Go Che Vermicelli and Cake - The old flavor holds the present soul

From the rice grains of their homeland, the people of Go Che - a small hamlet along the Cau River - have created clear white vermicelli and cakes with the fragrant smell of new rice. For more than seven decades, the murmuring sound of flowing water has harmonized with the sound of millstones and the sound of steaming cakes every early morning... Go Che not only maintains a profession for itself, but also preserves the memories, flavors and pride of many generations.

Go Che people invest in vermicelli making machines for higher productivity and quality.

Go Che in Cao Ngan commune ( Thai Nguyen city) is a small hamlet with nearly 1,000 people. Since the 1950s, people here have been involved in making vermicelli and cakes - a seemingly simple profession that requires sophistication and meticulousness in every step. Of the more than 200 households living here, a quarter of them directly produce on a large scale, while the rest do small-scale trading, together creating the famous Go Che vermicelli and cake brand.

Go Che people do not only make vermicelli. From pure white rice grains, they create many dishes imbued with the soul of the countryside such as: rice rolls, pho, gio, dam, gai… Each dish is a slice of memory, a part of the soul of the land and people here. But the most prominent are still vermicelli and rice rolls - the two main products, and also the greatest pride of the craftsmen.

Bun Go Che is famous for its natural toughness, without additives.

Keeping the essence of a traditional craft village, Go Che people still maintain production processes that require meticulousness and carefulness. However, to adapt to the times, many households have boldly applied machinery to heavy stages such as rice milling, vermicelli pressing, and dough kneading. The combination of tradition and modernity helps people both increase productivity and ensure quality - the vital factor of a long-standing craft village.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chien, owner of a famous vermicelli production facility in the area, shared: Go Che vermicelli is famous for its natural toughness, without additives. To have delicious vermicelli, you must choose dry sticky rice, not too soft. Wash the rice thoroughly until the water is clear, then grind it into flour, squeeze it dry and then put it into the vermicelli making machine. The work starts from 1-2 am and ends before dawn.

Overnight to make fragrant soft noodles.

The whole village seemed to wake up in the quiet night to ferment rice, grind flour, steam cakes... A diligent and unhurried cycle, as steady as breathing. I'm used to it! Doing this job requires staying up late and waking up hard, but it's also a lifestyle that has been ingrained in my blood for a long time. The winter is cold, many days my hands are numb from the cold water, but I love this job, so I can't bear to stop, Mr. Chien smiled gently. Having been attached to this job for more than half of his life, he has never thought of changing direction. My son is also learning the job to follow in his footsteps. I don't just do it for a living, but also for the tradition of my family and the whole village, Mr. Chien said, his eyes shining with pride.

From pure white rice grains, people make many rustic cakes such as rice rolls, pho cakes, gio cakes, ram cakes, gai cakes...

Like Mr. Chien, many people in the neighborhood consider the profession not just a job but a part of life - like meals, sleep, like breathing every day. The seemingly simple dish of banh cuon is actually an art of measuring: from the ratio of flour and water to the incubation time, the temperature at which the cake is made... everything must be absolutely precise. A little too much water and the cake will dry out; too much water and the cake will tear; too low a temperature will make it undercooked, too high will burn it. The person doing the job must be very observant, just by looking at the color of the flour and listening to the boiling sound, they can tell if the batch of cake is good or not.

Not only vermicelli and rice rolls, other types of cakes such as banh gio, banh gai, banh ram… also have their own unique mark. Ms. Truong Thi Thanh Huyen, who has been in the profession for more than 30 years, shared: Making banh gio looks simple but is actually very elaborate. Banana leaves must be selected at the right age, rice must be sticky and fragrant, and the filling must follow the family recipe. Each cake is the heart of the maker.

From pure white rice grains, people make many rustic cakes such as rice rolls, pho cakes, gio cakes, ram cakes, gai cakes...

As Ms. Huyen said, each baked cake is not simply a consumer product, but a tribute from a land into each grain of rice, each layer of leaves, each steaming heat in the styrofoam box used to incubate the cake.

Craft villages not only support generations but also contribute significantly to local economic development. Currently, the average income of households doing the craft is about 70 million VND/person/year. More valuable is maintaining a sustainable livelihood, retaining workers, especially the younger generation.

Gate of Go Che noodle village.

For more than half a century, Go Che vermicelli and cake have been honored as a provincial traditional craft village, and have quietly been present in the culinary life of Thai Nguyen people and many neighboring areas. The clear white vermicelli and soft, fragrant cakes, though simple, are still enough to hold the taste buds and memories of the diners. And above all, they retain the soul of a craft village - where tradition is not forgotten, but nurtured by the hands, hearts and love of the craftsmen.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202505/bun-banh-go-che-huong-xua-niu-giu-hon-nay-75e1dda/