The traditional cakes made by the women's group of the Lang Son Hamlet Women's Association are loved by many children. Photo: BICH THUY
On a weekend morning, following a small rural road in Lang Son hamlet, we arrived at the home of Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Ha, the head of the Women's Association in the hamlet. From the yard, the aroma of freshly baked sandwiches filled the air, evoking familiar folk treats from many people's childhoods.
In the small kitchen, members of the women's group are busy preparing ingredients, baking cakes, and packaging products for delivery to customers. This bustling atmosphere is the result of a model established in 2025 with 10 members to create jobs and increase income for rural women.
Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Ha said that she started her business in 2021 with homemade yogurt, then expanded to include sandwiches, pork skin cakes, jelly, sponge cakes, and many other traditional cakes. Currently, sandwiches are sold for about 150,000 VND/kg, pork skin cakes for 80,000 VND/kg, and sponge cakes for about 25,000 VND/dozen. Thanks to maintaining production and receiving regular orders, she earns 4-5 million VND per month.
"In the future, I hope to introduce our products to restaurants and conferences of agencies and units in the commune to expand our market reach, helping women find more jobs and earn a more stable income," Ms. Ha shared.
In the early days of establishing the women's group making traditional cakes, mobilizing women to participate in the model faced many difficulties. Many women were hesitant because they were unfamiliar with collective business and worried about finding a market for their products. However, thanks to the support of the Women's Association of the hamlet and the local government, orders gradually increased. Currently, when receiving orders for parties, conferences, or holidays, the group divides the work among its members. In addition, the women proactively promote their products on social media to find customers.
The most popular items are banh tet (sticky rice cake), banh ich (sticky rice cake), banh kep (steamed rice cake), sponge cake, and jelly. Previously, Ms. Thi Den (58 years old) - a member of the women's group making traditional cakes - specialized in making banh tet but only accepted orders from acquaintances in the neighborhood. "When I first joined, I was hesitant because of my age and lack of social interaction. But thanks to the model, I've got more orders, met other women, so I'm very happy, and I have extra income to help my family," Ms. Den said.
Previously, Ms. Pham Thi My Nhan (41 years old) - a member of the women's group - made traditional cakes and sold roasted peanuts online. Now, in addition to farming, Ms. Nhan maintains her online sales and takes advantage of opportunities to process and sell products based on orders from the group, helping to increase her income.
Currently, the Lang Son Hamlet Women's Association has 159 members. The traditional cake-making model creates jobs for members and women, contributing to preserving the traditional cakes of the homeland. Ms. Nguyen Thi Bach Tuyet - President of the Women's Union of Giong Rieng Commune, said that the entire commune maintains many economic development models, among which the traditional cake-making model helps members increase their average income by 1-1.5 million VND/month.
Using familiar ingredients from the countryside, women in Lang Son hamlet work together to preserve the flavors of traditional folk cakes, creating additional income while contributing to the preservation of the local traditional culinary culture.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/banh-dan-gian-tao-sinh-ke-a490416.html
