Tran Cam Thao and her family, the owners of An Ky Banh Chung, are busy preparing for the festival in the exact same way they have been doing for the past 25 years: ramping up the production of zongzi.
Zongzi, or bánh bá trạng in Vietnamese, is a staple for Duanwu Festival (Double Fifth Festival), which falls on the fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar.
This year, that falls on June 3 of the Gregorian calendar.
Each ethnic group of Chinese living in Vietnam has their own version of zongzi, but generally the savory dish is made from glutinous rice stuffed with different combinations of pork, mushrooms, and salted eggs.
The stuffed rice is later wrapped in bamboo and banana leaves.
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| The fillings for zongzi include glutinous rice, pork, salted eggs, and mushrooms. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
Located at 170/23 on Tue Tinh Street in District 11, An Ky Banh Chung has seen a flood of customers stocking up on zongzi during the past few days.
For most of the year, An Ky Banh Chuong employs five staffers, all of whom are family or neighbors, to make banh chung (square glutinous rice cakes), but ahead of Duanwu, the workforce has been double to meet the demand for zongzi.
According to Thao, her shop processes 70kg of glutinous rice to make zongzi each day.
“We start wrapping zongzi at six in the morning, but the glutinous rice and fillings are prepared in advance,” she said.
“The glutinous rice we use is soaked in water and then seasoned. Our pork is marinated with five-spice powder and other spices.
“Some other ingredients we use are salted eggs, mushrooms, and peanuts.”
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| Tran Cam Thao (left), the owner of the An Ky Banh Chung shop, and a staff member prepare glutinous rice to make zongzi for the 2022 Duanwu Festival at her shop in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Pork is marinated with spices before being stuffed into zongzi for the 2022 Duanwu Festival at Ky An Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Salted eggs are prepared for zongzi at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Zongzi is made at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre |
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| Zongzi is made at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
Thao’s shop sells two types of zongzi. One is a 600g version stuffed with two salted eggs that fetches VND75,000 (US$3.23) apiece. The other is a 500gversion with just one salted egg, selling for VND65,000 ($2.80).
The larger version must be boiled for eight hours, while the smaller one needs only six.
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| Ha Cam Toan, Thao’s son, boils zongzi at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
“I have been buying zongzi here for ten years because it tastes good and fetches a great price,” Hue Nghi, a District 11 resident who pre-ordered zongzi for her family ahead of Duanwu.
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| Tran Cam Thao puts finished zongzi on display at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Tran Cam Thao sells zongzi at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Staff prepare zongzi for the 2022 Duanwu Festival at An Ky Banh Chung shop in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Hue Trang, one of Thao’s neighbors, wraps zongzi at An Ky Banh Chung shop in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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| A notepad shows customers’ zongzi orders at An Ky Banh Chung in District 11, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Ngoc Phuong / Tuoi Tre News |
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