[3] According to the survey of Vietnamese scholars, the customs related to sticky rice have followed the Tai tribes from Yunnan to the Northwestern region of Vietnam from the beginning of Christ era.

However, according to the survey of researcher Trần Quang Đức,[note 3] this term appears in the brain as a manifestation of a dish made from "gạo nếp" (sticky rice) and is almost the only ingredient.

Besides, xôi has a more ancient call and is now only used in rural areas, which is "cơm nếp" (Kinh) or "khăw-nửng / khảu nửng" (Tai), meaning "the meal of sticky rice".

[note 6] Wet rice has gradually become the main food daily because of the advantages such as: Good drought tolerance, a year can harvest at least two seasons (spring and autumn), moderate nutritional content...

First of all, sticky rice must be soaked in pure water (nước sạch) for a night to make its grains bloom bigger, thus ensuring softness after cooking.

In contrast, the lack of salt will cause the grains of sticky rice to be "thin" (gầy),[note 7] unable to touch the nerves of the taste buds.

[17] From the habit of modern Vietnamese people, xôi was classified as one of the extra dishes (bữa phụ) to nourish nutrition after hard labor.

Besides, it is an indispensable dish in important events of life: Festival, weddings, memorials of the deceased, especially Lunar New Year...[18][19] In the most classic and universal form, xôi is usually wrapped in leaves of arrowroot or sometimes banana and lotus.

[22] The ethnic minority communities in the Northwest mountains of Vietnam have a different way of preparing xôi, which is called "cơm lam"[note 9] (means "forest meal").

[23] Since the early 2010s, due to the influence of Thai tourism culture, there has been a trend among Vietnamese youth to eat xôi with durian, jackfruit and mango, something that did not exist in previous decades.

[32][33] In addition, some other ingredients are also recommended not to be combined with xôi, such as: Chili, pepper, mustard, garlic, chicken eggs, beef... and especially dog meat.

[34][35][36] However, due to sticky rice's highest nutritional content of cereals, physicians often recommend the use of xôi for sick people or women who has just given birth.

Examples: Hand fans, paper lanterns, paintings... Due to the diversity and richness of ways to prepare and display xôi, there are yet currently no official statistics on the number of dishes made from it.