Nem Lai Vung, from a rustic dish to a heritage

Difference of Lai Vung spring rolls

The profession of making nem in Lai Vung was born around 1960. The creator of this dish is Mrs. Nguyen Thi Man (commonly known as Tu Man, residing in Tan Thanh commune, Lai Vung district, Dong Thap ).

In 2013, Lai Vung spring rolls were announced by the Vietnam Book of Records as being in the top 50 Vietnamese specialty gifts.

Families making nem said that, initially, from pork, vông leaves, banana leaves, combined with common spices in daily food processing, Mrs. Tu Man invented nem mainly for offerings on death anniversaries, Tet and as gifts to relatives, not for sale. The difference between the nem made by Mrs. Tu Man and nem in other places is that the inside is lined with vông leaves (not guava leaves) to help ferment quickly; the outside is wrapped in banana leaves, square in shape. In particular, the nem has a blend of 4 flavors: sour, spicy, salty, sweet, not mixed with other types of nem. Nem can be opened and eaten directly or combined with vermicelli, bread or rolled with rice paper and herbs to create novelty, stimulating the taste buds and causing "nostalgia" for users.

Many people were treated to delicious nem by Mrs. Tu Man, so they were interested and came to learn the profession. Among her students was teacher Nguyen Thanh Tho (living in Tan Thanh commune, Lai Vung district), who is currently the owner of the famous nem Giao Tho brand. When teacher Tho mastered the profession, he continued to teach it to his children and many people. Since then, Lai Vung district now has dozens of famous nem factories, such as: Co Hoang, Thanh Son, Chien Ngoan, Hoang Oanh, Ba Liem, Ut Thang, Tu Minh... Thanks to the nem making profession, many people in this area have become billionaires.

Initially, Lai Vung spring rolls were only sold in small markets. Gradually, more and more people bought them, so locals brought them to bus stations and ferry terminals to sell, and then spread them across the country. From a rustic dish, processed by hand according to the "father-to-son" method, today, spring roll making facilities in Lai Vung have invested in many machines to make products of better quality, longer preservation, and are available in many large supermarkets and shopping centers. The Department of Industrial Property has granted a certificate of product indication to the craft village with the name "Lai Vung spring rolls".

According to Lai Vung District People's Committee, there are currently more than 20 nem making establishments in the district, with a total output of hundreds of thousands of pieces per day, and an estimated total output value of over 60 billion VND/year. Nem making creates stable jobs for more than 300 local workers.

The secret to quality

According to some owners of nem establishments in Lai Vung, to make delicious nem, the selection of ingredients is very important. The ingredients must ensure quality and be mixed in a ratio of 8 parts meat, 2 parts skin. The meat for nem must be lean meat from the hind leg or lean meat from fresh pork buttocks, the meat must be warm, and the meat fibers must be supple. For pork skin, choose the skin from the body to ensure the necessary crispness and toughness. At the same time, the seasoning includes salt, sugar, pepper, MSG... in appropriate proportions.

Lai Vung spring roll making profession recognized as national intangible cultural heritage

The wrapping step is equally important. The speed at which the spring rolls ferment depends on the thickness of the banana leaves. This is the stage that determines whether the spring rolls are delicious, can be preserved for a long time, and look attractive. Therefore, people in the profession often say: "Each package, each package/If you are not good at it, the wrapping will not be even/Each small, fresh leaf wraps the meat filling/If you use too few leaves, the spring rolls will take a long time to sour/If you use just the right amount of meat, the spring rolls will take a long time to cook" .

Nem Lai Vung satisfies diners in terms of sight, smell and taste. The bright pink-red layer of nem meat is dotted with black pepper, white garlic slices, and green vông leaves. The nem is sour and sweet, salty and spicy... All blend together to create an attractive dish. That is why, in 2012, Nem Lai Vung was recognized by the Vietnam Book of Records as one of the top 10 famous nem cha specialties in Vietnam. In 2013, the Vietnam Book of Records announced Nem Lai Vung as one of the top 50 Vietnamese gift specialties.

Up to now, some Lai Vung spring roll making establishments have been granted 3-star and 4-star OCOP product certificates by Dong Thap province, and are among the top local specialty gift items that are famous far and wide. Recently, on November 10, 2023, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism included Lai Vung spring roll making village in the list of national intangible cultural heritage craft villages.

To maintain the brand of Lai Vung spring rolls, in recent times, the People's Committee of Dong Thap province has paid attention to supporting and requiring spring roll producers to constantly improve quality and innovate product designs to fully meet the needs and tastes of the market. In particular, putting prestige and product quality above economic profits so that Lai Vung spring rolls have a firm foothold in the hearts of diners near and far. (continued)

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