Asia's famous street food is disappearing off its streets

Hanoi

AS strips of tofu sizzle beside her in a vat of oil, Nguyen Thu Hong listens for police sirens.

Police raids on pavement vendors have escalated sharply in downtown Hanoi since March, she said, and officers fine her about US$9, or two days' earnings, for the crime of selling bun dau mam tom - vermicelli rice noodles with tofu and fermented shrimp paste - from a plastic table beside an empty storefront.