Saigonese queue for hours to buy custard buns

The buns have been around for years, and are in fact sold at a variety of establishments across the city. And no one seems to know what makes these particular buns special. But bun fever has ensued nonetheless.

The treats are not much more than a dough of flour and eggs filled with creamy or chocolatey custard fillings inside. They’re sold in boxes of three, and a total of 720 boxes are produced throughout the day, equally divided into six batches.

Kim Le, 32, let out a sigh of relief when she became the last person to get her hands on the last box of custard buns on Oct. 25 morning. She left a long line of more than 30 disappointed wannabe bun-buyers behind her.

Le said she had gotten up early in the morning to travel the 10 kilometers between her home in Thu Duc City and the supermarket. She managed to arrive at the supermarket before 9:30 a.m., when the first batch of buns is laid out each day.

According to her, the treat’s popularity has spread via the power of the internet, as the main driver of growth has been social media postings praising the baked delectable.

"Many people have even fought with one another to get the buns for themselves," Le said. "So, the supermarket decreed that each customer is allowed to buy only two boxes of the buns per transaction."

The two boxes of buns Kim Le managed to buy on Oct. 25, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

Dinh Duc Thanh, 20, of HCMC-adjacent Binh Duong Province, said he got in a fight over buns last week.

"Several people fought with one another when the last boxes was brought out," he said. "I was pushed to the back, but managed to get two boxes thanks to my long limbs."

He added that he had only bought the buns – his first – out of curiosity and would not be returning for more as he found nothing noteworthy about them.

One supermarket staff member said demand for the treat started soaring a month ago, and most buyers have been between 18 and 35 years old. She said that no one around her knew why the generic buns at this one location had become so popular so suddenly.

Only one thing about these buns appears special: the fact that people are willing to stand hours in line to get the treats. There have been customers that spent four hours in the supermarket waiting and queuing twice just to get four boxes instead of two.

"This is not even a newly-released product," the supermarket employee said. "Its sales used to be mediocre before this sudden rise in demand."

Scalping has also arisen, with some people buying and reselling the buns outside at profitable mark-ups. Others offer to wait in line for others for a fee.

Customers in line to buy custard buns at a supermarket in HCMC’s Go Vap District on Oct. 25, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Ngan

Dy Khoa, the communications director of an e-commerce platform based in HCMC, attributed the phenomenon to "FOMO" (fear of missing out) among young consumers. He said the youth are a demographic that have the tendency to try any trend that garners attention on social media.

"Nobody wants to be the last one to try these ‘hot’ buns," Khoa said. "Everyone wants to have a post, a video, or a photo of themselves with a box of buns."

However, he predicted the treats would soon go out of style. Demand might reach a peak in a few days before falling back to normal levels, like any passing fad, Khoa surmised.

Tam Huynh, 27, a neighbor of the supermarket, shared the same opinion. According to her, the treats started going on sale at the supermarket two years ago. But they only just now became popular, which she said surprised her.

"I think that’s the power of the bandwagon effect," she said. "I know many other stores and people selling the same treats, but people are only gathering to buy them here."