Hanoians boil banh chung on the sidewalk, staying up all night waiting for the cakes to cook.

As society becomes more and more developed, everything can be bought at markets or large supermarkets, but many families and extended families in Hanoi still maintain the tradition during Tet by gathering together, wrapping banh chung, watching the fire waiting for the banh chung to cook, and then gathering around the New Year's Eve dinner.

According to the reporter, in the last days of the year, near the Lunar New Year 2025, when everyone starts to go to bed, it is also the time when the sidewalks, alleys, small lanes... of Hanoi streets such as Khuong Dinh, Nguyen Trai, Vu Tong Phan... start to be red with fire, families start to gather, stay up all night around the pot of steaming banh chung.

This is the 16th year that Mr. Han (64 years old), living on Khuong Dinh street (Thanh Xuan district), has lit a fire to cook banh chung : "This year, my family started boiling banh chung on the 25th of the 12th lunar month, and every day on the 29th of Tet, the fire is red like this. Homemade banh chung is mainly served to relatives, family, and neighbors around the area."

Uncle Han said that to cook banh chung, he prepared 3 different pots, the smallest pot can cook about 80, the medium pot can cook about 100, the largest pot can cook about 120. This year, his family cooked more than 2,000 banh chung, about 350 banh chung each day.

Banh chung can only be taken out after 12 hours, not to mention having to supply water and firewood continuously so that the banh chung is cooked evenly. The people in Mr. Han's family here have to take turns watching the pot of banh chung for several nights in a row.

A pot of steaming banh chung on the sidewalk in Hanoi, an image that can only be seen on the last days of the year.

Ms. Tuyen and her extended family gathered together, staying up late to watch over the banh chung pot and the red fire to welcome Tet 2025 in a small alley on Vu Tong Phan street.

"About 12 years ago, when I became a daughter-in-law, my family had a tradition of making banh chung for Tet. This is also the occasion every year when the family gathers around the fire, these days are also the happiest days for the family," Ms. Tuyen shared.

No less than adults, the children here bring firewood and watch the banh chung pot until late at night, immersing themselves in the warm Tet atmosphere with their families.

It takes 1-2am to scoop out the cakes, but everyone is excited and doesn't mind staying up to watch the pot, especially the children.

Water is pumped continuously to maintain the quality of the cake.

To make a banh chung, many steps must be done, from selecting and washing large, beautiful dong leaves to selecting pork belly, soaking sticky rice, green beans... The cake is carefully wrapped, square before being put into the pot.

After more than 12 hours, the Chung cake was taken out by Ms. Tuyen's family. The Chung cake was washed with clean water before being offered and enjoyed.

200 square banh chung cakes after being cooked.

In a corner of the yard in lane 342 Khuong Dinh (Thanh Xuan district), Ms. Hong Tam and her family of three generations of children and grandchildren stay up to watch over the pot of banh chung and the red fire.

Ms. Tam shared that although her family has many children and grandchildren, every time Banh Chung is cooked, three generations of siblings in the family gather. This tradition has lasted for decades, from when she was still in school until she got married, every year she cooked a pot of Banh Chung to keep the tradition passed down to her children and grandchildren.

Ms. Tam added that this year her family cooked about 220 banh chung to celebrate Lunar New Year .

Children are excited next to the pot of Tet banh chung.

Multi-generational family sitting around a red fire.

For many families, if they don't make banh chung by hand, the Tet atmosphere will not be complete.

While everything can be bought easily, the image of a family gathering together, gathering around a banh chung stove with a red fire on the sidewalks and corners of Hanoi streets is truly precious.