Staff at a product display counter promote Lang Liêu rice cakes at the Hung Temple Historical Site.
"National Cake" from legend
Few Vietnamese people are unfamiliar with the story of Prince Lang Liêu, a filial son who, guided by divine beings, made sticky rice cakes (bánh chưng and bánh giầy) to offer to his father, the king, and thus inherited the throne. These simple cakes, crafted from the finest grains of the earth and sky, and made with the skillful hands and sincere devotion of his descendants, have become offerings to ancestors and an indispensable part of Vietnamese festivals and holidays. Inheriting and developing this ancestral heritage, for many years, the Lang Liêu Cake Production Facility – a specialty of Hung Temple – has maintained the production of sticky rice cakes to serve tourists visiting and offering incense at the Hung Temple Historical Site, as well as supplying the nationwide market according to orders.
Having just completed an order of 550 banh chung (traditional Vietnamese rice cakes) and 1,000 banh giay (another type of Vietnamese rice cake) for the Hung Vuong Golf Cup "Van Lang Spirit" in 2026, Mr. Dao Van Long, the owner of the establishment, happily shared: "Having been in this business for over 20 years, it's wonderful that banh chung and banh giay are becoming increasingly well-known and appreciated by customers. Leading up to the Lunar New Year and during the Hung Vuong Ancestor Commemoration Day and Hung Temple Festival, we continuously receive advance orders from visitors from all over, and we can't keep up with the demand. The 'national cake' is increasingly asserting its position as a source of pride for those of us who preserve this craft."
Born and raised at the foot of the sacred Nghia Linh mountain, many years ago, recognizing the needs of pilgrims visiting Hung Temple, Mr. Long would travel to various localities each festival season to import specialty products to serve visitors. However, the more successful his business became, the more he pondered: Living on the land where the nation originated, connected to the legend of Lang Lieu, he felt a responsibility to preserve and promote the brand value of the products from his roots. In 2005, he decided to invest in building a traditional cake processing facility, learning from experienced artisans and hiring skilled workers to produce the products. Since then, pilgrims visiting Hung Temple have become familiar with branded products: Lang Lieu sticky rice cakes, Lang Lieu rice cakes, specialty cassava cakes, Co Tich baked yam cakes, Co Tich chewy yam cakes, Co Tich sticky rice cakes... These products, just by their names, evoke the rustic flavors of the countryside and the profound echoes of the legends of the Hung King era.
Elevate your brand.
Each year, the facility consumes approximately 10-20 tons of raw materials. During peak periods, from the production workshop to the product display counter, 30-40 workers are involved in processing and serving, contributing to stable employment for many local laborers. To date, Lang Liêu sticky rice cakes and Cổ Tích sticky rice cakes have been recognized as 3-star OCOP products; Lang Liêu cassava cakes and Lang Liêu glutinous rice cakes are in the process of completing their applications for OCOP recognition. This is an important milestone affirming the quality and position of traditional products in the journey of building a brand for specialties of the ancestral land.
Mr. Dao Van Long, owner of Lang Lieu cake production facility - a specialty of Hung Temple - inspects products before they leave the factory.
According to Mr. Dao Van Long, quality is the key factor determining product reputation. Therefore, the establishment always pays special attention to selecting raw materials and ensuring food safety in the production process. For example, with the banh chung (Vietnamese sticky rice cake), the ingredients selected are fragrant and sticky glutinous rice; rich and flavorful mung beans; clean, traceable pork belly; fresh dong leaves; bamboo strings; and the traditional wood-fired cooking method... all contributing to the unique flavor of Lang Lieu banh chung. Always open to feedback and receptive to customer opinions, with each batch of cakes, the skills of the bakers improve, and the quality of the product is affirmed accordingly.
After offering incense at the temples on Nghia Linh mountain with her family, Ms. Ha Thi Thu Phuong (from Hai Phong city) received her pre-ordered box of cakes at the product display counter of the establishment. She shared: “Every year when I go to Hung Temple, I buy cakes from this establishment to give as gifts to friends and relatives. Everyone really likes the taste of the specialty cakes bearing the Lang Lieu brand. I usually call to order a few days in advance, and I always receive the products I like on time. Many times when my family has events, I still call to order and have the establishment deliver them right to my door. Lang Lieu specialty cakes are not only delicious but also deeply rooted in the cultural traditions of the ancestral land...”
Simple yet refined, unpretentious yet profound, just like the people of the Ancestral Land, the products of Co Tich village today are not only culinary specialties serving pilgrims but also a bridge to spread the cultural values of the Hung King era into modern life. Preserving and elevating these legendary "national cakes" not only contributes to the development of local tourism but also allows each person in the Ancestral Land to continue preserving and passing on their cultural identity to future generations.
Cam Ninh
Source: https://baophutho.vn/pham-vat-lang-co-tich-252200.htm
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