Tra Cuon Tet Cake: Contributing to Vinh Long's specialty craft village

DNVN - Vinh Long province has many traditional craft villages that contribute to creating famous specialties, including Mang Thit red pottery, My Hoa tofu skin and Tan Luoc pickled cabbage. After the merger, Tra Cuon banh tet has officially become a famous specialty in this locality.

Tra Cuon sticky rice cake is packaged and widely consumed .

Tra Cuon - the name of a hamlet in Kim Hoa commune, Cau Ngang district, Tra Vinh province in the past, now Vinh Kim commune, Vinh Long province, this place is famous for its long-standing traditional banh tet making profession. From the center of Tra Vinh ward, follow National Highway 53 towards Duyen Hai commune about 10 to 12 km to reach Tra Cuon banh tet craft village.

Along both sides of the road are dozens of signs introducing and selling Tra Cuon banh tet specialties, creating a unique cultural feature of a long-standing craft village. Here, some long-standing, large-scale and reputable banh tet making establishments in Vinh Kim commune include: Ba Loan, Anh Thu, Hai Tam, Hai Ly...

Ms. Mai Thi Hoang Loan, Ba Loan bakery, said she has been making cakes since 2008. Initially, she only made 20 to 30 cakes of one color per day. To meet market demand, she now makes an average of 100 to 200 cakes per day, creating jobs for people with an income of about 120,000 VND/day.

“During Tet, the peak period is from December 20 to 25, when production increases to 1,000 to over 2,000 loaves per day, and my facility mobilizes 30 workers. The secret to making delicious banh chung was passed down to me by my mother, Ms. Tieu Thi Kiem, and I also learned more myself,” Ms. Loan said.

Ba Loan banh tet establishment maintains the traditional cake wrapping profession .

Some artisans here revealed that the ingredients for making Tra Cuon banh tet are very carefully selected, in which "waxy" sticky rice is the main ingredient, with high stickiness and a characteristic local aroma. Green beans are also cleaned, peeled, steamed and then mashed very smoothly, creating a rich fatness for the cake filling. The "three-layer" pork belly is usually the type with a layer of fat mixed with lean meat, cut into bite-sized pieces with a secret marinade that brings a rich flavor, making the cake filling more attractive and irresistibly delicious.

Making banh tet in Tra Cuon is not only a job to earn a living but also a unique cultural feature, preserved and passed down by the local people through many generations. Currently, the whole village has over 20 establishments operating regularly, each of which supplies the market with 200 to 300 banh tet loaves per day, with prices ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 VND/loaf, to meet the demand inside and outside the province.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thao, owner of Anh Thu Banh Tet, he started making the cakes in 2013. On a normal day, he packs 50 to 60 loaves, and when he orders, he packs 100 to 150 loaves. Since being recognized as a craft village product and achieving 3-star OCOP status, the cakes have been selling better, especially in the last 2 years.

“During Tet, from December 20 to 29, the facility sells about 1,000 to 2,000 loaves per day. The retail price of three-color cakes is 90,000 VND, the wholesale price of three-color cakes with gotu kola is 80,000 VND, the wholesale price is 50-60,000 VND/loaf. The facility has 4 regular workers, and during Tet, it hires 30 more workers, with a salary of 120,000 VND/day. The person who cooks the cakes is paid 600,000 VND/day because he has to cook continuously for 9-10 hours,” he said.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thao, owner of Anh Thu banh tet establishment .

Production activities in the craft village contribute to creating jobs and stable livelihoods for hundreds of local workers, especially during peak periods such as holidays and Lunar New Year, when the demand for cakes increases sharply. About 10,000 banh tet are sold every day. Maintaining and developing the banh tet wrapping profession is not only to preserve local traditional values, but also to enrich the diversity of Vietnamese culinary culture.

Mr. Chieu Thanh Phong - Vice Chairman of Vinh Kim Commune People's Committee said that Tra Cuon Banh Tet craft village was previously recognized by Tra Vinh Provincial People's Committee under Decision No. 2085 issued on December 13, 2011. Currently, the craft village has over 20 establishments and business households participating in Banh Tet production.

It is the dedication of the children in the craft village that has given wings to the Tra Cuon banh tet brand to spread far and wide. In 2024, up to 75% of consumers will be from outside the province. To date, 11 products have been OCOP certified, including 3 4-star OCOP products and 8 3-star OCOP products.

“The Commune People's Committee continues to monitor and make recommendations to the Department of Science and Technology of Vinh Long province, urging the consulting unit to closely monitor the certification process, in order to create conditions for early completion of the certification of establishment, management, promotion and development of the "Tra Cuon" certification brand for Tra Cuon banh tet products, to implement the next steps.

In addition, the locality also promptly informs about related policies and regimes to help establishments easily access them, and at the same time directs specialized agencies to coordinate with relevant sectors to survey needs, support investment and promptly report to the Department of Industry and Trade.

The commune also strengthens connections to trade promotion fairs and seminars to promote and consume products and expand markets. In addition, it will strengthen inspection and supervision of compliance with regulations in production and business, especially food hygiene and safety and environmental protection work," informed Vice Chairman of Vinh Kim Commune People's Committee.

Tri Tran

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/banh-tet-tra-cuon-gop-mat-lang-nghe-dac-san-vinh-long/20250804025106310