On February 10, people from Huong Son District gathered to prepare the enormous cake to commemorate the 234th anniversary of Hai Thuong Lan Ong’s passing.

The event is part of a series of activities honoring the World Cultural Celebrity and celebrating the official recognition of Le Huu Trac's tomb and memorial house as a national special relic site.

Pham Quang Thiet, a 31-year-old resident of Son Bang Commune, Huong Son District, said he and many other locals collaborated to make the 300kg banh chung, symbolizing the 300th birth anniversary of the legendary physician (1724-2024).

Banh chung is a traditional Vietnamese sticky rice cake made from glutinous rice, mung beans, and pork, all wrapped in dong leaves and boiled for many hours. It is an essential dish during the Lunar New Year (Tet) and represents gratitude to ancestors and the significance of rice in Vietnamese culture.

“The ingredients for the cake included 270kg of sticky rice and 30kg of mung beans, all wrapped in more than 600 dong leaves. The cooking process lasted 30 hours. After it was fully cooked, the banh chung was brought to the physician’s tomb as an offering,” Thiet explained.

The entire preparation process took over a day, including washing the leaves and soaking the rice. Wrapping the cake took another full day, followed by 30 hours of cooking. “We made sure every step was done correctly to ensure the banh chung was evenly cooked,” he added.

On the morning of February 9, after the wrapping was complete, a crane was used to transport the banh chung to the cooking site.

Local authorities stated that once the cake was fully cooked, it was transported from the Hai Thuong Ecotourism Area to take part in the ceremonial procession at the Hai Thuong memorial site and temple in Quang Diem Commune, Huong Son District.

Following the offering ceremony, on the 15th day of the Lunar New Year, the banh chung will be placed in front of Hai Thuong Lan Ong’s tomb and statue, allowing locals and visitors to partake in the blessing.

Thien Luong