Chè trôi nước is the Vietnamese dessert of glutinous-rice balls filled with mung bean paste and served in ginger syrup.
The rice balls are made from glutinous rice flour and may be white or colored naturally. Each ball is boiled until it floats, then served warm in a lightly sweet syrup flavored with fresh ginger. Sesame seeds and coconut milk may be added, depending on the regional or family version.
The name means roughly “floating water sweet soup,” referring to the dumplings rising to the surface during cooking. Chè trôi nước is traditionally served during Tết Hàn Thực, the Cold Food Festival, observed on the third day of the third lunar month in Vietnam.
The dessert is related to Chinese tangyuan, but Vietnamese versions commonly use mung bean filling and ginger syrup. It is different from chè ba màu, a layered cold dessert made with beans, jelly, and coconut milk.