Among the myriad Vietnamese dishes made with rice, be it main courses, side-dishes or snacks that are meals in themselves, the softest gluey texture belongs to banh gio.

A banh gio served hot stands alongside a bowl of steaming hot, aromatic pho as dishes of choice on a misty, chilly morning in the capital city.

Banh gio is a popular dish in Hanoi.

At just 15,000 to 30,000 VND (70 USD cents to 1.4 USD) each, a banh gio offers great value for money.

The pyramid-shaped rice dough dumpling is wrapped in layers of banana leaves. Once the leaves have been removed to reveal the translucent dumpling, expert eaters just bite into it cupping the leaves in their hands, but spreading the leaves out and using a teaspoon is a far “safer” option in terms of avoiding a mess.

Once the teaspoon cuts into the cake, the filling of minced pork, wood ear mushrooms and shallots is uncovered and it can be eaten with the covering-filling proportion best left to individual preferences.

Inside the mouth, it seems to melt on the tongue, with the soft exterior and well-cooked filling making the whole cake tender and aromatic.

Eating the good rice dough, one feels like it melts in their tip of the tongue. The filling which features both fat and lean minced pork and wood ear, is often over cooked, therefore, it is very tender, soft and aromatic.

Banh gio is sometimes served with cha, gio (Vietnamese sausage), grilled pork, chilli sauce and cucumber. In some places, banh gio is dipped in soya sauce before it is eaten.

While the cake is a popular dish in Hanoi, it is particularly favoured by students, for whom it is a tasty, affordable snack. As a result, many food stalls near schools sell this delicacy. It is also sold in most markets, and on many streets in Hanoi. As it is served as breakfast or supper, some eateries offering this dish only open in the morning or late afternoon.

Banh can (mini egg pancakes) in Phan Rang - Thap Cham city

'Banh can' (mini egg pancakes) is one of favourite kinds of cakes in Phan Rang - Thap Cham city, the southern province of Ninh Thuan.

Banh bo: A famous sweet cake of An Giang Province

‘Banh bo thot not’ (steamed rice cake with palm sugar) is a famous sweet cake from An Giang Province where large areas of palm trees grow.

Cuttlefish Egg Cake in Ca Mau

No one can truly define the attractiveness of the Cuttlefish Egg Cake in Ca Mau. No one knows why this cuisine is in folk songs that every child in U Minh knows by heart. Likewise, no one can find out the identity of the wonderful cook that created this tasty dish. However, whenever they are asked to recommend the best cuisine in the region, people in Ca Mau would probably come up with the same answer: Cuttlefish Egg Cake.

Fish cake noodles - a Phan Rang speciality

Besides its pristine beaches and white sheep herds, Phan Rang in Ninh Thuan Province is also famous for its cuisine, especially fish cake noodles.

Banh Gio – Rice cake with herbal ash

Vietnam is the country of cakes made from sticky rice. One of those is banh gio (or banh tro), a cake made from glutinous rice soaked in ash water.

Source: VNA