Vietnamese traditional bread

The people of Vietnam and Cambodia eat a lot more bread (banh mi) than those in the rest of South-east Asia. Having both been influenced by French colonization and wartime occupation, bread has become a daily feature. Somewhere between a long, crispy French baguette and the wider Middle Eastern loaf, the bread of Vietnam is usually made from a combination of wheat and rice flours and is shorter than a baguette with a slit down the middle. Whether used for grilled meat and salad sandwiches, flavoured with fresh herbs and chillies, or smeared with a local pork pate and a splash of chilli sauce, freshly baked loaves are available in the streets of southern Vietnam just as easily as noodles. Torn into chunks to dip into stews and curries, bread is also served as an alternative to noodles or rice.

In the markets of Ho Chi Minh City, stalls are laden with freshly baked baguettes, which are eaten almost as much as rice and noodles.

And then there is the ice cream sandwich. A popular sweet snack with children thick chunks of baguette are halved lengthways and a wedge of ice cream is tucked in between them - a South-east Asian version of an ice cream cone.
Buns and dumplings fall into the bread category, as they start with a dough  made from wheat flour and yeast. However, following ancient Chinese traditions, buns and dumplings are often stuffed and usually steamed, although some buns are baked after steaming. Flatbreads and wrappers, used for folding around morsels of food and for spring rolls, can also be included in the bread culture. Made from nee or wheat flour, they are baked on griddles, or left in the sunshine to dry.
In the main shopping areas of cities, bakeries and patisseries, stuffed full of enticing, freshly baked cakes, pastries and a variety of sweet and savoury loaves, reflect the French influence, as well as the travels of many refugee Khmer and Vietnamese who have returned to their homelands to set up business. International favourites such as jam tarts, chocolate eclairs, gingerbread men and sponge cakes, all baked on the premises, are enjoyed by passers-by with a good cup of tea or coffee.