Since there are no molds for making banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes) in America, Vietnamese mothers have come up with surprising alternatives.

In America, there are no molds for wrapping banh chung (Vietnamese rice cakes) like in Vietnam, so Hoai Thu cleverly uses cardboard instead. Even so, her banh chung are still perfectly square and undeniably beautiful.

Báo Thanh niên•14/02/2026

Ms. Hoai Thu (originally from Tuyen Quang province), currently living in Wisconsin (USA), says she has celebrated more than a dozen Lunar New Year celebrations in this land of endless snow. In the early years, each time the Lunar New Year arrived, the heart of this Vietnamese mother was filled with longing and nostalgia. Since getting married and having children, without family support or domestic help like in Vietnam, many women's lives have become busier. Even so, every year she makes banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) to remember her roots and to help her children understand the cultural values of their motherland.

Thu's banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake) retains its square shape even after boiling and pressing out the excess water, thanks to being wrapped tightly.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

The special mold was made by Ms. Thu using paper.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

"Besides having to teach my children to speak, read, and write Vietnamese myself, on traditional holidays, even though I don't get time off work, I still try to decorate the house and make traditional dishes so that the children know they are Vietnamese," Hoai Thu shared.

During the Lunar New Year , in the snowy states where she lives, apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, and kumquats are not sold; those are luxuries and rare items for her. Although she doesn't have many things to decorate her house with, she can still make traditional dishes like banh chung (sticky rice cake), banh tet (cylindrical sticky rice cake), gio thu (pork head cheese), gio xao (stir-fried pork sausage), bamboo shoot soup, and vermicelli soup... to offer as incense sticks to express her respect to her ancestors.

These sticky rice cakes and fermented pork rolls were prepared by Ms. Thu for Tet (Lunar New Year).

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

"Every time I wrap banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes), sweet childhood memories come flooding back. I remember the days leading up to Tet (Vietnamese New Year) when I went to my grandmother's house, I remember her neat, square banh chung, and I remember my beloved aunts who always loved and spoiled their granddaughter. Now, my grandmother is gone, and I haven't seen my aunts for many years, but those images always motivate me to try my best to wrap the most beautiful cakes," said Hoai Thu.

My grandmother's teachings from years ago are something I remember every time I wrap banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cakes). A beautifully wrapped banh chung is one that, after boiling, remains square and doesn't shift or have the rice spill out. When cut, the filling should be in the center. A good banh chung is soft and chewy, without the beans or rice being undercooked. The amount of filling depends on personal preference, but the taste must be just right, neither bland nor too salty.