Young people queue in rain for viral Yunnan snow milk in Ho Chi Minh City

At one stall tucked away in an alley off Le Duc Tho Street in An Hoi Dong Ward, customers quickly snapped up popular toppings such as dried yogurt cubes and dried strawberries, leaving them sold out within an hour of opening.

Each cup sells for VND30,000–35,000 (US$1.15–1.35), depending on the variety and toppings.

Queuing for latest viral treat

Anh Vy, a resident of An Hoi Dong Ward, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper that she had been curious about the dessert for a week but kept finding the queue too long.

"It's raining hard today, so there are fewer customers. I finally had the chance to wait in line and try it," she said.

Nhat Le, who lives in Duc Nhuan Ward, said she first spotted the dessert on TikTok and headed to the former Go Vap area after work to try it.

"It's light and not too sweet, which is exactly what I like," she said.

"I already enjoy shaved ice and bingsu, a traditional Korean dessert made from finely shaved ice, so I wanted to try this as soon as I saw it."

Minh Lan, who was visiting her sister in Ben Thanh Ward from Vung Tau, also made a point of trying the dessert during her short stay.

"I saw this on TikTok and wanted to try it while I was in Saigon," she said, referring to the former name of Ho Chi Minh City.

"I'm only staying with my sister for one day, so I didn't want to miss the chance before heading home.

"At first I thought it would be just another shaved ice dessert, but the milk is actually very smooth, lightly creamy and melts quickly. 

"So queuing in the rain was worth it."

Selling out every day

The stall owner, known by her nickname Miu Ngo, who was born in 2004, said she previously sold mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake made from glutinous rice, but began looking for a new product after customer numbers dropped during the summer school break.

"I wanted something new to sell for summer, something cool and refreshing," she said.

"I found this on Douyin, a Chinese short-video platform, and noticed almost no one was selling it in Vietnam yet, so I decided to give it a try."

She and a friend spent weeks researching and testing recipes.

"The first batch, made according to the original Chinese recipe, was too rich and heavy for many customers, so we adjusted it to better suit Vietnamese tastes," she elaborated.

On busy days, the stall sells around 100-150 cups and typically sells out within two to three hours of opening.

"We usually open around 5:00 pm, when customers are leaving work or school," she said.

"But because people start lining up so early, we've had to open ahead of schedule on some days."

Miu added the trend took off after the stall posted a video on TikTok.

"I simply posted a clip showing how the snow milk is made, and it went viral, getting nearly 500,000 views," she recalled.

"Customers started finding the shop and lining up on their own. 

"Then food reviewers came to film it as well, which helped it spread even further."

Despite the surge in customers, Miu said she has no immediate plans to expand and is instead focused on maintaining quality.

"Right now, we just want to make sure every customer who comes is satisfied," she asserted.

A social media craze, with both opportunity and risk

In recent years, Vietnamese social media has repeatedly turned local snacks into viral sensations, from hand-shaken lemon tea and coin-shaped cheese pancakes to mangosteen chicken salad, spicy noodles and now Yunnan snow milk.

A single TikTok video attracting millions of views can be enough to send crowds flooding a shop overnight.

But many of these crazes fade almost as quickly as they appear.

Some businesses invest heavily in storefronts, equipment, and staff to capitalize on a trend, only to scale back or pivot to a different business once public interest fades.

Marketing experts say social media is a powerful tool for helping products reach consumers quickly, but it also shortens the lifespan of many trends.

As more shops copy a viral product, the market quickly becomes saturated and consumers move on to the next craze.

Experts advise business owners to carefully assess market demand, their ability to maintain quality, and their potential to build a loyal customer base before investing heavily in storefronts, equipment or expansion.

They warn that chasing a viral trend without those fundamentals often leads to losses and business closures once the buzz fades.