TPO - With just over a month left until the Lunar New Year 2025, people in So village (Tan Hoa commune, Quoc Oai district, Hanoi) are racing against time to complete orders for dong vermicelli, an indispensable dish on the Tet tray of many Vietnamese families.
TPO - With just over a month left until the Lunar New Year 2025, people in So village (Tan Hoa commune, Quoc Oai district, Hanoi) are racing against time to complete orders for dong vermicelli, an indispensable dish on the Tet tray of many Vietnamese families.
Video: Close-up of the process of making So village vermicelli. |
 |
Hanoi has many famous villages making dong vermicelli such as Cu Da village (Thanh Oai district), Duong Lieu commune (Hoai Duc district) or Minh Hong village (Minh Quang commune, Ba Vi district)... Among them, So village, Tan Hoa commune, Quoc Oai district has a famous dong vermicelli brand not only domestically but also internationally. The product is made entirely from dong rieng tubers, retaining the delicious, chewy and crunchy flavor. Craftsmen say that the secret to making So village vermicelli different lies in the combination of traditional methods and the fresh, sweet, cool natural well water of this land. |
 |
To make delicious, chewy dong vermicelli, the craftsman must go through many elaborate steps. The dong rieng tubers are washed, ground, then filtered for residue, settled, and starch gelatinized. After that, the powder is spread into a thin layer, dried on bamboo mats, cut into strands, and dried again before being packaged as finished products. |
 |
  |
From September to December of the lunar calendar is the peak time for vermicelli villages. Production facilities all work overtime, mobilizing maximum manpower to meet market demand. The rice paper making machines operate continuously, the sound of machinery rumbling in the bustling atmosphere. |
 |
Ms. Ha Thi Thu (Minh Quan vermicelli factory, 50 years old) shared: “My family has been making vermicelli for three generations, mainly by hand, so it takes more time than households using machines. During Tet, orders increased, my family had to hire 5 more workers, bringing the total to 20 people to meet the schedule. From early morning, the whole family had to light a fire, prepare to work until dark. Although it was very hard, but seeing the vermicelli sell well, customers complimenting, I feel all the effort is worth it." |
 |
Mr. Nguyen Que Hanh (owner of Anh Phong vermicelli factory) shared that vermicelli from So village is very unique and easy to distinguish. Vermicelli from other regions does not use standard cassava flour but mixes it with bean flour or tapioca flour and will be crushed when eaten, while vermicelli from So village still retains its delicious flavor, not too tough and not too crispy. |
   |
Mr. Hanh’s family is a large producer in So village, and has boldly invested in modern technology to improve the productivity and quality of cellophane noodles. According to Mr. Hanh, the application of machinery, especially the drying system, helps his family no longer depend as much on the weather as before. “In the past, cellophane noodles had to be dried in the sun, and if it rained, the whole batch would be affected. Now with the drying system, we save a lot of time, ensuring quality and meeting delivery schedules,” Mr. Hanh shared. |
    |
During Tet, his family mobilized 40 workers to work continuously to meet orders from all over the country. "If there are few goods, we send them by bus, if there are many, we rent a truck or container," he said. |
  |
Bamboo mats covered with white vermicelli are spread across the fields, the sunlight makes the vermicelli more elastic and beautiful. The sunny weather is favorable, but also requires the workers to be careful. If dried for too long, the vermicelli can become dry, brittle, and of poor quality. |
 |
"With the vermicelli making job, the sunnier the weather is, the happier we are. But the beautiful sunshine also means the work has to be more urgent, with no time to rest. During this Tet holiday, we work non-stop, until 3pm, then take a short break and continue," said Ms. Do Thi Hong (worker at Lap Tuyen facility). |
  |
Currently, Tan Hoa commune has 65 households producing cellophane noodles, supplying the market with about 200 tons of cellophane noodles per day. This is also the busiest period of the year, when the number of orders increases dramatically. Families who have been in the cellophane noodle business for a long time have significantly improved their economic life. So village vermicelli is present in all provinces and cities nationwide, and is even enthusiastically received by customers in the Asian market (Japan, Korea), and Europe (Germany). The production of cellophane noodles not only maintains and develops the culture of the craft village but also brings high economic efficiency, creating stable jobs for local workers. |
Source: https://tienphong.vn/ram-rap-chay-dua-voi-tet-o-lang-nghe-mien-dong-noi-tieng-cua-ha-noi-post1703347.tpo
Comment (0)