New season of young rice flakes in Hop Thanh

On the weekend, the phone rang. On the other end, my colleague's voice excitedly said, "Are you going to Hop Thanh? The locals are making sticky rice flakes and it's so much fun!" Preoccupied with work, I suddenly remembered that it was already mid-October, the weather was mild and pleasant in autumn, and it was also the season when the Tay and Giay people in Hop Thanh were bustling with activity making sticky rice flakes for the New Rice Festival – "Khau Mau". So, without much thought, I quickly grabbed my camera and headed to Hop Thanh.

From Lao Cai ward to the center of Hop Thanh commune is only a little over ten kilometers. This season, the fields of Hop Thanh stretch out in lush green, the breezes carrying the scent of the countryside and the fragrant aroma of golden glutinous rice grains in their milky stage, creating a truly pleasant feeling. Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city, we immersed ourselves in the beautiful nature of the peaceful countryside.

As the early morning sun rose, melting the dew drops clinging to the rice leaves, Mrs. Luong Thi Phieu, a Tay ethnic woman from Cang 2 village, along with other women in the village, went to the fields to cut the glutinous rice stalks to make a new batch of puffed rice for the Khau Mau Tet festival. Mrs. Phieu said: "Since I was little, around October, I would go to the fields with my mother and see the villagers busily cutting rice to make puffed rice."

It's unclear when exactly, but the locals here have been cultivating the glutinous rice variety called "Khau Cai," a famous and delicious type of sticky rice. Compared to other glutinous rice varieties, Khau Cai is easily recognizable by its distinctive aroma. In early autumn, if you happen to pass through the rice fields when the rice is in bloom, you'll feel the fragrant scent of the rice lingering on your clothes, sometimes even after you get home.

Because they cultivate the finest fragrant glutinous rice in the region, the Tay and Giay people here have had a long-standing tradition of making puffed rice (cốm). In October, after the villagers harvest the regular rice, the glutinous rice stalks are also ripe and ready for the new puffed rice season. Since the age of 25, Mrs. Phiểu has been taught by her mother how to make these fragrant, chewy puffed rice grains. "When going to the field to harvest the rice, you have to choose young, plump rice stalks, and check that the last grains at the tip of the stalk still contain milk; these can make delicious puffed rice," Mrs. Phiểu shared.

Having delicious glutinous rice is one thing, but making fragrant, chewy puffed rice is a laborious process. Before threshing machines, the Tay people in Hop Thanh used rice bowls to "scrape" each rice stalk to separate the grains, then poured them into a basin of water to remove the empty grains, selecting only the plump ones for making puffed rice. The most difficult part is roasting the puffed rice in a cast-iron pan. Skilled puffed rice makers must know how to adjust the heat appropriately so that the roasted glutinous rice grains are neither too hard (causing the puffed rice to crumble when pounded) nor too soft (causing them to stick together). The puffed rice must be roasted to the right degree of chewiness; when pounded, the husks easily separate, resulting in plump, round, fragrant, and chewy green grains.

Arriving at Cang 1 and Cang 2 villages during the season for making puffed rice, we felt the lively and bustling atmosphere. Right at the entrance to the village, more than a dozen women gathered around a milling machine to mill rice for making puffed rice. Previously, roasted puffed rice had to be pounded in a mortar, a very laborious process; now, with the use of milling machines, the process is faster and cleaner. The hot puffed rice grains fresh from the mill are sifted and winnowed by the women to remove any remaining husks and chaff.

With nimble hands, La Thi Len from Cang 1 village skillfully winnows the rice flakes, her movements quick and graceful like a handkerchief dance. She explains: "Those with skillful hands winnow the rice flakes cleanly; they just need to tap the tray and gently wave their hand, and the chaff flies out. But those who aren't used to it will winnow too forcefully, getting tired quickly and throwing out both the rice flakes and the chaff. It may look simple, but winnowing the rice flakes is very hard work; it takes many attempts to get them clean and free of chaff. Each day, a diligent woman working from morning till night can make 3 to 4 batches of rice flakes, about 15-20 kg."

In Hop Thanh, the season for making young rice flakes is also the time when people in the villages and hamlets excitedly celebrate the New Rice Festival. According to ancient tradition, on the Khau Mau festival day, the Tay and Giay people here offer to their ancestors and deities all kinds of agricultural products produced by their families, including fragrant, sticky young rice flakes and specialties made from young rice flakes such as sticky rice with young rice flakes, young rice flake cakes, young rice flake patties, etc., to thank heaven and earth and their ancestors for blessing them with a bountiful harvest.

Visiting Hop Thanh commune in October, we were invited by the locals to sample their freshly made green rice flakes. Indeed, these flakes, made from glutinous rice of the "golden flower" variety, not only had a jade-like green color but also a distinctly different aroma compared to other types I had tasted. The fragrant flakes were chewy and sticky, becoming richer and more flavorful the more you chewed them, leaving a lingering sweet aftertaste in your throat.

Taking us on a tour of families specializing in making puffed rice in Cang 1 and Cang 2 villages, Ms. Pham Thi Ben - Head of the Hop Thanh Flavored Rice Production Group - excitedly said that in the past, people only made puffed rice for offerings during the new rice harvest and for personal consumption, but now Hop Thanh puffed rice has been recognized as a 3-star OCOP product, becoming a popular commodity on the market.

The Hop Thanh Rice Flakes Production Group comprises 36 participating households, 12 of which regularly produce rice flakes for sale. Locals sell Hop Thanh rice flakes at the local market for 100-150 thousand VND/kg, while those sold through the Production Group, packaged and labeled, ensuring production process and quality, consistently fetch 150 thousand VND/kg. In 2024, the local people produced 12 tons of rice flakes for sale, generating approximately 1.8 billion VND in revenue.

Mr. Nong Van Van, Secretary of the Party Branch of Cang 1 village, said: “Each kilogram of sticky rice flakes sells for the same price as ten kilograms of paddy rice, so every family has switched to growing Khau Cai sticky rice to make sticky rice flakes for sale. Last year, Hop Thanh rice field only had 30 hectares of sticky rice, but this year it has increased to 60 hectares. Due to the impact of storms and heavy rain, some areas of sticky rice have been flattened this year, somewhat affecting the sticky rice flake yield. In the past few days, people have been helping each other in the fields to prop up the flattened sticky rice plants, hoping for a bountiful sticky rice flake harvest.”

When we arrived in Hop Thanh commune, it was also the time when the commune was preparing to organize the Hop Thanh Rice Flour Festival in 2025. The festival not only recreates the New Rice Offering Ceremony of the Tay and Giay ethnic groups here, but also features many attractive tourism promotion activities such as: the "Conquering Nam Ria Waterfall - The Road to the Golden Season" mountain climbing competition; display of cultural booths and a trade fair; a traditional rice pounding competition; a culinary competition "Flavors of the Highlands"; a performance of traditional ethnic costumes with the theme "Charming Hop Thanh"; in addition, there are folk games, traditional sports , a campfire night and a solidarity circle dance.

Ms. Nong Thi Ha, Head of the Culture and Social Affairs Department of Hop Thanh Commune, shared: “The people of Hop Thanh Commune have a long-standing tradition of rice cultivation, closely associated with the craft of making sticky rice flakes (com). Originating from the Khau Mau Tet (Lunar New Year) custom, since 2018, Hop Thanh Commune has organized the “Hop Thanh Sticky Rice Flake Festival” with many attractive cultural, artistic, and sporting activities, which have been well maintained over the years. Through this, we both preserve and honor the craft of making sticky rice flakes, while also attracting tourists to visit and experience it.”

Currently, Hop Thanh commune has only 500 hectares of rice fields, of which 100 hectares are planted with glutinous rice. In the coming time, the commune's Party committee and government will continue to encourage people to preserve this precious glutinous rice variety, increase productivity and output, and enhance the quality of products made from glutinous rice flakes, promoting the brand and spreading the aroma of Hop Thanh glutinous rice flakes further.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/mua-com-moi-o-hop-thanh-post884876.html