# Bánh cuốn: Hanoi's silky steamed rice rolls

> Bánh cuốn is a Hanoi breakfast of paper-thin steamed rice sheets rolled around minced pork and wood ear mushroom, topped with crispy fried shallots and eaten with a warm, lightly sweet fish-sauce dip and slices of chả lụa (pork sausage). It usually costs 30,000–50,000 VND. Order with “Cho tôi một đĩa bánh cuốn”.

- URL: https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/banh-cuon-hanoi
- Region: North Vietnam · City: Hanoi
- Published: 2026-09-29 · Last updated: 2026-09-30
- By: the Eat Green Vietnam team (https://eatgreenvietnam.com/about)

Watch the cook first. A thin layer of rice batter goes onto cloth stretched over a steaming pot, sets in seconds, and is lifted off with a bamboo stick – over and over, all morning.

## At a glance

- **What it is:** Steamed rice-batter sheets, rolled with minced pork and wood ear mushroom, topped with fried shallots and served with fish-sauce dip and pork sausage.
- **Where:** Small breakfast shops all over Hanoi. Thanh Trì, on the city’s southern edge, is famous for extra-thin plain sheets.
- **Typical price:** Around 30,000–50,000 VND a plate.
- **Eat green:** Eat it fresh at the shop – bánh cuốn goes soggy in a takeaway box, and you skip the foam and bags.

## How to order

> “Cho tôi một đĩa bánh cuốn.”

One plate of bánh cuốn. Add **thêm chả** for extra pork sausage, or ask for **bánh cuốn trứng** if the shop makes it with egg.

## How to eat it

Take a piece of roll with your chopsticks, dip it in the bowl of warm fish sauce, and eat it with a slice of chả and some fresh herbs. Add chilli or a squeeze of lime to the dip if you like. It is light, so many locals order a second plate.

## When to go

Bánh cuốn is mainly a breakfast dish. The busiest shops are steaming from early morning and many close by late morning, although some reopen in the evening.

## Questions travellers ask

### What is bánh cuốn made of?

Rice flour batter steamed into thin sheets, filled with seasoned minced pork and wood ear mushroom, and topped with crispy fried shallots.

### How much does bánh cuốn cost in Hanoi?

Around 30,000–50,000 VND a plate at local shops.

### Is bánh cuốn gluten-free?

The sheets are made from rice flour, but sauces and fillings vary. If you have a strict allergy, ask the shop and consider carrying an allergy card in Vietnamese.

### What is the difference between bánh cuốn and bánh ướt?

They are close cousins. Bánh cuốn is usually filled with pork and mushroom; bánh ướt is often served as plain, unfilled sheets with toppings on the side.

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Photo: Casablanca1911 at vi.wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B%C3%A1nh_cu%E1%BB%91n_nh%C3%A2n_th%E1%BB%8Bt.JPG
Source: Eat Green Vietnam, https://eatgreenvietnam.com/guides/banh-cuon-hanoi. Prices are typical ranges and change often. You may quote and summarise with attribution and a link to the original page.