Unique vermicelli bread in Hai Duong city

Strange yet familiar

The sandwich shop of Mr. Nguyen Hong Son and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Manh Ha is nestled at the corner of Le Hong Phong Street. Although the shop is narrow and even a bit old, it is still bustling with customers. In the city, there is no shortage of places selling sandwiches with fillings, but instead of pate, sausage, grilled meat, wormwood eggs, etc., the shop makes the filling from vermicelli. This seemingly unrelated combination creates a strange and filling breakfast.

While quickly making vermicelli bread for customers, Mrs. Ha told about the birth of this unique dish. Because of her love for fried bread, she thought of a way to combine it with other ingredients to make the dish more appealing. Vermicelli, wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts and eggs are familiar foods mixed in the right proportions, stir-fried just right so that they are not too dry or too mushy. In addition to the main filling, the bread also has shredded meat and cucumber to prevent boredom. To complete the flavor and enhance the aroma, each bread is also added with coriander.

The crust is also different, not simply baking bread to make it crispy, Mrs. Ha fried the crust in hot oil. Before frying, the crust is dipped in sugar water. This way, the crust is both rich but not greasy, with a sweet taste from the apricot blossom sugar, eaten with the filling made from vermicelli. In addition, the bread is made in a manual oven, so the flavor is also richer. “This dish has been my family’s livelihood for nearly 30 years. I call this dish fried bread but people are more familiar with and like the name vermicelli bread,” Mrs. Ha said with a smile.

Since 1996, life has changed a lot, people have the opportunity to enjoy new dishes, but the sandwich shop of Mr. Son and Mrs. Ha still attracts customers. Every morning, they sell 300-500 sandwiches, and even more on winter days. The plump sandwich with lots of filling is the choice of many people for breakfast. From the elderly to children, everyone is addicted to this strange yet familiar dish.

Commemorative dish

For many people in Hai Duong city, vermicelli bread is no longer strange. Moreover, this dish has become a part of many people's memories. Ms. Nguyen Thi Luyen in Ba Lieu street, Hai Tan ward said that she has known this dish since she was in secondary school. Until now, even though she is the mother of 2 young children, she still loves this dish. "In the past, every time my university friends came to Hai Duong to visit, I would take them to the end of Le Hong Phong street to enjoy this vermicelli bread, which is both popular, easy to eat and unique. Everyone was surprised because they had never seen this dish before. Currently, there are some restaurants in the city that make vermicelli bread, but the taste is hard to compare to Ha Son restaurant," Ms. Luyen shared.

Vermicelli bread attracts many people, from students to workers, laborers, and the elderly because of its affordable price and ease of eating. Therefore, even after many years, this simple, popular dish is still as popular as the first day. Mr. Nguyen Hong Son said that on weekends, the restaurant is often crowded because students studying far away come to the restaurant. Some people who have been abroad for decades still come to the restaurant to enjoy bread when they return.

Seeing that Mr. Son and Mrs. Ha's sandwich shop attracts customers, many people come to buy the recipe and learn how to make it. However, the owner does not charge a fee and is willing to pass on the secret to anyone who wants it. Some people come from Phu Tho, Thai Nguyen, and Hanoi to learn how to make the bread. Mrs. Ha said that her daughter is also selling vermicelli sandwiches on Dien Bien Phu Street. Although Mrs. Ha has guided and taught her how to make the bread in detail, she is still not satisfied with the vermicelli sandwiches made by her daughter and her husband.

Life is getting better and better, food and drinks are more diverse and abundant. There are dishes that become trends but bloom early and fade away in the evening. But the noodle sandwich has been close and persistently attached to the city's people for nearly 30 years.