Hanoi's oldest Tet market bustling all day and night
As the Lunar New Year draws near, Tran Quy Cap wet market in Hanoi remains bustling with people flocking to purchase Dong leaves, a key item used to make Chung cakes (square sticky rice cakes), a traditional New Year cake eaten in Vietnam.
People in the capital head to the market to buy big, beautiful, and green dong leaves to pack their Chung cakes to enjoy a traditional New Year.
Having 10 years of experience selling dong leaves at Tran Quy Cap market, local trader Le Thu Van says during the Tet holiday this year, every day she imports more than 100,000 dong leaves to sell to customers.
Dong leaves at the market are imported from various places, including from the provinces of Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Thanh Oai in Hanoi, and Phu Ly in Ha Nam.
According to small traders, this year a pack of 100 leaves are priced at between VND100,000 and VND150,000
To choose the right dong leaves, many customers spend between 20 and 30 minutes selecting the ones they want.
Dong leaves are an indispensable ingredient in wrapping Chung cakes during the traditional Tet holiday in Vietnam.
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