The infamous chilli sauce created by a Vietnamese refugee to the United States over 30 years ago, is finally available on Vietnam’s supermarket shelves.

The Siracha brand chilli sauce, made by Huy Fong Foods in the US state of California has taken on a cult status around the world,  becoming a staple of both humble, and high end restaurants.

The creator of Huy Fong Foods is David Tran, who came to the US as a refugee back in 1979.

In the 80’s, he began making the spicy garlic sauce, based on a Thai siracha recipe.

While siracha is simply the name of a Thai town where the hot sauce was first invented, many in the West have come to know siracha as Tran’s brand of the chili sauce.

With the US market under his belt, Tran has now secured a Vietnamese distributor, shipping more than 57,000 bottles to the Vietnamese market.

But, the US Siracha faces tough competition.

Vietnamese supermarkets are already filled with both Thai and Vietnamese hot sauces –and Vietnam remains a country where many still make their chilli sauce, at home.

– TiVi Tuan-san