Sticky rice: a 15,000 dong breakfast you can eat standing up too

Xôi is glutinous rice, steamed until cooked. Sounds simple, but it's the cheapest, most filling, and most convenient breakfast in Vietnam — wrapped in banana leaf or paper, easy to carry, and no need for a table or chair. Common types found at morning sticky rice stalls: — Savory sticky rice: white sticky rice with Vietnamese pork roll, Chinese sausage, quail eggs, dried shredded pork (ruốc), fried shallots, drizzled with a bit of scallion oil. This is the most complete version. — Chicken sticky rice: comes with extra shredded chicken. — Mung bean / peanut sticky rice: vegetarian, rich and nutty, the cheapest option. — Gac sticky rice: a natural red-orange color from gac fruit, commonly seen during Tet holidays and weddings because the red color is considered lucky. — Corn sticky rice: cooked with corn, sprinkled with mung beans and grated coconut. Priced at 12,000–25,000 VND per pack. Sticky rice dishes usually start selling around 5:30 AM and are sold out before 9 AM. How to spot a good sticky rice (xôi) stall: the pot is kept hot over charcoal or steamed in a water bath, not left to cool in a display cabinet, and the seller scoops the rice from the bottom up when wrapping it for you. If sticky rice sits too long, the grains become hard and separate. Tip: it's fine to buy some to take back and eat at your hotel, but it tastes best if eaten within an hour.