The Potong ice cream is simple in structure. It is just a rectangular slab of ice cream placed between a slice of rainbow bread or two pieces of wafer biscuits, but it comes with nostalgia.
The Potong ice cream trend may, unfortunately, be fading out soon as it tends to be sold by older folk these days – remember the traditional ice cream carts manned by a friendly uncle?
The situation seems to be completely reversed in Vietnam however. The potong ice cream is thriving in Vietnam while the vendors of these ice cream sandwich stalls are from the younger generation.
Although it may be rather uncommon to see a millennial or Gen Z prepare a potong ice cream in Singapore, in Vietnam that looks to be the reality.
In Hanoi, two ice cream sandwich shops selling Potong ice cream of multiple flavours such as mango, green tea, durian and taro could be found along Dinh Tien Hoang Street. If your initial thought is that their dessert looks pretty good, that is because it actually is the real deal.
According to Voice of Vietnam, a local publication, the ice cream sandwiches are imported to Vietnam from Singapore before being preserved between zero and -8 Celsius.
This Singaporean classic which is a hit with the younger generation looks rather familiar to the ice cream banh mi – a local dessert, which although understood to be a savoury dish, has a sweet option too. Ice cream is added along with crushed peanuts to a baguette, and it is topped off with chocolate sauce or milk.
Three years ago the Singaporean ice cream sandwiches made their debut in Vietnam and have been increasingly popular owing to their unique taste.
So if you ever happen to be in Vietnam and feel like you need to have a taste of Singapore, a potong ice cream could be an option to cure that homesickness of yours.
