Grandma Tám owes the old moneylender Cả Bá 1.5 million VND, due in 7 days. Sell enough sticky rice and she keeps her home; fall short and she ends up living out by the dike. With a plot of just a few lines, Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám, a Vietnamese game under 8 MB, climbed to #4 in the App Store’s free role-playing chart in Vietnam just 4 days after launch.
Quick facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám (Ai Mua Xôi Đi, “Who Wants Sticky Rice”) |
| Developer | Tran Tien Dung (Vietnam) |
| App Store launch | October 2, 2026 |
| Ranking (October 6, around 10:50 p.m.) | #4 free role-playing game, #24 free game in Vietnam |
| Price | Free |
| Size, requirements | About 7 MB, iOS 15 or later, iPhone and iPad |
| Rating | 5 stars (22 ratings) |
| Android | Awaiting Google Play review |
Ranked #4, above many big games
OtaHub checked Apple’s official chart for the Vietnamese market at around 10:50 p.m. on October 6, 2026: Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám sat at #4 in the free Role Playing chart, behind only Chiến Thú Hỗn Chiến, Play Together VNG and Top War, and at #24 across all free games. Earlier, according to Phụ Nữ Mới and GameK, the game entered the top 8 just 48 hours after being approved and then climbed to the top 5.
The game launched on the App Store on October 2. Update 1.2 on October 4 added automatic holiday events, a tuned garden interface and data backup. The press reports that the game has reached “thousands of downloads”.
How does it play?
You play Tí, the grandchild who comes home to help Grandma Tám sell sticky rice and repay a 1,500,000 VND debt to old Cả Bá within 7 days. The loop covers shopping for ingredients at the village market, steaming rice in the kitchen, wrapping it in banana leaf and taking it to the street to sell before customers walk away. The game has 15 country-style and street-style sticky rice dishes, lets you learn new recipes, upgrade the kitchen and open extra branches.
Earn enough to repay the debt and you get a happy ending and unlock free-selling mode. Fall short and grandmother and grandchild lose their home and “end up living out by the dike”, just as the App Store description says.
Two months and one Mac mini
According to the developer’s comments as quoted by GameK and Phụ Nữ Mới: “This little game took me about 2 months. With just passion and my base-model Mac mini, I proved my PixAssets are not junk and can absolutely be used.” The developer also said the game has no ads and sells no items.
The game previously ran on the web before moving to an app, and it supports backing up and transferring data between devices. The website tiemxoibatam.io.vn says the Android version is awaiting Google Play review, and players can join early testing.
Same week: a Vietnamese player runs “League of Legends” on a Nokia E72
Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám is not the only Vietnamese game project drawing attention this week. A Vietnamese gamer, listed by Cybersport.ru under the nickname “Zu N Zu”, posted a video of a version of League of Legends running on a 2009 Nokia E72, and the post spread to Reddit and many international gaming sites such as Shazoo and Gram.pl.
This is not the real LoL ported to a phone, but a remake in Java (J2ME) in the style of old mobile games: Ahri fights on the Howling Abyss map, controlled with the d-pad, with all four abilities Q, W, E and R. According to GameK, the screen runs at about 30 frames per second and uses about 8.5 MB of RAM. The creator said this is only a personal technical experiment with no plan to release or sell it.
OtaHub’s take
Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám works because it is so Vietnamese: the sticky rice, the street vendor’s pole, the moneylender, and an ending of “out by the dike” that is both funny and real. Sitting in the chart next to games with huge ad budgets, a free, ad-free, 7 MB game by one person deserves a cheer. If you use an iPhone, it is worth trying on a lunch break.
FAQ
Where can I download Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám?
On the App Store (iPhone and iPad) as Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám, for free. According to the game’s website, the Android version is awaiting Google Play review.
Does Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám have a price or ads?
The game is free on the App Store. According to the developer’s comments as quoted in the press, it has no ads and sells no items.
How does Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám play?
You play Tí, the grandchild, helping Grandma Tám sell sticky rice to repay a debt of 1,500,000 VND within 7 days: shop for ingredients at the market, steam the rice in the kitchen, sell it on the street, learn new dishes and upgrade the kitchen. Earn enough and you get a happy ending and unlock a free-selling mode.
What are the system requirements for Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám?
It needs iOS 15 or later. The game is only about 7 MB and runs on both iPhone and iPad.
Sources: App Store and Apple’s Vietnam charts (checked October 6, 2026), the Tiệm Xôi Bà Tám website, Phụ Nữ Mới, GameK, Cybersport.ru, Shazoo, Gram.pl, XemGame.