The traditional bread used for the Vietnamese sandwich bánh mì is a baguette. Vietnamese baguettes are usually crisp on the outside and light, airy, and tender inside, making them well suited to holding savory fillings.
The bread reflects Vietnam’s history under French colonial rule, when baguettes became part of the local food culture. Vietnamese bakers adapted the loaf, often using rice flour alongside wheat flour or changing the dough and baking methods to create a lighter, thinner-crusted bread than many classic French baguettes.
A bánh mì sandwich may contain pâté, mayonnaise, grilled pork, cold cuts, meatballs, or eggs, along with pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber, cilantro, and chili. The word bánh mì can refer broadly to bread, while in many English-speaking contexts it means the filled sandwich. Naan, pita, and ciabatta can hold similar fillings, but they are not the traditional bread of bánh mì.