Bring Hue home.

Now, after more than 20 years, the question of "exporting Hue cakes" has been answered recently, as on December 4, 2025, Hue One Food Joint Stock Company exported 19 tons of various Hue-style cakes such as banh nam, banh loc, banh it, and banh it la gai to the US market through official channels.

Not frozen shrimp or fish; not leather goods, textiles, or wooden furniture, exporting Hue cakes to a distant market, unfamiliar with Vietnamese culinary culture and with stringent food safety requirements like the US market, is truly a different and innovative approach.

Initially, 19 tons of cakes, upon arrival in the US, will be distributed to supermarket chains catering to the Vietnamese community. Further down the line, Hue One Food aims to gradually expand into local US retail systems and other potential markets.

Of course, exporting "fresh" food items that are difficult to preserve, like Hue cakes, to a demanding market like the US is no easy feat. Behind that difficulty lies the courage of a generation of young entrepreneurs from Hue who dare to think and dare to act. And behind that boldness and willingness to venture into the wider world, they are taking Hue to greater heights.

Not long ago, while visiting a rural village in Quang Dien, we encountered many gardens covered in banana leaves. Upon inquiring, the locals explained that many households there make a living by growing banana leaves to sell to businesses that make banh nam and banh loc (types of Vietnamese rice cakes) in various parts of Hue. Thus, the cake-making industry in Hue alone has formed a production chain of raw materials, from banana leaves used to wrap the cakes, to rice, glutinous rice, beans, shrimp, pork, and fish sauce… This means that when Hue's banh nam, banh loc, and banh it are exported, it stimulates local economic potential and creates jobs for the people of Hue, benefiting them.

In the ancient capital of Hue, under the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), Hue was renowned for its cakes, a refined blend of royal and folk cuisine. The term "Hue cakes" is not just a general name for dozens of traditional cakes, but also an integral part of Hue's soul. "Hue cake culture" has become a unique heritage, both elegant and rustic. Each cake carries stories of history, the skillful hands, and the spirit of the artisans.

Exporting Hue cakes to the US, therefore, also means "exporting" the image and culture of Hue – a direct, visual marketing channel using tangible products, embodying the saying, "Seeing is believing, and trying is even better." When tens of tons of Hue cakes are distributed through various channels, many local people will come into contact with Hue and learn about it.

Exporting Hue cakes is about taking Hue further, aspirational goal to bring the essence of Hue cuisine to the world, but the slogan that Hue One Food has adopted is "Bring Hue home." A slogan that I believe, when customers buy the cakes, they are bringing Hue home.

But it's also possible that, from buying the cakes, tasting them, and becoming addicted to them, customers will spend time and attention learning about Hue, about the origins of these cakes. In this way, the "cake route" will become a channel, a starting point, bringing customers - tourists from around the world - back to Hue.

That's how Hue's cakes take the country far and wide, bringing Hue back home, creating multifaceted economic benefits. At that point, hopefully Hue One Food will create a thriving "Hue cake ecosystem" on the world map – a bold dream of young people in Hue.

Comment (0)