• A century of keeping the flame of traditional crafts alive.
  • Developing traditional craft villages associated with local specialties.
  • Traditional craft villages are bustling with activity as they prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year).
  • The village specializing in dried fish is busy during the Tet holiday season.

Bananas are easy to grow, require little care, and adapt well to freshwater areas, so the people of Khanh Hung are increasingly expanding their cultivation area.

Thanks to the abundant local raw materials and the growing market demand for processed banana products, the dried banana pressing craft gradually formed and developed into the traditional village it is today.

Currently, this traditional craft creates jobs and provides stable income for many local workers, with an average income of 5-15 million VND per person per month.

Workers at a dried banana processing facility in Khanh Hung commune are busy arranging bananas on trays, preparing for the drying and pressing process, in order to supply the market in time for the Lunar New Year of 2026.

Every year, the dried banana pressing season usually begins in late October of the lunar calendar and lasts until the end of March of the following year. This is the dry season, with beautiful sunshine, which is very favorable for drying bananas. During the peak season, production facilities are always busy, taking advantage of every sunny day to speed up production and meet the increased market demand for Tet (Lunar New Year).

Ms. Pham Hong Nghi, owner of Ngoc Diep dried banana processing facility (Binh Minh 2 hamlet, Khanh Hung commune), shared: “When we first established the facility, we mainly used manual methods. Gradually, we invested in machinery and increased production capacity. The technique for pressing dried bananas isn't too complicated, but the most difficult thing is the dependence on the weather. If the weather is sunny, the bananas dry beautifully in the sun, but if the weather is bad, the bananas easily discolor, the quality is not up to par, and they are difficult to sell on the market.”

According to Ms. Nghi, making delicious, chewy, and flavorful dried banana slices requires many elaborate steps. Carefully selected ripe Siamese bananas are peeled, sun-dried for one day, and then pressed into thin sheets using molds. Next, the bananas are arranged on racks and sun-dried in subsequent batches until they turn a golden yellow and glisten with natural sweetness.

Skilled workers carefully arrange the thinly pressed banana slices on drying racks, a crucial step in creating chewy, fragrant dried bananas that retain their natural sweetness.

In recent years, Ms. Nghi's family business has boldly invested in drying machines, pressing machines, and vacuum packaging equipment. As a result, production is no longer heavily dependent on weather conditions, processing time is shortened, and output remains stable. The product also has a longer shelf life and is easier to transport over long distances. These improvements have enhanced the value of the local dried banana product, building trust among consumers.

Under the bright sunshine, the pressed banana slices gradually turn a golden yellow, oozing with honey, becoming chewy and fragrant, while retaining their natural sweetness.

Like many other traditional crafts, the dried banana pressing craft in Khanh Hung has also experienced many ups and downs due to changing market demands. However, many families in Khanh Hung have persistently remained committed to, maintaining, and developing the craft as a way to preserve their livelihoods and the cultural heritage of their homeland.

Having worked in the dried banana pressing business for nearly 10 years, Ms. Ho Thuy Kieu said: "During the off-season, I often go to the Ngoc Diep dried banana pressing facility to work and earn extra income to support my children's university education and cover expenses during Tet (Lunar New Year). This job is tough; sometimes I have to work from midnight, but the income is enough to support my family, so I still stick with it."

The sun-dried, pressed banana slices are neatly arranged and packaged, bringing the sweet and comforting taste of Tet in Khanh Hung to consumers.

The batches of dried bananas produced are the culmination of sunshine, wind, and the diligent hands of the artisans in Khanh Hung. The sweet, chewy, and fragrant taste of dried pressed bananas is not only a Tet (Lunar New Year) specialty, but also contributes to preserving a simple, rustic, and richly traditional springtime atmosphere for the homeland.

Phuong Vu

Source: https://baocamau.vn/lang-nghe-ep-chuoi-kho-vao-mua-tet-a125664.html