Visiting the 200-year-old craft village, guests coat cakes with their own hands, making the famous specialty of Can Tho

Thuan Hung rice paper craft village has existed and developed for about 200 years. According to information from the Economic Department of Thot Note district, in this craft village, there are currently only about 75 households operating regularly to serve the consumption needs of people inside and outside the province and export to Cambodia, 41 households produce seasonally during the Tet holiday. The households mainly produce in the form of manual ovens coated with rice husks, of which 4 households invest in producing coated cakes by machine. Although rice paper appears in many places, Thuan Hung rice paper is commented to be more delicious and famous, any visitor who comes here wants to enjoy it once. In Thuan Hung craft village, 4 types of rice paper are produced: salty,, sweet, and coconut. The salty cake has a lot of salt, so it can be stored longer, while the latte cake impresses with its crispy and delicious taste. Spring rolls are small in size and coconut cakes are mixed with coconut milk along with sesame. Each type of cake has its own unique flavor and different sizes. According to local people, making delicious rice paper requires meticulousness, ingenuity and own know-how. Rice must be selected from the typical rice of the land of Tho Not, the rice harvested to be made for about half a year. Because the rice is too new, when dipped in water, the cake will crumble, baked unevenly, and the old rice will be fluffy when baked, but it will no longer retain the sweetness. Moreover, the people of Thuan Hung also have their own secrets in the dough mixing stage. To make delicious rice paper, people in Thuan Hung must adjust the amount of flour to suit the specialized tool of gao. Each ladle of dough corresponds to a cake. The rice flour after grinding is poured onto a mosquito net (also known as a curtain cloth) stretched on a pot of boiling water that is evaporating. Next is the cake coating, which requires the workers to have experience and ingenuity. According to local people, the secret to coating delicious, thin and not crumbling cakes is to ensure low heat and evenly and quickly. Rice paper is steamed with steam for about 15 seconds to cook. The process of picking up the cake is also very important, requiring smooth coordination between the person who coats and takes the cake. The cake after coating will be very thin and wet, so it is easy to tear, the person who coats must skillfully hold the cake with one hand, lift the cake with the other hand and put it in the pan. Finally, the cake drying stage. In addition to the weather factor, Thuan Hung people must set the drying time and dry carefully so that the cake does not warp, keeping its intact and beautiful appearance. If it is sunny, the cake is dried for about 30 minutes, removed from the pan and rearranged into stacks. If dried for a long time, the cake is too brittle, easy to break, and does not guarantee quality and aesthetics. Thuan Hung rice paper has 4 types, corresponding to 4 flavors, including: sweet rice paper, salty rice paper, coconut rice paper. In addition to serving the consumption needs of people inside and outside the province, this famous cake is also exported to Cambodia, becoming a specialty loved by many people. Traveling to Can Tho, in addition to experiencing Thuan Hung rice paper craft village, visitors can combine visiting a number of places in the same direction of movement as this craft village such as: Pothisomron Pagoda; Binh Thuy communal house – 1 of 3 places with the largest communal house in the West; Binh Thuy Ancient House,... or explore Cai Rang floating market, Ong pagoda, Gan Gua relic area. Photo: Hoang Khanh Nguyen/2nd Home Vietnam Source: VNN