Vietnamese goi cuon has unexpectedly become an attractive culinary trend in Malaysia, sought after by many young people and local diners.

One just needs to type ‘Vietnam Roll’ on TikTok to find videos showing people's experiences tasting Vietnam’s rolls. Each video attracts thousands to millions of viewers.

There are many Malaysian-run restaurants which serve Vietnamese goi cuon. On is a street shop in Pahang state, 250 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.

The visitors are not only diners, but also young people and content creators. They post videos about Vietnamese cuisine and get a huge number of interactions.

Syahirah Husna, the owner of the Vietnamese goi cuon restaurant, said she learned about this Vietnamese dish in 2023, via the social network.

As she found goi cuon attractive, from appearance to materials, she and her husband, Hamizan Rosdi decided to sell the dish in Malaysia.

They learned how to make Vietnam’s goi cuon from videos on the internet, and opened a small street shop to sell goi cuon to locals. To their surprise, the goi cuon attracted a lot of diners on the first days of opening.

When Syahirah Husna posted a video about goi cuon on the social network, more people heard about the dish and goi cuon became a trend among youth.

The restaurant owner said goi cuon is favored by Malaysian diners because it is a refreshing and healthy dish that everyone can enjoy.

“It is favored for their beautiful appearance and the reasonable proportion of nutrients, with vermicelli, meat, shrimp, and green vegetables. Diners who eat this do not heaviness on the stomach,” she said.

According to Syahirah Husna, the two major ingredients of goi cuon are shrimp and pork. However, in Malaysia, she adds more ingredients to make goi cuon fit local people’s taste.

She is now offering 12 kinds of goi cuon, including with beef, chicken, shrimp, crab bar, sausage, salmon or smoked duck.

The rice papers are sourced from Thailand. There are two types of Thai-style dipping sauces, green and red. The red dipping sauce is made from chili, coriander and spices. The green dipping sauce includes mayonnaise, coriander and fish sauce.

The restaurant sells about 1,000 rolls a day on average, priced at 13 Ringgit (VND75,000).

Thao Trinh