Tucked away in a small street in Vung Tau City, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province, southern Vietnam, Pham Thi Phuong’s grilled banana sticky rice shop is consistently flooded with customers, much to the surprise of its owner.

Phuong’s grilled banana sticky rice shop is situated in a rented house on Ba Huyen Thanh Quan Street in Ward 4, Vung Tau City.

Phuong and her family run the shop together.

She and her daughter focus on packing cakes into bags for customers, while Phuong's husband, Dung, expertly handles the grill, flipping the sticky rice cakes to achieve the perfect balance of soft and crispy.

The faint aroma of coconut milk simmering with pandan leaves wafts through the shop, tempting diners to stop by each afternoon to indulge in the sweet, sticky treat.

Originally from Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City, Phuong moved to Vung Tau with her husband in 1998.

It was her mother-in-law, Pham Thi Xuyen, who first came up with the idea of selling grilled bananas with sticky rice.

“I wanted to help my husband financially, so my mother-in-law taught me how to make this dish,” Phuong shared. 

“I’m not sure when my mother-in-law started selling it.”

Xuyen’s grilled banana sticky rice already had a loyal following, and Phuong took it upon herself to continue that legacy.

Phuong eventually began putting her spin on Xuyen’s recipe.

She even began creating new dishes, like grilled cassava cakes, steamed banana cakes with coconut milk, and sponge cakes with coconut milk.

She started by selling these cakes at intersections near her home but, as her food gained popularity and her menu expanded over the next ten years, she realized she needed to find a permanent home for her business.

Despite the success of her expanded menu, Phuong said one thing is clear: “customers still love the grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice the most.” 

Best-sellers

According to Phuong, choosing the right sticky rice is key to making a successful dessert. 

After steaming the rice, she carefully selects the best bananas and wraps them with the rice in meticulously cut and cleaned banana leaves.

The sticky rice is grilled to achieve a crisp texture reminiscent of burnt rice, yet it remains tender inside.

Using her own recipe, Phuong selects the finest coconuts to create fragrant coconut milk simmered with pandan leaves, served alongside the grilled bananas wrapped in sticky rice. 

Her coconut milk – perfectly balanced between sweet and savory – enhances the flavor of the banana.

The aroma of the coconut milk boiling on the red-hot charcoal stove also helps draw customers into the shop.  

“I always keep the coconut milk hot and pour it over the dishes as people eat,” she says.

"It helps make the dish even more delicious."

When served, the plate of grilled banana sticky rice is cut into small pieces. 

Each bite features the warmth and aroma of the coconut milk, instantly winning over diners before hitting them with the natural sweetness of the sticky rice.

The contrast between the crispy grilled sticky rice and the soft banana makes the dish an exciting blend of crispy, soft, sticky, and sweet.

The second best-selling dish at Phuong’s shop is grilled cassava cake. 

When diners break off a piece of the warm cake, the enticing aroma of cassava cooked with coconut milk fills the air. 

The cake is soft and flaky, holding together beautifully when cut in half.

The natural, soft sweetness of cassava combined with shredded coconut makes it ideal for those who prefer desserts that are not overly sweet. 

When asked about her long-standing customer loyalty, Phuong humbly replies, “I sell food like everyone else, so I’m not sure why it’s so busy.”

“Perhaps it’s the way I engage with my customers that keeps them coming back.”

Phuong emphasizes that as a seller, she always listens to her customers’ feedback and makes adjustments to suit their tastes while preserving her signature flavor.

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