Baguette leaves a taste of the past

It has been more than six decades since the end of French colonial rule in Vietnam, but when President Francois Hollande arrives this week he'll struggle to avoid a quintessential legacy of his country's rule: the baguette.

Smeared with pate and loaded with fresh coriander and cucumber, or just enjoyed with a pat of fresh butter, banh mi are a delicious symbol of Vietnam's lasting links with its former occupiers.

"The French were very proud of banh mi. I think French cuisine has had a lot of influence on Vietnamese cuisine," said baker Nguyen Ngoc Hoan from his busy boulangerie in Hanoi's French Quarter.