I never knew 99 Ranch before I moved to the west coast. When we first moved to SD, our nearest grocery was Vien Dong, but everybody I knew kept saying, "Oh, forget Vien Dong, 99 Ranch is so much better!" Steve and I tried 99 Ranch and didn't like it for its sterility. He complained that whatever they use to cover up the smell makes him queasy and I think naohai has said the same thing.