(XTDL) – Over the years, the Ha Thach rice cake and vermicelli craft village (Phu Tho town) has maintained and developed stably. Some families have invested in modern machinery in production to reduce labor and improve product quality. The products of the craft village include: Chung cake, rolled cake, ear cake, gio cake, vermicelli, noodles and some other types of cakes supplied to the market of Phu Tho town and some neighboring areas such as: Tam Nong, Viet Tri, Thanh Thuy…
Currently, the craft village has 88 participating households, accounting for 35.9% of the total number of households in the village. In 2016, the craft village’s revenue reached more than 136 billion VND, creating regular jobs for hundreds of workers with an average income of 4 – 4.5 million VND/person/month.
The noodle and cake making profession has helped people in Ha Thach commune, Phu Tho town stabilize their lives and become rich.
Many families in Ha Thach make cakes and vermicelli all year round and consider it their main source of income. A typical example is the family of Mr. Nguyen Huy Duc – Head of the craft village specializing in producing rice rolls, ear cakes and some other types of cakes. Previously, he and his wife only made rice rolls, spread them by hand, which was very time-consuming, the quantity was small, only about 10 – 20 kg/day, the cakes were thick and not tasty.
In recent years, realizing the increasing demand for rice paper, he boldly invested in buying a rice paper making machine to increase profits and ensure the quality of the rice paper. With more than 40 years of experience in the rice paper making profession, his family’s rice paper is famous in the village and some neighboring districts, so many people come to buy it for wholesale.
Currently, on average, his family produces 1-2 quintals of rice rolls per day. During holidays and Tet, the quantity increases 2-3 times, the family has to hire more workers to meet the demand, deducting expenses, each year the profit is 150-200 million VND.
Anh Duc shared: “Making cakes and vermicelli is easy but requires diligence, meticulousness and skill. To have delicious products, beautiful designs and unique flavors, the maker must have the technique to choose ingredients, especially rice. Delicious rice, new and smooth flour and new cakes ensure unique flavors.”
Unlike other craft villages, Ha Thach vermicelli and cake village operates mainly at night. Producers start “warming up” from 11pm the previous day until 3am the next morning to have products for wholesale. Whether it is sunny or rainy, the alleys leading to the village are still brightly lit with car lights and the laughter of people coming to buy.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Dung in Zone 3 said: “My family has been involved in making vermicelli and cakes for more than 10 years. We have to work all night to make delicious and quality cakes. Every day, my family produces 100kg of rice noodles in the afternoon and 20kg of various cakes from 2am and then sells them at the town’s central market.”
The vermicelli and cake making profession brings high income, but wastewater from the craft village contains a large amount of starch and if not thoroughly treated, it will cause environmental pollution. To overcome this situation, Mr. Nguyen Duc Ninh – Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee said: “The commune has actively promoted and mobilized people to use settling tanks and biogas tanks to treat wastewater, and advised people not to discharge into canals causing water pollution. At the same time, encourage people to invest in machinery in production to increase productivity and product quality.”
Despite having to stay up late and wake up early, the craft village of making vermicelli and cakes in Ha Thach has been developing sustainably for generations. The craft village was recognized in 2013, giving people more motivation and opportunities to promote the “father-to-son” craft. The development of the craft village has promoted the local economy to grow, up to now the average income per capita of the commune has reached 25 million VND/year, the poverty rate has decreased to only 3.97%.
