Around 5-7pm, passing through the Dong Xuan market gate (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi ), many people often notice a small but busy and crowded sandwich cart. The owner and his wife quickly cut the bread, the other quickly arranged pieces of char siu, cucumber... into the hot sandwich, drizzled with sauce and a little spicy chili sauce.

"Yes, please wait a moment", "The mouse bread is right here", "Do you want chili sauce?"... the owner asked each customer while working.

Interestingly, customers do not buy 1 or 2 sandwiches, but rather order 5, 10, or even 20. The reason is that the shop specializes in selling tiny sandwiches, also known as "mouse" sandwiches, the size of a hand, "a few bites and it's gone". Many people live far away, so when they have time to stop by, they will buy dozens of sandwiches for their families.

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Diners surround a sidewalk sandwich cart. Photo: Kim Ngan

At rush hour, hungry stomachs, customers eagerly wait for cakes and want to buy a few to satisfy their hunger.

This bread cart belongs to Dung Hoa (50 years old, Hanoi) and her husband. According to Hoa, the couple has been selling bread at Dong Xuan market for 19 years.

At first, she sold Hai Phong baguettes with simple pate filling. After enjoying delicious pho xiu and xoi xiu, she came up with the idea of ​​combining baguettes with char siu. The owner chose the tiny baguettes to differentiate herself from many other famous baguette shops in the area, and at the same time, customers could easily take them away without worrying about getting bored of eating them.

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Ms. Dung Hoa, owner of the sandwich shop. Photo: Kim Ngan

Ms. Hoa's sandwich cart currently sells two types of bread: baguettes with pate and pork floss fillings and "mouse" bread with char siu, pate, pork floss, cucumber, coriander, fried onions... "My husband and I both make the ingredients to stuff the bread ourselves.

We usually buy the ingredients, prepare and cook them from 6am to 3pm, then push the cart out to sell. On peak days, my family sells 700-800 pieces," Ms. Hoa shared.

The mouse breads were ordered from a bakery owned by Ms. Hoa’s relatives. The bread had a crispy crust, a soft but not too dense inside, and a faint aroma of flour. The breads were kept in a sealed cabinet to stay warm.

Ms. Hoa meticulously spreads a layer of fatty pate, arranges each piece of char siu soaked in spices, mixed with cucumbers and herbs into the bread. Not only that, the owner also pours on lemon sauce and chili sauce. This sauce is made by Ms. Hoa herself according to her own recipe, has a mild sour taste, balanced with the salty and sweet taste of char siu.

The bread is tiny but the filling is full. Photo: Kim Ngan

The owner of the restaurant makes the char siu from lean shoulder meat, marinates it carefully and grills it at a moderate temperature to retain its natural softness and sweetness. Every day, the restaurant sells about 12-15kg of char siu. The pate is also made by Ms. Hoa herself.

"The bread is crispy, the filling is full and rich, combined harmoniously with the lemon sauce. Standing next to the cart, the smell of char siu meat made me hungry. When eating, the flavor is very attractive, eating 1 or 2 pieces is not enough", said a diner.

The owner said the sandwich is best eaten on the spot, with the bread and filling hot.

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"I passed by here and saw a long line of people, so I was curious and bought some. The taste of this small grilled char siu sandwich surprised me. The sour, spicy, salty, and sweet flavors blend together harmoniously," said a male customer in a white shirt. Photo: Kim Ngan

Ms. Huong (25 years old, Long Bien, Hanoi) is a regular customer of the restaurant. Every time she comes here, she buys a dozen to treat her family. She really likes the fatty pate, fragrant sauce and chili sauce of the restaurant.

Many diners enjoy eating the tiny sandwiches. Photo: Kim Ngan

The owner confided that the couple always kept in mind to preserve the traditional flavor of Vietnamese bread. Initially, the bread cart mainly served workers and local residents, but gradually welcomed a large number of domestic and international tourists.

" Tourists often try many different specialties of Hanoi. Therefore, my tiny bread is suitable for them, not making them too full or too bored. Sometimes, the bread is small so tourists eat it longingly, so they remember it forever," said Ms. Hoa.

Char siu, pork floss, pate... are all made by Hoa and her husband. Photo: Kim Ngan

On social media, there are many posts praising the taste of Hoa and her husband’s street bread. However, many people think that the price of 10,000 VND for a bread that is only as big as the palm of your hand, which requires 3-4 pieces to be full, is too expensive.

"I sell at a price that matches the quality and effort. The sandwich is small but the filling is very full," said the shop owner.

The famous tiny bread in Hue, priced at only 5,000 VND, customers need to eat a few to satisfy their cravings . Although the size is as small as half a hand, but filled with pork or sausage, sauce and Vietnamese coriander, this "tiny" bread quickly became a popular, unique snack that attracts customers to enjoy when coming to the dreamy land of Hue.