The market square outside Mi Tierra is suddenly alive with noise, colour and the aroma of muscular street food: the city is out in force to celebrate its Hispanic chilli queens, whose saucy banter and impromptu singalongs made every night a street party - until the 1930s, when the civic authorities despaired of their ribaldry and laissez-faire approach to food hygiene.

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But the dishes in many have been toned down to suit German tastes and lack the real aroma of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

BBC: Berlin��s kitschy and flavourful Little Vietnam