Inside Đông Ba Market, an entire row of stalls is dedicated to candy, with glass cases stacked full of nougat bars wrapped in edible rice paper. Bite in, and you first hit the chewy sticky-rice candy body, followed by the nutty aroma of peanut and sesame spreading through your mouth. Mè xửng is the sesame nougat Hue locals keep on hand for gift-giving and for themselves, and it's also the souvenir visitors most often carry away when leaving Hue.
A Hue Specialty With Its Own Wikipedia Entry
The Vietnamese Wikipedia entry for 'Kẹo mè xửng' confirms that sesame nougat is a representative Hue specialty, and Đông Ba Market is widely recognized by mainstream travel outlets as the go-to place to buy it. Multiple articles have documented old brands such as Song Hỷ with histories spanning several decades.
An Old Established Name Doesn't Equal Today's Market Leader
Song Hỷ was once the most celebrated brand in the 1950s and 60s, but after the founder emigrated to the United States, the returning master craftsmen were unable to carry the brand forward. Today, brands like Nam Thuận, Hồng Thuận, and Thiên Hương have surpassed the original Song Hỷ in both market share and recognition. This is a case where 'the historic old name' and 'today's leading brand' belong to different businesses - when buying candy, there's no need to insist on the Song Hỷ name alone; today's mainstream brands are actually a few others.
How to Shop at Đông Ba Market
- The candy stall cluster inside the market makes it convenient to browse several brands at once - try a small sample before deciding which to buy.
- Nam Thuận, Hồng Thuận, and Thiên Hương are all brands with larger market share today - no need to insist on the historic Song Hỷ name.
- To ask in Vietnamese, try 'Cho tôi xem mè xửng' (let me take a look at the sesame nougat).
Separate the Old Name from the Current Reality
- Song Hỷ was once the most celebrated name in the 1950s and 60s, but the brand's continuity broke down after the founder emigrated.
- Today's market leaders in share and recognition are actually later brands like Nam Thuận, Hồng Thuận, and Thiên Hương.
- When buying a souvenir, 'the most historic' and 'the best/most popular right now' aren't necessarily the same shop - worth comparing before you buy.
A bar of nougat wrapped in rice paper is sweet with peanut and sesame, but carries the bitter note of an old name that couldn't carry itself forward - and it's the new brands that Hue locals have used to keep the craft alive.