(VTC News) - As the Lunar New Year 2024 approaches, Tran Quy Cap dong leaf market (Hanoi) is always bustling from morning to night, with traders happy because the number of customers coming to buy increases every day.
Tran Quy Cap Market (Dong Da District) is the oldest traditional market specializing in selling dong leaves in Hanoi. Here, dong leaves are sold all year round, but the busiest time is near Tet, from December 17 to 29. Shops open from 5am to late at night.
On the days leading up to Lunar New Year 2024, Tran Quy Cap street is more than 50m long but has about 7-8 stalls selling all kinds of dong leaves, always bustling with buying and selling. Dong leaves here are imported from many places, with different sizes. In particular, wild dong leaves are imported from Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, while country dong leaves are imported from Thanh Oai (Hanoi), Phu Ly (Ha Nam).
Many people rush to the market to buy big, beautiful, green dong leaves to wrap banh chung to celebrate the traditional Tet holiday.
Having sold dong leaves for 50 years at Tran Quy Cap market, Ms. Mai Loan (69 years old) said that this year the weather was not favorable so the harvest of dong leaves was less than in previous years. In addition, they had to be exported abroad so the selling price was higher than in previous years. The price of dong leaves is currently from 50,000 - 80,000 VND/bundle of 50 leaves, while banana leaves cost about 15,000 VND/kg and the string to tie them is 15,000 VND/bundle.
This year, Ms. Loan imported more than 100,000 wild dong leaves to sell since the full moon of December. There were so many buyers that sometimes she ran out of leaves to sell. Every day, she sells more than 10,000 dong leaves and strings. "Wild dong leaves are often more popular and sell better because when wrapped, they give a beautiful green color, the cake is fragrant, and they don't stick when peeled. Dong leaves from the countryside used to wrap banh chung will have a yellow color. If you want them to be green, you have to add galangal leaves and the leaves stick to the cake when peeled," she said.
Happy that he has sold out all the products he has imported, Mr. Tran Thanh Tung said: "Many banh chung production facilities or restaurants have ordered the leaves for a long time and they will take large quantities, the remaining small quantities will be sold to retail customers."
Ms. Trinh Thi Thai Hien (in Giang Vo) said that every December 23-25, she and her relatives go to Tran Quy Cap market to buy dong leaves to wrap banh chung. According to Ms. Hien, the dong leaves here are always standard and beautiful, so there is no need to choose much. This year's selling price is a little higher than previous years.
“Today, I bought 120 dong leaves and 3 bundles of bamboo strings to wrap 30 banh chung. My family has a tradition of wrapping banh chung to worship our ancestors, so choosing dong leaves is very important to me. Despite the busy urban life, the whole family still maintains the old tradition of gathering around a pot of banh chung instead of buying ready-made banh chung at the store,” said Ms. Hien.
To choose the right dong leaves, many picky customers have to spend 20 - 30 minutes.
The image of people bustling to carry dong leaves to wrap banh chung signals that the traditional Tet holiday of the nation is near.
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