Tranh Khuc village in Thanh Tri district on the outskirts of Hanoi is famous for making Chung cake, a typical sticky rice cake for the traditional Lunar New Year Holiday or Tet in Vietnam. On these days, the atmosphere of the Spring and traditional Tet is prevailing over the village. All villagers from the elderly to children are involved in making Chung cake such as washing Dong wrapping leaves and rice, steaming green beans, preparing meats, and wrapping the cakes to supply the Tet market. The gate leading to Tranh Khuc village in Thanh Tri district on the outskirts of Hanoi. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Visiting Tranh Khuc village these days, it is easy to see the image of families busy packing Chung cakes to serve customers. On average, each household makes 200 - 300 cakes in a normal day. But one week before Tet, their productivity may increase by 10 times. They have trade secret to bring out the typical taste of the Chung cake with sticky rice, buttery green bean, pepper fragrance, and fatty pork. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The meat should be pork side which has half fat and half lean meat to ensure the cake will not be dry. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
As the Lunar New Year approaches, 116 households in Tranh Khuc village are busy wrapping cakes. A household with large facility can produce thousands of cakes per day. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork should be half fat and half lean meat so the cake will not be dry. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital such as Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, and Quan Thanh and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. Overseas Vietnamese people bring Chung cake with abroad. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
No one knows exactly when Tranh Khuc village began making Chung cake. The trade has been preserved and developed over generations in the village. In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. This is a place where the spirit of Tet comes alive the earliest in Hanoi. Chung cake is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Lieu, a prince of the sixth Hung King, who became Hung King 's successor thank to his creation of Chung cake and Giay cake, which symbolise the Earth and the Sky respectively. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round, considering it as a main income of families. Each family there has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook Chung cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. It helps the locals to improve their livelihood. As the Lunar New Year nears, Tranh Khuc village in Thanh Tri district on the outskirts of Hanoi is busier with hot pots of Chung cake with a unique flavour. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Mis Sau's family in Tranh Khuc village has been involved in making Chung cakes for decades. Ms. Sau said she usually packs 200-300 cakes on normal days. But from early December, the time when the Lunar New Yerar comes near, the number of cakes that she wraps is 2-3 times higher than usual. In order to make a good Chung cake, Ngan said she has to buy and select high quality ingredients. For example, dong leaves (a kind of leaves used to wrap Chung cake) should be bought from provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Yen Bai, Lao Cai or Ha Giang because they are soft, hard to be broken and have a nice green colour after cooking. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Tranh Khuc Chung cakes are delicious as their ingredients are carefully and meticulously selected. Dong leaves and giang strings (giang is one in the bamboo family) have to be washed carefully in order to preserve the taste of the cake. Giang strings may be soaked in salt water or steamed so that they can become flexible enough for wrapping. Pork side is preferred for Chung cake because its fatty flavour mixes well with the glutinous rice and bean, creating a special taste. According to Chung cake makers of the Tranh Khuc village, they can earn 10,000-15,000 VND (about 0.5-0.8 USD) per cake. But during Tet, they can earn much more money. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Chung cake is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Lieu, a prince of the sixth Hung King, who became Hung King 's successor thank to his creation of Chung cake and Giay cake, which symbolise the Earth and the Sky respectively. Dong leaves and giang strings have to be washed carefully in order to preserve the taste of the cake. Giang strings may be soaked in salt water or steamed so that they can become flexible enough for wrapping. Pork side is preferred for Chung cake because its fatty flavour associates well with the glutinous rice and bean, developing a special taste. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round, taking it as a main income of the family. Each family here has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook Chung cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained rather successful. It helps villagers to improve their livelihood. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital such as Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, and Quan Thanh and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. Overseas Vietnamese people bring Chung cake with them to other countries. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
The people here prepare for Tet from early lunar December and are busy for the entire month. They welcome the New Year after the last cake has been sold. Tranh Khuc Village has 90 percent of its population making Chung cake. They have been famous for 40-50 years. They don’t even need a mould to wrap Chung Cake in the right manner. Many masters can make hundreds of cakes of the same size. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
(Thanh Khuc) or Tranh Khuc village at Duyen Ha commune in Thanh Tri district on the outskirts of Hanoi is famous for making their traditional Chung cake. This is a place where the spirit of Tet comes alive the earliest in Hanoi. Tranh Khuc village is particularly busy at the end of the year. On these days, the spring and traditional Tet atmosphere is prevailing over the village. All villagers from the elderly to children are involved in making Chung cake such as washing Dong wrapping leaves and rice, steaming green beans, preparing meats, and wrapping the cakes to supply the Tet market. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Ms. Tuyet's family at Truong Khuc commune said that on the days before Tet, she has to pack from 2,000-3,000 pieces to supply the market. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. It helps the locals to improve their livelihood. In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. Tranh Khuc Village has 90 percent of its population making Chung Cake. They have been famous for 40-50 years. Each family here has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook Chung cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
The people here prepare for Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday from early December and are busy for the entire month. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. It helps villagers improve their livelihood. In Tranh Khuc village, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. 90 percent of Tranh Khuc Village population participate in making Chung cake. The cakes have been famous for 40-50 years. Each family here has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook the traditional cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
People in Tranh Khuc village said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork should be pork side which has half fat and half lean meat to ensure the cake will not be dry. Meanwhile, dong leaves for wrapping cakes must be ordinary leaves, large, green in color, not wormed or torn. Glutinous rice must also be velvet sticky rice or yellow flower sticky rice, which is famous in Thai Binh and Nam Dinh provinces. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Despite being busy supplying cakes for Tet, the people of Tranh Khuc village still ensure that the whole process of making Chung cake is carried out carefully. People here said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork should be half fat and half lean meat (pork side) so the cake will not be dry. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
In Tranh Khuc village, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. People here said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork side which has half fat and half lean meat is preferred to ensure the cake will not be dry. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital such as Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, and Quan Thanh and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. Overseas Vietnamese people bring Chung cake with them to other countries. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. This is a place where the spirit of Tet comes alive the earliest in Hanoi. No one knows exactly when the trade of making Chung cake in Tranh Khuc Chung began. It has been preserved and developed over generations. Chung cake is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Lieu, a prince of the sixth Hung King, who became Hung King 's successor thank to his creation of Chung cake and Giay cake, which symbolise the Earth and the Sky respectively. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
For many generations, in Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round, taking it as a main income of the family. Each family here has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook Chung cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. It helps them to improve their livelihood. As the Lunar New Year nears, Tranh Khuc village in Thanh Tri district on the outskirts of Hanoi is busier with hot pots of Chung cake with a unique flavour. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
The people of Tranh Khuc not only consider this as a job to earn a living, but also put their heart into each batch of cakes, thus creating a famous brand of Chung cake from near and far. As the Lunar New Year approaches, 116 households making Chung cake in Tranh Khuc village are busy wrapping cakes. People here said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork should be half fat and half lean meat (pork side) so the cake will not be dry. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round, taking it as a main income of the family. Each family here has 10-25 workers with 5-10 big pots to cook Chung cake. Their business used to be retail sales but now it has grown to wholesale. Making Chung cake is a traditional business in this farming village and has remained very successful. It helps them to improve their livelihood. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital such as Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, and Quan Thanh and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. Overseas Vietnamese people bring Chung cake with them to other countries. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Chung cake is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Green beans are soaked in water for some hours, boiled and then ground into powder. The green beans, after being ground into flour, will be molded into cakes and then sandwiched in the middle to make the filling. People here said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. Good rice is Hai Hau variety. The pork should be half fat and half lean meat so the cake will not be dry. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
After being neatly arranged, the cake will be compressed with sufficient weight and cooked in an electric cooker for about 8-10 hours. As the Lunar New Year approaches, 116 households making Chung cake in Tranh Khuc village are busy wrapping cakes. No one knows exactly when Tranh Khuc Chung cake making village existed. It has been preserved and developed over generations. In Tranh Khuc, almost every house packs Chung cake all year round. This is a place where the spirit of Tet comes alive the earliest in Hanoi. Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
Chung cakes of Tranh Khuc village are sold in all major markets in the capital such as Ngoc Ha, Doi Can, and Quan Thanh and account for 50 percent of Hanoi’s market share. Overseas Vietnamese people bring Chung cake with them to other countries. The Tet tray of Vietnamese people cannot be complete without green Chung cake. On these days, the spring and traditional Tet atmosphere is prevailing over the village. All villagers from the elderly to children are involved in making Chung cake such as washing dong leaves and rice, steaming green beans, preparing meats, and wrapping the cakes to supply the Tet market. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) 
The Tet tray of Vietnamese people cannot be complete without green Chung cake. Chung cake is a traditional Vietnamese cake which is made from glutinous rice, mung bean, pork and other ingredients. Its origin is told by the legend of Lang Lieu, a prince of the sixth Hung King, who became Hung King 's successor thank to his creation of Chung cake and Giay cake, which symbolise the Earth and the Sky respectively. People in Tranh Khuc village said that making Chung cake is not difficult, but each stage must be meticulous and thorough. In order to have good cakes, they have to carefully choose rice, bean, pork, and leaves. (Photo: Minh Son/Vietnam+) VNA
