22][19] Many shops baked twice a day, because bread tends to go stale quickly in the hot, humid climate of Vietnam. Baguettes were mainly eaten for breakfast with some butter and sugar.[17]
Until the 1950s, sandwiches hewed closely to French tastes, typically ajambon-beurre moistened with amayonnaise or liverpâté spread.[21][22][17][2] The 1954Partition of Vietnam sent over a million migrants fromNorth Vietnam toSouth Vietnam, transforming Saigon's local cuisine.[18] Among the migrants wereLê Minh Ngọc andNguyễn Thị Tịnh, who opened a small bakery namedHòa Mã inDistrict 3. In 1958,Hòa Mã became one of the first shops to sellbánh mì thịt.[21][23][24] Around this time, another migrant from the North began sellingchả sandwiches from a basket on amobylette,[25] and a stand inGia Định Province (present-dayPhú Nhuận District) began sellingphá lấu sandwiches.[26] Some shops stuffed sandwiches with inexpensiveCheddar cheese, which came from French food aid that migrants from the North had rejected.[17]Vietnamese communities in France also began sellingbánh mì.[19]
After theFall of Saigon in 1975,bánh mì sandwiches became a luxury item once again.[18] During the so-called "subsidy period", state-ownedphở eateries often served bread or cold rice as a side dish, leading to the present-day practice of dippingquẩy inphở.[27] In the 1980s,Đổi Mới market reforms led to a renaissance inbánh mì, mostly asstreet food.[18]
Meanwhile,Vietnamese Americans broughtbánh mì sandwiches to cities across the United States. In Northern California,Lê Văn Bá and his sons are credited with popularizingbánh mì among Vietnamese and non-Vietnamese Americans alike through theirfood truck services provider and their fast-food chain,Lee's Sandwiches, beginning in the 1980s.[19] Sometimesbánh mì was likened to local sandwiches. InNew Orleans, a "Vietnamesepo' boy" recipe won the 2009 award for the best po' boy at the annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival.[28] A restaurant inPhiladelphia also sells a similar sandwich, marketed as a "Vietnamesehoagie".[29]
Since the 1970s,Vietnamese refugees from theVietnam War arrived in London and were hosted at community centers[30] in areas of London such asDe Beauvoir Town eventually founding a string of successful Vietnamese-style canteens inShoreditch wherebánh mì alongsidephở, was popularised from the 1990s.
Bánh mì sandwiches were featured in the 2002PBS documentarySandwiches That You Will Like. The wordbánh mì was added to theOxford English Dictionary on 24 March 2011.[31][32] As of 2017,bánh mì is included in about 2% of U.S. restaurant sandwich menus, a nearly fivefold increase from 2013.[33] On 24 March 2020,Google celebratedbánh mì with aGoogle Doodle.[34]
A Vietnamese baguette has a thin crust and white, airy crumb. It may consist of bothwheat flour andrice flour.[21]
Besides being made into a sandwich, it is eaten alongside meat dishes, such asbò kho (a beef stew),curry, andphá lấu. It can also be dipped incondensed milk (seeSữa Ông Thọ).
Abánh mì sandwich typically consists of a main filling of one or more meats, together with accompanying vegetables, and condiments.
Accompanying vegetables typically include fresh cucumber slices or wedges, leaves of thecoriander plant and pickled carrot anddaikon in shredded form (đồ chua). Common condiments include spicy chili sauce, sliced chilis, seasoning sauce, and mayonnaise.[16][19] These sandwiches can even be filled withsearedtofu.[35]
Many varieties of main filling are used. A typicalbánh mì shop in the United States offers at least 10 varieties.[36]
The most popular variety isbánh mì thịt,thịt meaning "meat".Bánh mì thịt nguội (also known asbánh mì pâté chả thịt,bánh mì đặc biệt, or "special combo") is made with various Vietnamesecold cuts, such as sliced pork orpork belly,chả lụa (Vietnamese sausage), andhead cheese, along with the liverpâté and vegetables like carrot or cucumbers.[37][18][12][38]
Other varieties include:
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Nowadays, different types ofbánh mì are popular. For example,bánh mì que is thinner and longer and can be filled with various ingredients just as normalbánh mì.
Prior to theFall of Saigon in 1975, well-knownSouth Vietnamesebánh mì vendors includedBánh mì Ba Lẹ andBánh mì Như Lan (which opened in 1968[21]).
In the 21st century,McDonald's andParis Baguette locations in Vietnam offerbánh mì.[41][42]
Bánh mì is highly popular as a favoured snack in Australia. This includes fast food chainRoll'd and various Vietnamese-run bakeries.
An Australian-based "Vietnamese Banh Mi Appreciation Society" was created onFacebook in 2017. As of January 2026[update], it had 155,000 members. Australian-madebánh mì and their makers also feature onTikTok. As of the same month, a recent TikTok review of Top Ryde Baker's House, a family-runbánh mì-making business inRyde, a suburb of Sydney, had had 1.5 million views. Additionally, abánh mì made by another Sydney-based business, Marrickville Pork Roll, which has numerous outlets around the city, has featured in anInstagram post by Australia's Prime Minister,Anthony Albanese.[43]
In November 2025, a limited time special "ZingerBánh Mì" roll was added to the nationwide menu ofKFC Australia.[44] It was made up of "... [a] spicy Zinger chicken fillet with slaw, fresh chillies, coriander, a new Bánh Mì-style mayonnaise, and Supercharged sauce, all served in a traditional Bánh Mì roll."[44] Although a trial of the item had been successful earlier in the year inNewcastle, New South Wales, the nationwide launch proved to be controversial.[45][46] So, for example, whereas aThis is Canberra reviewer described the product as "glorious",[47] a reviewer inThe Guardian dubbed it "...bánh mì by name but not nature ... theDannii Minogue of chicken sandwiches."[48]
Banh Mi Nem, Hong Kong's only Vietnamese eatery in the Michelin selected list, specialises inbánh mì. Opened in 2024 by a Vietnamese who had lived in Hong Kong for almost 20 years, it was the firstbánh mì shop inWan Chai. Unlike most localbánh mì outlets, which use French-style baguettes, its bread is Vietnamese-style. After receiving Michelin recognition within a year of its launching, the business opened a second outlet, inCentral.[49]
In regions of the United States with significant populations ofVietnamese Americans, numerous bakeries and fast food restaurants specialize inbánh mì.Lee's Sandwiches, a fast food chain with locations in several states, specializes in Vietnamese sandwiches served on French baguettes (or traditionalbánh mì at some locations) as well as Western-style sandwiches served oncroissants.[citation needed]Phở Hòa, a Vietnamese-American restaurant chain primarily specializing in pho, also offersbánh mì as part of its menu.[50]
InNew Orleans,Dong Phuong Oriental Bakery is known for thebánh mì bread that it distributes to restaurants throughout the city. After 1975,Ba Lẹ owner Võ Văn Lẹ fled to the United States and, along withLâm Quốc Thanh, foundedBánh mì Ba Lê.[51] TheEden Center shopping center in Northern Virginia has several well-known bakeries specializing inbánh mì.[16] InNew York City, Banh Anh Em, a Vietnamese food shop with hand madebánh mì prominent amongst its offerings, opened for business in April 2025; by early 2026, it was already included in the Michelin Guide 2025 Bib Gourmand list, and had lines of customers waiting more than an hour to be served.[52]
Mainstream fast food chains have also incorporatedbánh mì and other Vietnamese dishes into their portfolios.Yum! Brands operates a chain ofbánh mì cafés called Bánh Shop.[19] The formerChipotle-ownedShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen chain briefly soldbánh mì.Jack in the Box offered a "bánh mì–inspired"friedchicken sandwich as part of its Food Truck Series.[53]
Media related toBánh mì at Wikimedia Commons
| Rice/Xôi dishes |
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| Noodles | |
| Staples | |
| Salads/rolls/rice paper | |
| Beverages | |
| Condiments/sauces | |
| Bánh (cakes/breads) |
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| Desserts/snacks | |
| Street food | |
| Ethnic minorities' food & drinks |
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| Others | |
| Cooking appliances | |
| Dumplings | |
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| Rice cakes | |
| Pancakes | |
| Rice noodles | |
| Other | |
