Alongside local staples like stingray and bummalo hotpot, white sardine salad, these bite-sized savory rice cakes remain one of the region’s most beloved culinary experiences.

Every weekend, and especially during Tet and other holidays, the city’s banh khot hotspots, like those on Hoang Hoa Tham, Ba Trieu, and Nguyen Truong To Streets — swell with tourists.

Long lines snake down the sidewalks as diners wait their turn to savor the crispy treats.

An hour’s wait for a taste of home

Ngoc Yen, a Vietnamese expat living in Japan, recently returned to visit family and made a special stop at Goc Vu Sua, one of the oldest and best-known banh khot restaurants in Vung Tau.

“It took nearly an hour to get a table,” she said. “I didn’t expect the crowds, but the energy was great and everyone seemed excited.”

Served hot and crispy, paired with fresh greens and sweet-savory dipping sauce, the banh khot was, in her words, “worth the wait,” though she noted the staff appeared overwhelmed.

Goc Vu Sua is just one of many popular stops. Other local names lime Ba Hai, Co Hai, Co Ba, Cay Sung, and Mien Dong draw steady crowds.

On Hoang Hoa Tham Street, even a former gold shop owner decided to switch trades, converting his storefront into a bustling banh khot eatery.

Cay Tre, once a quiet local spot tucked on Luong Van Can Street, has seen a tourist boom since the road was widened and improved.

Tradition meets tourism

Though the dish has remained a staple, longtime residents say its taste is changing.

Banh khot is deceptively simple. It relies on a rice flour batter cooked in round molds, typically filled with shrimp or squid and topped with scallion oil and shredded shrimp.

It is served with mustard greens, herbs, and a tangy dipping sauce made from fish sauce.

The sauce is added with shredded green papaya while eating to absorb the flavor.

But making good banh khot is anything but easy.

In the past, cooks would take their time, said My Hanh, a lifelong Vung Tau resident.

They used lard to lightly coat the pan molds, letting it melt slowly before adding the batter.

It took longer, but the result was worth it, she commented.

Today, to keep up with demand, many vendors pour generous amounts of oil into the molds to speed up cooking.

Some even pre-fry the cakes and reheat them when customers arrive, a shortcut that often results in harder, less flavorful bites.

The big restaurants on the main streets mostly serve tourists, Hanh said.

“Vung Tau has many banh khot spots tucked into small roads and alleys, serving traditional-style banh khot at half the price of big restaurants, and still delicious,” Hanh said.

Modern twists on a classic banh khot

As tourist tastes evolve, so has the dish.

Once served only with shrimp, today’s banh khot comes in a variety of toppings such as squid, pork, and quail eggs.

Even if the flavor has shifted over the years, one thing has not changed: the comfort of sitting by the sea, eating crispy cakes with fresh herbs and dipping sauce.

For many, that is enough to return.

Ngoc Han, a Vung Tau native currently studying in Ho Chi Minh City, shared that whenever she brings friends home, she always takes them to eat banh khot.

Han said she has tried several banh khot spots in Ho Chi Minh City but still finds them no match for those in her hometown.