"Philly’s Vietnamese community is one of the largest on the East Coast, originating from about 300 refugee families who settled in Philly in the late 1970s and early 1980s. The family that owns Fu Wah Mini Mart was one of those, and they’ve been serving banh mi since they opened in 1982. which they also refer to as Vietnamese hoagies in a nod to Philly’s love of anything in a long roll. They do a variety of different fillings, but try the tofu version, which became popular in the 1980s among hippies in West Philly, and has remained so ever since." - Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme