The daughter-in-law brought the traditional profession to her husband's house, building a massive property.

Editor's note: The famous delicious Banh Te of Son Tay is considered to have originated from Phu Nhi village. Banh Te Phu Nhi is not only a product of Son Tay, Hanoi but has become a famous brand in Vietnam, known to tourists from all over the world. In 2007, Phu Nhi was recognized as a traditional Banh Te craft village.

To make delicious banh te, Phu Nhi people have to be very meticulous and elaborate from the steps of choosing rice, soaking rice, grinding flour, making filling to wrapping and steaming the cake. Not only is it a rustic gift from the countryside, banh te also carries humane stories and concerns of the people who make the cake. The series: Banh te Phu Nhi , untold stories will introduce readers to this dish.

Article 1: Specialty originated from a sad love story, everyone who comes to the Doai region praises it Article 2: A day of earning millions, the craftsman reveals the secret of a hundred-year-old specialty of the Doai region without additives The daughter-in-law brings the profession to her husband's house In Phu Nhi village (Phu Thinh, Son Tay, Hanoi), everyone knows the family of Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung (born in 1952) and his wife Hoang Thi Van (born in 1957) with the traditional profession of making banh te. Every day, the family has at least 1,000 banh te "lining up" waiting for customers to receive. Ms. Van said that the family currently has her, her daughter-in-law and 2-3 workers who slice meat, wrap cakes, and stir dough in turns. On days when there are many orders, she has to mobilize more workers to support. Many days when she sits for a long time, when she stands up, her legs become numb. Ms. Van is from Phu Nhi village. She was born into a family of 7 sisters and 3 brothers (1 has passed away). Her family has a three-generation tradition of making banh te. Since she was little, she helped her mother with chores, so she grew up to be familiar with making banh te.

Mrs. Van brought the traditional profession to her husband's family, contributing to the Phu Nhi rice cake brand.

Talking about the memory of conquering his current wife, Mr. Hung shared: “That year, I heard that in the lower hamlet there was a beautiful girl whose family made traditional banh te, so I was very curious. Because I loved banh te and admired that girl, I went down to find out. At that time, I was very active in taking banh te to the market to help my future mother-in-law and win the hearts of the elders. I also delivered banh te to shops to help my wife's family. Therefore, I won the hearts of everyone, including my current wife.” Ms. Van married Mr. Hung in 1978. At that time, her husband's family only did farming, not following the traditional banh te profession of her hometown. She also worked at a fruit and vegetable factory for many years when she came to her husband's house. In 1990, when her children were grown, she decided to follow the profession passed down by her grandparents and parents. Since then, for more than 30 years, her family has been attached to the profession, becoming one of the longest-serving people in Phu Nhi, with a famous brand, certified with 4-star OCOP.

The worker is always busy making banh te.

Ms. Van said that her family's current business is partly thanks to the income from making banh te for many years. Continuing her father's profession, helping her family and those who work part-time earn an income, she feels very happy and proud.

Gate to Mr. Hung and Mrs. Van's house

Ms. Nguyen Thi Loan (born in 1958) has worked for Mr. Hung for more than 20 years. She shared: “I am a former colleague of Ms. Van, when I worked at the vegetable factory. I have worked here for more than 20 years, so I am very familiar with the work. Now, I can do anything from stirring dough, cutting meat, making fillings, wrapping cakes... I feel lucky to have this job. At the age of nearly 70, still having a job, a good income, not having to depend on my children financially, there is nothing better.” Traveling to each tea shop to sell products In the early days of making cakes, Mr. Hung's family went through many difficulties to be accepted by customers. He alone brought cakes everywhere to sell, from tea shops to tourist areas, restaurants, shops... To let customers know about his family's banh te, he did not hesitate to let people try them, accepting a loss. “In the years 1990-1995, I thought of printing business cards to introduce my family’s products to everyone. I also borrowed a motorbike from an acquaintance, traveled dozens of kilometers, and spread cakes everywhere to let people know about the products made by my wife. At first, I was very shy because I was a man. Many people even rejected me and did not let me leave the cakes in their stores. With many days of perseverance, I finally convinced many stores. It became a habit, every day I brought cakes to sell at water shops, stores... and then I also reaped the rewards,” Mr. Hung shared.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hung once traveled to bring cakes to cafes, stores... to introduce them.

After more than 10 years, Mr. Hung's family's banh te products have gradually reached the community. Many people like to eat them, remember them and call to order. With the motto that everything must be clean and of high quality, not making leftover cakes or making them in advance to wait for customers, Mr. Hung and Mrs. Van's family always want to bring fresh and delicious banh te to food lovers. In 2000, the family received a "huge order". A customer ordered 3,000 cakes in one day, Ms. Van's family had to mobilize all relatives and workers to help. Everyone had to work hard and tirelessly to finish making the cakes to deliver to customers. The work was hard, but having people place continuous orders and trust the quality of the family's cakes made Ms. Van very happy. Currently, her family makes nearly 1,000 cakes every day to serve pre-orders. Anyone who wants to get the goods must call the day before, if they call late, she won't be able to make them in time and has to cancel the order. Every Tet holiday or weekend, the number of cakes ordered increases a lot.

The cakes are made meticulously and elaborately through each step.

Mr. Hung and Mrs. Van have two children, a boy and a girl. The daughter married far away and did not follow her mother's profession. The son has another job and is quite busy, so he does not have time to help his parents with the profession. Only the daughter-in-law born in 1990 named Nguyen Thi Thu Hien is the one who helps make the cakes. Hien said: "When I first came to my husband's house, I was not used to the family's baking rhythm, so it was quite shocking and difficult. I did not know anything about the profession, so I only followed my mother to help with small tasks such as washing dong leaves, picking onions, washing wood ear mushrooms... Watching the women and mothers do it, I gradually got used to it and tried it. After more than 10 years of being Van's mother-in-law, I have gotten used to everything, doing it quickly, and helping my mother a lot."

Ms. Hien - Mrs. Van's daughter-in-law is concerned about continuing her mother-in-law's career.

Talking about whether to follow in her mother-in-law's footsteps, Hien said she still has to think a lot. Because this job looks simple but is very hard, requiring good health and passion. Hien is worried that when her parents-in-law get old and weak, it will be difficult for her to take over this job alone because her husband is busy and cannot help his wife. As for her, Mrs. Van also hopes that her daughter-in-law can continue the family's traditional profession. She hopes that when she reaches retirement age, she can still see the red-hot kitchen, see the fragrant banh te cakes passed down from her ancestors without being lost or forgotten. Video: Close-up of how to make Phu Nhi banh te:

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