In Hue, the traditional Lunar New Year “Tet” does not arrive with fanfare. It begins quietly in the kitchen, from a pot of banh tet (a cylindrical sticky rice cake with mung beans and pork) glowing over the fire, from the warm scent of ginger, from a jar of mixed pickled vegetables. Just by looking at these dishes, people in Hue know that Tet is very near.

The entrepreneurial journey of Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Duong, a member of the Women’s Union of My Thuong Ward, is the result of perseverance, creativity, and belief in the value of her hometown's specialties. A traditional product has been reimagined in a new version - tailored to modern tastes while preserving the soul of Hue crystallized ginger.

Mirror candy has a transparent appearance, resembling a small mirror and I found out and interesting thing is that most traditional candies from the Imperial City of Hue are named after the shape or form of their appearance, such as betel nut candy, ginger candy, hammer candy, and mirror candy... These names are unique, simple, and easy to remember.

When I was still very young, candies weren’t as diverse as they are now. We only had traditional local sweets, like areca-nut candy, ginger candy, glass candy, peanut candy, bird’s egg candy, and pulled sugar candy… Back then, my grandmother would often come back from the market with a small packet of areca-nut candy, which had a simple label with a picture of Hue landscape.