Hung Viet keeps the traditional profession

Hung Viet commune, Cam Khe district, is known as a multi-craft village because there are three traditional occupations that are several decades old that are being closely adhered to, preserved and developed by the people, creating quality products that are competitive in the market.

The entrance to Thach De village is a small, winding concrete road. On both sides of the road are spacious houses with large yards, people are busy drying poles of white, wavy rice noodles in time for the early summer sun. Thach De vermicelli and cake craft village have been recognized since 2010. So far, there are 23 households doing the craft, with an average income of 8–10 million VND/person/month. With the advantage of agricultural land and taking advantage of available raw materials such as fertile rice fields, the commune has a rice growing area of nearly 300 hectares and has been granted VietGap certification and growing area code, which is a driving force so that Thach De people are increasingly making efforts to produce and develop the brand of the craft village. At the same time, the birth of Hung Viet Commune Agricultural Cooperative has created production links among craft households. Thach De rice noodle products have gradually been perfected. From just selling raw materials, the product has now been invested in packaging, has professional and beautiful packaging and labels, and meets 3-star OCOP standards, thanks to which sales volume has increased many times.

Poles of rice noodles are dried by craft village households in the summer sun.

As one of the largest production households in the commune, Ms. Pham Thi Hue shared: "Making noodles does not require too much capital and is very easy to do, but it requires diligence, meticulousness, ingenuity and dedication to the profession. In order for the product to be delicious, beautifully designed and have a unique flavor, the maker must have experience and know how to choose rice. Usually, noodles and vermicelli are only made with Khang Dan rice. The rice must be fragrant, delicious, and not freshly harvested. If left too long, the noodles produced will be smooth, white and will not fall apart when processed. The noodles will be crispy and chewy. Since joining the cooperative, my family as well as a number of households in the craft village have boldly invested in and innovated the rice noodle production line. Previously, on average, we could only make about 40kg of noodles per day, but now we can produce about 8 quintals of dry noodles per day".

Not only famous for Thach De rice noodle craft village, Hung Viet is also known for Cat Tru banh chung craft village. Here, not only is famous banh chung made, but for many years it has also been chosen as an offering to King Hung on each death anniversary. The profession of wrapping banh chung has been preserved for many generations, from generation to generation, creating the famous Cat Tru banh chung brand throughout the region. Perhaps because of the perfection and meticulousness in each cake, Cat Tru’s banh chung is very popular with customers; often customers come pick it up or have it delivered on the same day to promptly supply supermarkets. On average, each banh chung costs VND50,000–55,000. Just like that, day after day, for decades now, Cat Tru village’s banh chung has followed countless people far and near, supplying many large markets in provinces such as Hanoi and Vinh Phuc.

Products of Cat Tru Banh Chung craft village.

Besides food production, this place also preserves and develops the profession of making worship objects, serving the spiritual needs of people in the region and some neighboring provinces. The altar craft village has been around for decades, specializing in the production of votive papers. Households in the craft village do not work according to seasons but produce all year round, with three peak periods being the full moon day of July, close to the Lunar New Year and January. On average, every day, the craft households here have to produce hundreds of different product models to meet customer needs and most of the products are handmade. Prices for items range from a few dozen to several hundred thousand dongs, or higher prices for large, beautiful models according to the customer’s specific requirements.

The village’s votive products are mainly handmade.

Mr. Nguyen Trong Phu, Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee, said: Along with other local occupations, traditional occupations have significantly contributed to socio-economic development and improved the material and spiritual lives of the people. So far, after the merger, Hung Viet has achieved an advanced rural area, the commune’s poverty rate has decreased to 3%, and the average income per capita has reached VND54 million/year. The development of craft villages has contributed to restructuring the agricultural economy, reducing poverty and creating jobs for a large number of rural workers."

It can be seen that, among hundreds of traditional craft villages that are gradually disappearing, the people in the land rich in cultural traditions along the Red River are diligently maintaining their craft day by day, diligently searching for a direction and bringing traditional products to increasingly develop in modern life, making each person more appreciative of good traditional values.

Thu Huong