Sticky Rice Hanoi Explained: A Must-Try on Hanoi Tours

The Sticky Rice Spectrum: Types You’ll Find in Hanoi

Xoi Xeo

The best sticky rice breakfast in Hanoi. Its mound of fluffy yet rich steamed glutinous rice is stained golden by turmeric, and then scattered with a layer of creamy mashed mung bean, crispy fried shallots, and, frequently, a splash of chicken fat (though beef fat can be substituted for vegetarians). Want more? Top it with a perfectly boiled egg or some slices of roasted pork, and you have yourself a hearty morning meal. It’s comfort food, northern-style.

Xoi Xeo (Source: vnexpress)

Xoi Lac / Xoi Ngo / Xoi Gac

Simple but soulful, these incarnations showcase the humble white sticky rice dressed up with peanuts (xoi lac), sweet corn kernels (xoi ngo), or striking red gac fruit (xoi gac), typically served during holidays. Served plain or with a sprinkle of sesame salt, these meals are all the more delicious when snacked upon sitting on tiny plastic stools at morning stalls, the epitome of street food in Hanoi.

Xoi Gac (Source: lorca)

Xoi Chien (Fried Sticky Rice)

Craving crunch? Xoi chien is your answer. This makes sticky rice Hanoi into golden patties, crispy on the ridged outside, chewy on the inside. Slit open and stuffed with sautéed minced pork, mushrooms or shreds of egg, it’s a local classic when day turns to night.

Xoi Chien (Source: XôiChiênCôNa)

Xoi Man (Savory Sticky Rice)

The ultimate meal-in-a-box. Xoi man goes even further, piling rich toppings such as shredded pork floss, Chinese sausage, stewed quail eggs, and in some cases, meatloaf or roasted pork, on warm, savory glutinous rice. Flavorful and deeply satisfying, it’s a great dish to grab for Hanoians on the go.

Xoi Man (Source: Địađiểmănuống)

Inside the Banana Leaf: Core Ingredients & Craftsmanship

What makes Sticky Rice Hanoi special? It all starts with the grain. The best vendors use glutinous rice such as nep cai hoa vang, which is soaked overnight and steamed twice to achieve that tender, chewy bite. For special dishes, they might add some gac fruit for a bright red color and natural sweetness.

Toppings? Always fresh and flavorful. Green gram is boiled and pureed. A sprinkling of fried shallots and slabs of boiled egg and roast pork add layers of richness. Each component is cooked with tenderness, sometimes right on the street, as vendors in plastic chairs continue to do as they have for years.

And do not neglect the banana leaf! It helps to maintain the warmth of the rice, it keeps it smelling good, and it contributes a gentle earthiness. In Vietnamese culture, the very colors golden, green, and red carry meaning. So the flavor, tradition, and symbolism of sticky rice Hanoi fill my mouth with each bite, as does the fact of how important it is to me, and my children, to keep the dish alive.

Looking for more hidden food gems like this? Learn more about Hanoi local food: Where every street corner is more than a street corner.

Where to Try It: Top Hanoi Sticky Rice Stalls (Curated Picks)

Classic Xoi Xeo – Turmeric Rice, Mung Bean, Fried Shallots

Xoi Yen

•  Address: 35B Nguyen Huu Huan, Hoan Kiem District
•  Opening hours: 06:00 – 00:00
•  Price range: 20,000 – 50,000 VND

Home to one of the most famous names in the world of Hanoi sticky rice culture, Xôi Yến offers an array of delectable, golden xoi xeo with toppings of boiled egg, roast pork, pate, Chinese sausage, and much more. The rice is tender and aromatic, and the layers of silky mung bean cloud paste and crispy fried shallots are divine. Service is quick and friendly, even in the midst of busy breakfast rushes.

Xoi Yen (Source: dealtoday)

Xoi Oanh Oanh

•  Address: 573 De La Thanh, Dong Da District
• Opening hours: 07:30 – 23:30
•  Price range: 15,000 – 35,000 VND

An old-school, neighborhood spot with spot-on portion sizes and classic flavors. Their sticky rice Hanoi plates take soft glutinous rice and stir in creamy mung bean, with fat piles of pork or chicken (however you want) on top. This is the kind of spot locals have been coming back to for 75 years.

Xoi Oanh Oanh (Source: momo)

Fried Sticky Rice – Crispy Outside, Chewy Inside

Xoi Hiep Hoa – De La Thanh

•  Address: 415 De La Thanh, Dong Da District
•  Opening hours: All day
•  Price range: 30,000 – 60,000 VND

Best known for its different kinds of sticky rice, with the fried sticky rice being a hot ball of golden goodness stuffed with delicious fillings such as pork floss, pate, stretchy, vessel-shaped mushrooms. Each one is crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, a texture that fans of fried sticky rice Hanoi adore. Balance with a side of pickled vegetables to serve.

Xoi Hiep Hoa (Source: XôiHiệpHòa415lathành)

Grilled Chicken Lu

•  Address: 33 Hoang Cau, Dong Da District
•  Opening hours: 10:00 – 22:00
•  Price range: 40,000 – 80,000 VND

This place twists tradition. Fried sticky rice is molded into rectangles and served with grilled chicken, minced meat, pork floss, and scallions. It’s a full-flavored one-bowl treat of rice with crunchy, deeply seasoned toppings. One of our favourite modern twists to traditional Hanoi sticky rice.

Grilled Chicken Lu (Source: nguyentuechi)

Sticky Rice with Meat Lovers’ Toppings

Xoi Bu

•  Address: 61 Lo Duc, Hai Ba Trung District (and multiple branches)
•  Opening hours: 06:30 – 22:30
•  Price range: 25,000 – 60,000 VND

If you have an appetite, this would be the place.” Portions are massive and come with a variety of toppings – roasted pork, char siu, quail eggs, spring rolls, and more. The habits of the wok are infallible: The foundation of sticky white rice will be blistering hot and fluffy, with plenty of fried shallots for fragrance. It is cost-effective, and customers rave about the range of extras.

Xoi Bu (Source: xoibu)

Xoi Nguyet

• Address: 90 Dao Tan, Ba Dinh District
•  Opening hours: 07:00 – 23:00
•  Price range: 25,000 – 50,000 VND

Another go-to for devotees of meaty sticky rice, Xoi Nguyet specializes in pork belly, sausage, and pork floss. The rice, too, is perfectly cooked, never mushy, with the fried shallots always golden and crisp. A robust, satisfying halt after a day spent plowing into street food culture in Hanoi.

Xoi Nguyet (Source: afamily)

Green Sticky Rice (Com) – Hanoi’s Autumn Specialty

Ba Can – Vong Village

•  Address: 19 Xuan Thuy, Cau Giay District
• Opening hours: 08:00 – 18:00
• Price range: 30,000 – 50,000 VND

This is your go-to establishment for green sticky rice, or com, particularly during the autumn harvest. With the traditional lotus-leaf packaging and naturally scented rice, Ba Can continues to develop a 1,000-year-old craft.

Com at Ba Can – Vong Village (Source: 1thegioi)

Le Gia – Me Tri Village

•  Address: Me Tri Street, Nam Tu Lien District
• Opening hours: Morning to late afternoon
•  Price range: from 25,000 VND

Serving com stripped of any other form, Le Gia hands over a perfumed, sticky morsel of green rice that articulates the changing seasons of Hanoi. Great as a gift, or use over-ripe bananas.

Com at Le Gia – Me Tri Village (Source: hanoimoi)

Seasonal Stars: The Role of Sticky Rice Hanoi in Festivals

In Hanoi, Sticky Rice Hanoi isn’t just a food – it represents every season and celebration. On family altars, celebrating ancestors with color and meaning, you’ll find xoi gac, the sticky white rice tinted red with luck.

In the fall, the spotlight shifts to green sticky rice (com). Packed into lotus leaves, it’s fashioned from young glutinous rice, and it’s a Hanoi huggy fixture of the harvest season – sweet, fragrant, and mung bean or coconut.’ In particular, in Vong Village, comes a prized tradition that has been passed down for generations.

You’ll also find sticky rice Hanoi in religious offerings year-round, from full moon ceremonies to home altars. Whether garnished with deep-fried shallots, egg boiled just-so, or slices of roast pork, this humble meal is deeply cultural.

To really understand the meaning of each bite, check out more Hanoi local food, where every dish narrates a season.

Sticky Rice Etiquette: How Locals Eat It

In Hanoi, Sticky Rice Hanoi is more than just a meal; it’s part of the daily routine. Hanoi locals frequently purchase a hot package of sticky rice to go in the early morning, which is in a paper or banana leaf and eaten on the run. It is one of the favorite selections for best breakfast in Hanoi.

You can also sit at tiny white plastic chairs at small stalls and feast on white sticky rice with fried shallots, mung bean, boiled egg, or roasted pork. (The unrefined kind, they usually drink with soy milk or herbal tea, but some take it with pickled vegetables, for balance of flavor.)

In addition to daily meals, there is also the traditional sticky rice, which is served during feast days and special occasions. It’s served at holidays, ancestor worship, and celebrations, something families have been doing for generations.

Conclusion

Sticky Rice Hanoi is more than breakfast, it’s a ritual, a memory, and a taste of home. Family feasts, to-go stalls, and street-side canteens, and sticky rice Hanoi is where the generations gather, for comforting and everyday real-deal Vietnamese flavor. So while you’re in Hanoi, take the opportunity to savor this timeless dish. Not only is it one of the best breakfasts in Hanoi, but it’s also an iconic food of Hanoi local food culture.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is sticky rice called in Vietnamese?
In the Vietnamese culture, sticky rice is called “xoi”. Sticky Rice Hanoi has different versions, such as xoi xeo, xoi gac, xoi lac, or xoi man, which use different ingredients and toppings but are layered together in banana leaves or kept fresh when ordered by passersby at street food stalls.

2. What dishes is Hanoi famous for?
In addition to sticky rice Hanoi the city is also renowned for symbols such as pho bo (beef noodle soup), bun cha, cha ca, and banh cuon. For all food die-hards out there who don’t know what to eat in Hanoi, the classics such as bun dau are not to be missed, nor is a warmed-up pack of xoi in the morning.

3. Is glutinous rice the same as sticky rice?
Absolutely yes, glutinous rice is another term for sticky rice. Despite the name, it is in fact gluten-free. This particular rice is quite starchy and is the reason for that nice soft chew to each bite you take of Sticky Rice Hanoi.

4. Is Vietnamese xoi healthy?
Vietnamese xoi isn’t necessarily so bad for you, depending on the toppings. Simple and wholesome options include white sticky rice paired with mung beans or boiled eggs. Heavier versions with roasted pork, sausage, or pate are richer, excellent for energy-packed breakfasts, but best in moderation.