The crispy Vietnamese cupcake with a shrimp on top

Cupcakes are predictable – they are named that way because they are baked in cup-shaped containers, and they are cakes.

Then comes the Vietnamese banh cong, which can turn your conventional idea of cupcakes on its head.

The cake is made in a mold that is half a soup ladle half a tube. The final result may look similar to your favorite dessert at a quick glance, but it’s not.

Banh cong is originally a dish of the Khmer in southern Vietnam. A long time ago it could only be found in Soc Trang Province, but southerners loved it so much they brought it around the Mekong Delta with them and turned the cake into the popular dish that it is today.

Its recipe is straightforward: a mixture of rice and soy flour, mung beans, shredded taro, minced pork and shrimps.

The frying method is a lot more complicated – there’s an order of what to put into the mold: first the batter, the beans and taro, the meat and then more batter. The cooks will carefully place a shrimp on top (or two if they are generous).

The whole mold is then dunked into boiling oil. After around 20 minutes, the cake is removed from the mold. But don’t salivate just yet.

The secret of the cake is that it will be quickly fried one more time, mold-free. This gives banh cong a perfectly crispy skin, but the cake inside is still very soft as if it were baked, not fried.

And because the Vietnamese cuisine is all about balance, a fried cake will be served with a lot of fresh herbs and vegetables.

Finally, the genius thing about banh cong is its dipping sauce, similar to the version paired with the famous banh xeo.

The lightly sweetened sauce with a touch of lime takes the cake to a whole new level. It’s truly the proverbial icing on the cake.

VnExpress

Other News

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

In recent years, Ta Xua, dubbed "the paradise of clouds", has emerged as one of the mountainous destinations attracting strong interest from young travellers, particularly for its spectacular sea of clouds stretching across the mountains in the northwestern region.

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Training local young people in filming, audio recording, digital storytelling, data preservation and responsible use of AI can help build a new generation of cultural custodians. This, in turn, can help transform cultural heritage into a resource for economic development while contributing to the country’s broader development.

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

With growing recognition of indigenous knowledge, customs and cultural values as unique assets, ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region are shifting from simply providing tourism services to becoming creators and owners of tourism products, confidently telling their own cultural stories

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, noted that the official proclamation of the 2027–2036 period as the "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" comes at a particularly important moment. As the international community works to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda while beginning to consider what comes after 2030, the Decade provides a ten-year framework to strengthen the place of culture in development.

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Under Resolution 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026, November 24 was designated Vietnam Culture Day, to be observed annually. The occasion aims to give the public opportunities to participate in, create and enjoy cultural activities, helping spread positive values and foster pride in Vietnamese culture.

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

For the MICE tourism sector in both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, growth can no longer be driven merely by increasing the number of events; instead, the focus must shift to enhancing the value of each event and the competitiveness of each destination.

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Women’s football movements in local communities have been quietly growing, but they’ve now built up enough momentum to inspire organisers to launch the first Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women’s Football – VTV Cup in 2026.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

According to the magazine, boat trips into Phong Nha Cave and strolls through Paradise Cave (both family-friendly) offer a tantalising glimpse of their astonishing scale, but the real adventure lies deeper within the park, where cavers wade through underground rivers and weave among stalagmites.

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism effectiveness should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue, but also by spending, length of stay, repeat visits, job quality, visitor satisfaction and environmental carrying capacity, said experts.

Vietnam welcomes nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Vietnam tourism maintains strong growth, expands international markets

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

Ngo Phuong Ly, the spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, said the two countries share similarities in silk weaving and can enrich their cultural heritage through exchanges and experience sharing.