WESTMINSTER – While a two-man band belted out American top-40 songs, Hanh Kieu and Leo Nguyen cracked the shells of their soft-boiled duck eggs.

The Garden Grove residents said they came out Friday night for the fun atmosphere of the “Night Market” outside the Asian Garden Mall. The hot vin lon, or fetal duck eggs, was a bonus.

“I like it,” Nguyen said. “We try a lot of the foods.”

The second annual summer-time “Night Market” at 9200 Bolsa Ave. in Little Saigon kicked off Friday with music, vendors and food—lots of food.

“We came to experience it and to eat the food. It was dinner,” said Long Beach resident Dominic Gallegos.

His wife, Tiffany, called it “our Friday night date.”

Near them, their children, Andrew, 9, and Christopher, 12, played with their new $1 toy. They sent swirling lit-up spinners high into the air and then ran to catch them as the toys twirled their way back down.

The weekend market reminiscent of the popular night events in Asian cities will continue every Friday and Saturday, from 7 p.m. to midnight, and every Sunday, from 7 to 11 p.m, through Sept. 9.

On opening night, the beef and pork on a stick were a big hit. So were the dense colorful drinks with various mixtures of fruits, mung beans, jelly and tapioca.

Daniel Luu, manager of Tapioca Express, set up a tent to sell a few of the 150 teas and other drinks from his Westminster store.

Luu invited passersby to try his drinks and stop by his store on Bolsa Avenue. “I challenge Starbucks customers: try my ‘Cappuccino Snow’. If it’s not as good as Starbucks, I will refund you. They never return the drinks. They order more,” he said.

At the Mai Anh tent, Tifa Do suggested the sweet che drink named for her family’s store two blocks away: the Che Mai Anh, made with taro, yams and casaba in coconut milk.

Another dessert favorite was the bánh da lá»£n, a green and yellow layered cake with a gelatinous texture. Do, a Cal State Fullerton student, called the treat made with tapioca, pandan leaves and mung beans “chewy goodness.”

Westminster residents Dinapoli Nguyen, 29, and Cathryn Tran, 28, said the event reminded them of the city’s Tet Festival, minus the carnival rides. While waiting in line for the popular thá»‹t nÆ°á»›ng, (grilled pork-on-a-stick,) Nguyen pointed to a sharply-dressed young man and said, “Hey, that’s Nam Phan.”

Phan, a mixed martial arts fighter with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, was nearby buying dinner for his niece, eight-year-old Ai My Phan. The Garden Grove resident said he appreciated the summertime Night Market: “It gets the community together.”

“It’s fun,” said Jenn Huynh, a Cal State Fullerton student helping her aunt, Tranle Lee, sell clothing and jewelry. “You meet a lot of people here, not just from Vietnam but other nationalities.”

Contact the writer: rkopetman@ocregister.com