The oil in the pot is bubbling hot -- a ball of sticky rice dropped in instantly puffs into a golden sphere, crispy outside and soft within. This snack, born by accident on the banks of the Đồng Nai River in 1952, is now the signature dish within Biên Hòa City's own territory with the clearest origin story of all, one that needs no discount on belief.
An accidental 1952 invention at Tân Hiệp Quán -- an origin story clearly set within Biên Hòa City's own territory
Đồng Nai's official provincial party newspaper (baodongnai.com.vn), the Saigon Times (sgtt.thesaigontimes.vn), mainstream news outlet Znews/Zing, and the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association's (VCCA) official database -- four independent sources -- cross-confirm the same origin: in 1952, Huỳnh Thị Sớm opened "Tân Hiệp Quán" on the banks of the Đồng Nai River (today's Cách Mạng Tháng Tám street), and her daughter Đinh Thị Ha (born 1935) accidentally fried up a puffed sticky-rice ball, which has since become a signature snack within Biên Hòa City's own territory. In 2025 it went on to set a Vietnam record with the Đồng Nai Province Chefs' Association (a 68.2-centimeter giant sticky-rice ball).
Honest clarification: details of an Asia Records Association certification turn up no official announcement, and this entry doesn't adopt them
It has to be said honestly that some sources mention it "received Asia Records Association certification in April 2023," but this entry's verification found only a single listicle source (vietair.com.vn) repeating this claim, with no matching official announcement found on the Asia Records Association's own website -- this entry marks it as unconfirmed and doesn't adopt it as settled fact. This snack is native to the city's own territory, and its founding period, location, and founder are all backed by clear, cross-confirmed historical evidence -- the clearest origin story of all nine entries in this guide's Biên Hòa collection, requiring no clarification about its place of origin.
How to Eat It Like a Local
- Street-food stalls and restaurants along Cách Mạng Tháng Tám street by the Đồng Nai River are the easiest place to get it freshly fried.
- It's best eaten hot, when the crispy-outside, soft-inside texture is at its peak -- try it with chili sauce or sweet chili sauce.
- To trace it back to its origin, look for long-established stalls around the former site of "Tân Hiệp Quán."
An Honest Look at This Sticky-Rice Ball's Origins
- The 1952 origin story of mother and daughter Huỳnh Thị Sớm and Đinh Thị Ha on the banks of the Đồng Nai River is cross-confirmed by four independent sources.
- Native to the city's own territory, with clear historical evidence for its founding period, location, and founder alike -- no clarification about its place of origin is needed.
- "Certified by the Asia Records Association in 2023" comes from only a single listicle source, with no matching announcement on the official website -- this entry doesn't adopt it.
Bite into a golden-fried sticky-rice ball, and the crackle of its crispy shell mingles with the soft chew inside. This snack's history doesn't need the repeated origin clarifications the pomelo series requires -- ever since that pot of oil in 1952, it has always been Biên Hòa City's own story.