The Bánh mì 25 food stand in Hanoi makes one of the tastiest bánh mì pork baguettes in Vietnam. Although only a small stand on one of the raucously busy streets in the old town, Bánh mì 25 is rated number one for this speciality on travel website TripAdvisor.
When asked how he acquired the capital to set up this small business, the owner says: “I’d pay 11% in interest a year if I took out a loan. They even want my house or car as collateral. Rates were as high as 20% only a few years ago. I charge VND20,000 [$0.93] per baguette and my profit is VND5000 on each one. It doesn’t make sense to get money from the bank.”
