The small pyramid sticky rice dumpling (banh u) traditional village on Pham The Hien Street, HCM City, has been busy prior to and during the Doan Ngo Festival on the fifth day of Lunar May or June 25 this year.

Customers have flocked to Pham The Hien Street to buy the dumplings. Each customer often buys from 50 to 100 dumplings. The villagers started making the dumplings since May 1st of the Lunar calendar. 57-year-old Tran Thanh Loan with over 30 years of experiences said they had more customers this year.

“Skilled people can make 2,400 dumplings a day and they have all sold out. Some people placed orders months ago and in large numbers,” she said.

The leaves used to wrap the dumplings are bought from Tay Ninh and Dak Lak provinces. The filling of the cakes is made from green beans with sugar water. The sticky rice must be soaked with lye water for two days to reach the desired colour and smell.

Despite being busy, the villagers are all happy with high orders and good prices.

Doan Ngo Festival, also known as Pest Exterminating Festival, is one of the major festivals in Vietnam, normally celebrated on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.

Some photos of the village:

Sticky rice dumpling village busy during Doan Ngo Festival