A dish that seems so familiar to Vietnamese people, originally only 10,000 – 15,000 VND ($0.4 – $0.8), has now suddenly become a “new star” that makes Western tourists crazy, creating a trend of hunting for it on social networks.
In the rich culinary world of Vietnam, there are dishes that have been associated for decades, almost becoming a part of daily life. Vietnamese people rarely think that it can become a “fever” with international tourists. But recently, a rustic dish has suddenly gone viral on social networks, making many Western tourists “crazy” and determined to hunt for it.
The story begins with videos shared on TikTok: foreign guests sitting at a roadside stall suddenly hear a repetitive call from afar. A familiar image appears – a man riding a motorbike, behind him is a large stainless steel box, making a long call as he goes. That sound makes many tourists curious, they cannot sit still and decide to “find the root” to see what special thing is inside the box.
And surprisingly, the main character is… dumplings – a dish that almost every Vietnamese person has eaten, associated with hurried mornings. Only about 10,000 – 15,000 VND ($0.4 – $0.8) each with meat, quail eggs or salted eggs, plus a few other versions such as vegetarian dumplings, char siu dumplings, it is considered a convenient, quick, and easy-to-eat choice.
For many years, dumplings have rarely made it to the “must-try” list of international tourists when coming to Vietnam. However, it is the familiar selling sound that has turned dumplings into an interesting experience for Western visitors.
In just a short time, the viral effect spread widely on social networks. A series of videos recorded Western visitors running after dumpling carts, buying a few and eating them while laughing with delight. Some people even excitedly shared: “The sound of the selling is so pleasant, if you don’t eat it, you will regret the whole trip!”. Many clips have even reached millions of views, turning the simple dumpling into an involuntary culinary “star”.
Interestingly, not only stopping at the initial curiosity, many tourists after tasting it have become really “addicted” to dumplings. They appreciate the soft, spongy skin, rich filling, filling and the price is very cheap compared to breakfast in their home country. Since then, “hunting for the sound of dumplings being sold” has become one of the experiences that many international visitors consider “must try at least once” when coming to Vietnam.
This fever has lasted for several months now but has not yet cooled down. From a rustic dish of the Vietnamese, banh bao suddenly became a phenomenon that makes Westerners crazy, both thanks to its flavor and thanks to the unique features of Vietnamese street culture – where the cries of vendors are sometimes as attractive as the food inside the back of a motorbike.
