Sticky rice: a 15,000-dong breakfast that's so good you can eat it standing

Xôi is glutinous rice, steamed until cooked. Sounds simple, but it's the cheapest, most filling, and most convenient breakfast in Vietnam — wrapped in a banana leaf or paper, easy to carry, no table or chair needed. Common varieties found at morning sticky rice stalls: — Savory sticky rice: fluffy white sticky rice served with Vietnamese cold cuts, Chinese sausage, quail eggs, crispy pork floss, fried shallots, and a drizzle of shallot oil. This is the most complete variety. — Chicken sticky rice: with shredded chicken. — Green bean/peanut sticky rice: vegetarian, fragrant, most affordable. — Xôi gấc: A natural red-orange color from gac fruit, traditionally served during Tet holidays and weddings because red is considered lucky. — Xôi bắp: Cooked with corn, sprinkled with green beans and shredded coconut. Each package costs 12–25 thousand. Sticky rice is usually sold starting around 5:30 AM and runs out before 9 AM. How to tell good sticky rice: the rice is kept hot using charcoal or a water bath, not left to cool in a cabinet, and when the seller packages it, they scoop from the bottom up. Sticky rice hardens and becomes grainy if left sitting for a long time. Tip: you can buy it and take it back to your hotel to eat, but it tastes best when eaten within an hour.