Keeping the fire of rice paper and rice vermicelli craft alive

To preserve the traditional rice paper making profession, many support programs for machinery and equipment have been implemented.

Mrs. Duong Thi Om, Tam An commune, Long Dat district is making rice paper.

Stick with the profession

At 4 a.m., Mrs. Duong Thi Om, Tam An Commune, Long Dat District, wakes up to prepare a new batch of rice paper. She has more than 50 years of experience making rice paper, and makes 1,500 rice papers a day. According to Mrs. Om, making rice papers only requires practice, but to make delicious rice papers, you must know how to choose the right rice. The person making the paper also needs to pay attention to the technique of drying the paper. When the sun is hot, the rice paper sheets only need to be dried for half an hour, and when the weather is cloudy, the drying time is from 2-4 hours.

“Previously, we had to make rice paper all year round by a very hot wood-fired stove, but since the State has supported electric rice paper making, it has become less difficult, rice paper is quick and convenient, contributing to maintaining the quality and value of An Ngai traditional rice paper products,” Ms. Om shared.

Ms. Dang Thi Son, Tam An commune, Long Dat district is also continuing her family's rice paper making profession. In 2024, she was one of the rice paper making households supported by the Provincial People's Committee with a rice paper making oven and drying beds.

Ms. Son said: "This support has helped workers improve product quality and have more stable output."

The An Ngai rice paper making profession has been established and developed for over 50 years. Up to now, the whole commune has 160 households participating in the profession, scattered across 5 hamlets including An Hoa, An Binh, An Phuoc, An Loc and An Thanh. In 2013, the rice paper making profession in An Ngai commune (now Tam An commune) was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a traditional profession. Since then, the An Ngai rice paper making profession has continuously improved its quality, diversified its products and stabilized its market. In 2022, An Ngai rice paper continued to be recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a traditional craft village. This is also the first traditional craft village in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

Rice paper production at An Ngai traditional rice paper craft village, Long Dat district.

Promoting traditional crafts

Among the 6 traditional craft villages recognized by the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, there are An Nhut rice vermicelli making craft and An Ngai rice paper traditional craft village. In 2024, the agricultural sector coordinated with relevant units and localities to implement support for materials and equipment for households in An Ngai rice paper traditional craft village. The support contributed to shifting the economic structure towards industrialization and modernization, rapidly increasing the production value of industries and services, creating jobs, increasing income for rural residents, contributing to environmental protection and embellishing, preserving rural spaces and promoting national cultural identity.

Mr. Vu Ngoc Dang, Deputy Chief of the Office for Coordination of New Rural Development, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Agriculture and Environment, said that the support of machinery and equipment aims to preserve the traditional occupations left by our ancestors. At the same time, it contributes to the development of craft villages and traditional occupations based on the application of science and technology to reduce labor, improve production efficiency, reduce input costs and increase the ability to adapt to the market.

“To continue promoting the development of rural industries, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment continues to coordinate with relevant agencies and localities to survey needs, organize meetings to select, appraise and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval and implementation of support in terms of raw materials, machinery, equipment and production lines for rural industry production facilities. At the same time, strengthen trade promotion activities, including e-commerce promotion for traditional craft products and local specialties; protect the environment associated with the development of agricultural and rural tourism in the direction of diversifying tourism types, focusing on developing agricultural and rural tourism”, said Mr. Vu Ngoc Dang.

Article and photos: DONG HIEU

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/kinh-te/202506/giu-lua-nghe-banh-trang-banh-hoi-1045682/