Foreign tourists crowd Hanoi sidewalk for famous butter buns

At around 5 pm, amid the busy traffic and crowds in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, the rich aroma of butter drifting from a small bakery oven regularly attracts curious passersby.

Many foreign visitors stop after noticing dozens of people lining the sidewalk outside the shop at 34 Hang Gai Street in Hanoi.

Hadar, a tourist from Israel born in 2000, said she initially had no plan to buy anything.

“I was just walking past, but when I saw so many people patiently waiting, I became curious,” she said. “I thought if everyone is willing to queue this long, the food must be special.”

After tasting the freshly baked bun, she said she understood the attraction.

“I love the feeling of walking around the city while holding a hot bun like this,” Hadar added. “It makes the experience in Hanoi even more enjoyable.”

The pastry drawing crowds is originally from Malaysia and widely known as PappaRoti. Featuring a crispy coffee coated crust and a soft interior, the bun became an international food trend before arriving in Vietnam in the 2010s.

Emma, a German tourist born in 2004, said she visited the bakery after friends recommended it during her trip.

“I have never tried bread with this flavor before,” she said. “The crust is fragrant and crispy while the inside is soft and warm. The sweetness is also very balanced.”

Emma said she had returned almost every day during her stay in Hanoi and chose to revisit the bakery one final time before flying home.

Sri, a tourist from Singapore born in 1997, said the buns were already familiar to her, but she still wanted to experience the atmosphere in Hanoi’s Old Quarter.

“I have eaten this kind of bread before, but I wanted to see whether the flavor here was different,” she said. “What I really liked was being able to watch the baking process through the open kitchen.”

Although she felt the Singapore version had a slightly stronger taste, she said the Hanoi experience stood out because customers receive the buns fresh from the oven, still hot with the smell of butter lingering in the air.

The bakery offers four flavors priced at VND 25,000 (approximately USD 1) each, which many visitors consider affordable for a snack in the city center.

However, because of the large number of customers, some flavors often sell out quickly. Salted butter and chocolate remain the shop’s most popular choices.

Content: Le Na - Nhat Ha