With his careful preparation, cheerful personality and an unusual habit while serving customers, a Hanoi street vendor has earned the affection of food lovers willing to line up for hours just to buy his bo bia.

Long lines of customers

Taking advantage of the weekend, Hoang Nhi, 19, and her best friend rode their motorbike to Yen Phu Street at around 1:30 p.m. in search of what many online call “Hanoi’s most famous bo bia cart.”

When they arrived, they found the house shuttered and only then realized the owner sells from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. each day.

“We rode around West Lake for a while and came back at 3:30 p.m. Even though it suddenly started pouring rain, dozens of customers were already waiting to buy bo bia. I waited about 20 minutes before it was my turn,” Nhi said.

Nhi had previously lined up for bo bia at the stall, only to be told it had sold out before her turn arrived.

Curious about the flavor that had attracted such crowds, she was determined to return and finally “hunt down” the snack successfully.

Nhi arrived early enough to wait only about 20 minutes, but customers showing up after 4:30 p.m. often have to wait more than an hour.

In recent months, the bo bia stall run by Nguyen Van Thanh, 48, originally from Phu Tho Province, has become one of Hanoi’s busiest street food spots.

Though referred to as a “shop,” the business is little more than a rented storefront where Thanh parks a small electric cart carrying containers of ingredients.

There is no flashy signboard and no seating area. Customers either take their food away or eat outside.

Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. each day, long lines form outside the stall as customers patiently wait for their turn.

After standing in line so long, many people buy five to 10 rolls at once “to make the wait worthwhile.”

At times, when the crowds become overwhelming, Thanh admits he has even pretended to be nearly sold out, asking customers to return later because he worries about causing traffic congestion in the area.

The reason behind the popularity

Thanh said he has sold bo bia on the streets of Hanoi since 2012, but only began attracting widespread attention around 2019, thanks to praise for the snack’s flavor and his simple, honest service style.

Over the past year, however, he unexpectedly became well known because of a curious habit - constantly glancing around while rolling bo bia.

“In the past, I sold on the sidewalk. I used to keep an eye on customers’ parked motorbikes to prevent theft or gently remind people not to leave vehicles on the road,” Thanh explained. “Over time, looking around became a natural reflex. My wife jokes that it’s an occupational disease. Some customers jokingly call me an undercover agent.”

Thanh said he had taken on many different jobs before learning how to make bo bia from people in his hometown in 2012.

He later brought the snack to Hanoi and sold it as a street vendor to support his children’s education.

Before renting a small spot on Yen Phu Street, Thanh typically sold along Thanh Nien Street near West Lake.

He said the rental costs him around VND2.5 million, or about $98, per month.

“I don’t know how to promote products or do marketing on social media. My customers have always introduced the stall to each other, and I’m truly grateful for that,” Thanh said while quickly grating fresh coconut.

“Now I can sell around 300 rolls a day, about one and a half times more than before.”

Every so often, he looks up and quietly tells waiting customers: “Please wait for me a little longer.”

The bo bia Thanh sells is the sweet version of the snack, often eaten as a dessert or light treat.

Each roll contains a soft, slightly chewy rice paper wrapper filled with shredded coconut, crispy malt candy and black sesame seeds.

Thanh sells smaller rolls for VND5,000 ($0.20) and larger versions for VND10,000-15,000 ($0.39-0.59).

He only begins selling at exactly 3 p.m. each day because he spends five to six hours every morning preparing ingredients.

The most time-consuming step is making the rice paper wrappers.

Thanh mixes flour using his own recipe, spreads a thin layer over a hot pan and lets the sheets cool afterward.

The process requires precision so the wrappers cook evenly while remaining soft, white and elastic.

Each day, he makes around 1,000 wrappers by hand.

He also prepares about 30 coconuts daily.

“I never grate coconut too early because it dries out and loses freshness. Grating it as customers order takes more time, but the rolls taste better,” he said.

The malt candy and black sesame seeds are sourced from longtime suppliers to ensure consistent flavor.

When customers place an order, Thanh carefully spreads out a soft rice paper wrapper, adds malt candy, coconut and sesame seeds, then tightly rolls everything into a neat bo bia.

Customers freely film and photograph the stall, and Thanh willingly shares his preparation methods with anyone who asks.

He does not believe in keeping trade secrets.

Customers lucky enough to arrive while he is opening fresh coconuts are sometimes given complimentary coconut water.

On Google Reviews, the stall holds a rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.

Many customers praise the consistent flavor maintained over the years, the generous portions for the price and Thanh’s honest, friendly personality.

Khoi Vy