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| Meticulously slicing traditional banh dong (molded cakes) |
According to village elders, the traditional cakes of My Loi Village, from time immemorial to this day, have been meticulously crafted from locally grown ingredients and produce. It is this practice that preserves a distinctive flavor, faithful to the methods passed down by their forebears.
More than offerings used in ancestral worship to express reverence and filial devotion, the traditional cakes of My Loi Village are also deeply woven into Tet culinary customs, embodying wishes for peace and good fortune. For this reason, My Loi’s banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes), banh in (pressed cakes), banh hot sen (lotus-seed cakes) and banh dong (molded cakes) are always popular with customers, especially during the Lunar New Year.
With four generations devoted to traditional cake-making, Trang’s family enters the pre-Tet period amid a flurry of activity, as her bakery comes alive from the break of dawn. Electric molds and dough mixers operate at full throttle. Measuring, pouring, packaging—each task follows its own rhythm, hands working nonstop.
Deftly, Trang, lifting the banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes), from their molds, said: “Made from bot binh tinh (canna flour), free-range chicken eggs, sugar, lemon and ginger, banh thuan of My Loi Village are eye-catching, featuring golden, flower-petal-shaped peaks. The cakes release the aroma of bot binh tinh (canna flour) and eggs, with a faint note of ginger.”
In earlier times, villagers baked cakes using cast-iron molds, relying on fire below and charcoal above to cook them. Since electric molds were introduced, making banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes), has become considerably less arduous. Trang further shared: “Beyond boosting output, easier temperature control allows the cakes to rise evenly and take on a more attractive form. This Tet, my workshop produces an average of more than 2,000 banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes), each day, along with 1,000 banh in (pressed cakes) and banh hot sen (lotus-seed cakes)....”
To ensure quality during drying, Trang uses charcoal rather than drying machines. She said: “Unlike baking, drying must be done with charcoal to allow the cakes to dry gradually. This way, they are evenly crisp, without a dry exterior and a damp interior, and their aroma remains intact. The drying process is carried out entirely by hand not only for banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes), but also for banh in (pressed cakes) made from bot binh tinh (canna flour)and banh hot sen (lotus-seed cakes)."
In step with the Tet season, the traditional bakery of Mai Thi Yen (Hamlet 5, Vinh Loc Commune) is also bustling to fulfill year-end orders. Yen shared: “Currently, banh thuan (traditional sponge cakes) are priced at VND 35,000–45,000 per 10 pieces, banh in (pressed cakes), made from bot binh tinh (canna flour) at VND 25,000 per 10 pieces, and banh dong (molded cakes) at VND 45,000–50,000 per piece. Even as ingredient costs rise, we have kept prices unchanged to meet customers’ needs.”
The Tet cakes-and-preserves market offers a wide range of choices. Yet for many consumers, the traditional cakes and preserves from My Loi village retain a special allure. Alongside local orders, the bakeries run by Trang and Yen also supply these products to many other provinces and cities.
Phan Hoai Nam, Deputy Head of the Economic Division of Vinh Loc Commune, said: “More than 10 traditional My Loi cake workshops are currently operating in the commune. In preparation for the Binh Ngo Tet, these bakeries are tightening food safety and hygiene standards while accelerating production. Beyond their contribution to economic value and job creation, they also help preserve the locality’s unique culinary culture.”