Dong Khanh rice rolls - a delicious dish from the coastal city...

(Baonghean) - "When asked about the original name of the old village in Dong Khanh hamlet, Mr. Nguyen Sy Quang no longer knew. He only remembered that the first person to make banh muot (rolled rice paper rolls) in this area was Mrs. Duong in what is now Tay Khanh hamlet, and that was 56 years ago when his mother gave him a silver coin to eat a full bowl. That means in 1964? Mr. Quang nodded his graying head and said: 'Mrs. Duong's banh muot with the pungent shrimp paste was incredibly delicious!'"...

Who wouldn't, at some point, yearn to fulfill their desire to head to the sea during the early, shimmering "Central Vietnam sunshine" of late April? Even in Hanoi or Vientiane in neighboring Laos, dreaming of the gentle, caressing waves of Cua Lo beach is enough to drive you crazy; so arriving in Cua Lo when the Lao wind begins to playfully blow its "specialty" heat, the feeling of diving into the waves here is simply intoxicating! But then, we were both melting and "dying" as we dipped thin sheets of rice paper into a bowl of dipping sauce, seasoned with golden-brown, fragrant, crispy fried shallots... and then let our eyes, noses, and mouths do their instinctive yet exploratory work, leading us to a delicious dish easily included in Cua Lo's culinary guide.

The flour grinding process

Those awnings and canopies of the rice noodle stalls with signs saying "rice rolls" on Sao Nam Street in Cua Lo now belong to the Dong Khanh rice noodle and rice roll village. Cua Lo has several famous seafood processing villages known for their products like peeled shrimp, grilled mackerel, and fish sauce and shrimp paste, which are familiar to many tourists. However, the Dong Khanh rice noodle and rice roll village is relatively unknown, even though it was recognized as a traditional craft village in 2009. It is currently the only agricultural processing village in the coastal town. This means that if you eat rice noodles in the center of Cua Lo beach, they're all from the Dong Khanh village! The owner of the rice noodle stall, Tran Thanh Van, grinned broadly, boasting that he is the only person in the village supplying hot rice noodles to restaurants and hotels when they need them.

Why is he the only one? For two reasons: firstly, he "bears" the registration fee for the red invoice tax; secondly, each household in the village has its own way of doing business, so there's no competition. He can handle providing breakfast for hotel guests during normal times, but during peak periods, other households simply "delegate" the task to him. Even his daughter, who also follows the trade, forms a family business, but when registering the business, they use the same "brand" bearing his and his wife's name, with a sign that says "Luong - Van Hot Rice Rolls." He "cedes" the processing and making of the sausage to his son-in-law. It's a joint venture based on absolute trust!

Dong Khanh's rice noodle dish is unique because the village only makes rice noodles, not vermicelli like other noodle-making villages. Therefore, it might be the only rice noodle making village in Nghe An province. Making only one dish requires meticulous craftsmanship; this is certainly due to the demands of the culinary market, and this is the culinary market of a coastal tourist city that welcomes over a million visitors each season – no joke! But the origins of the craft also play a part...

Make pancakes.

Mr. Nguyen Sy Quang claims to be a descendant of generations rooted in Cua Lo. He recalled that more than half a century ago, when he "wanted to die" after eating Mrs. Duong's rice noodle rolls, Cua Lo was just a small town, its landscape dominated by pine and bamboo trees. The rice noodle rolls sold at Mrs. Duong's house were considered the only street food in the village, and naturally, it was something that children couldn't always afford to buy with money. The rice noodle roll stall, enclosed by bamboo fences and densely packed bamboo, was not only a source of craving for hungry children during times of scarcity, but also a joy for the elderly villagers, who found solace in the bustling activity of wood-burning fires and flickering oil lamps at Mrs. Duong's stall, a way to alleviate their sleeplessness and the difficulty of waking up early...

Then the Americans bombed North Vietnam, causing chaos in the villages, and Mr. Quang no longer had the opportunity to "want to die" at Mrs. Duong's noodle shop. War, hunger, and lack of clothing were daily torments, but people's minds were overwhelmed by bombs, death, and hatred; suddenly he grew up, suddenly joined the army, suddenly left the army and returned home. After decades as village head and party branch secretary, Mr. Quang officially retired from his duties in the Dong Khanh block of Thu Thuy ward a few months ago. And when it came to the story of the Dong Khanh noodle-making village, he was the one who knew the most...

“Later on, it seems that Mrs. Duong passed on the trade to a few households. Then, in 1994, when Cua Lo became a town, several households in Dong Khanh started making banh muot (a type of Vietnamese rice noodle), selling them at home and at the market. Gradually, a group formed, and dozens of households joined in. When the village was recognized as a traditional craft village, the town held a lottery for business locations, and only 15 households won. Now, only 12 households are still making it, but it's a sustainable direction and has a good future if they can build a brand,” Mr. Quang said.

Building a brand for banh muot (steamed rice rolls) is a serious matter. Hanoi and Saigon have banh muot brands that have created chains of breakfast restaurants, generating billions of dong in revenue each month. And generally, a crucial element in building a brand for banh muot is the dipping sauce. Mr. Quang enthusiastically said: “I once told the villagers that for the craft village to survive, the first thing is to sell well, so catering to regular customers year-round is essential; but during the tourist season, we have to learn skills like recognizing the regional accents of customers to choose and adjust the dipping sauce accordingly, focusing on using Nghi Thuy and Cua Hoi fish sauce, and finding ways to eat it that suit the taste, such as using fermented shrimp paste from Nghe An...”

When asked, Mr. Tran Thanh Van said, "Of course it has to be that way. Regular customers from Nghe An province prefer Chinsu and Nam Ngu brands... And tourists from other provinces come to Cua Lo and insist on mixing their own local fish sauce, and after eating, they excitedly ask for directions to the traditional craft village to buy some as souvenirs. Selling rice noodles is also a bit tedious, so his breakfast stall is only 24 square meters according to the town's regulations, and even the tarpaulin roof has to be welded according to standards. He can't expand it, but he still has to hire 3-4 young people to serve customers. They work less than half a day, but he still pays them 70,000 to 100,000 VND each." Mr. Van mumbled, "Calculated after expenses, my wife and I only make about 70 million dong a year. But the business is sustainable. Besides, nothing goes to waste in this business; the water from washing rice, grinding flour, the waste from customers, some livestock farmers even pay a few million dong a month in advance, and they come to collect it all every day..."

Breakfast with a plate of steamed rice cakes.

Making hot steamed rice rolls, a traditional craft, is a busy day, even though it's only for breakfast. Dong Khanh has become a cluster of villages, but it still retains its traditional charm. Visiting the home of Ms. Vuong Thi Mao, who has been in the business for 15 years, we learned that her family was one of the first four households in the village to invest over 15 million VND in an electric flour mill. Besides milling for her own family, she also mills for other households in the village, only charging for electricity – essentially helping each other out! Many tourists visiting Cua Lo are familiar with the "Tinh Mao Hot Steamed Rice Rolls" stall. This afternoon, like many other households, she first goes to the market to buy the necessary ingredients, then grinds the flour, roasts onions, prepares the pork sausage, and rolls the spring rolls... ready for tomorrow. That's on a leisurely day; during the tourist season, she works tirelessly until nine or ten o'clock at night...

Dong Khanh's steamed rice rolls come in two types: vegetarian rolls served with pork sausage and rolls filled with meat and wood ear mushrooms served with spring rolls. The secret is that the rolls are always perfectly white; the vegetarian rolls look like silk, and the meat-filled rolls have a smooth, non-greasy texture. Each bite is delicate, but once you start eating, the plate is empty before you know it... And of course, they must be eaten hot. The vendor is cheerful and sweet, her hands moving nimbly like a dancer, quickly preparing a plate of ten identical rolls. Immediately, the waiters bring out the pork sausage and spring rolls according to the customer's request, and a bowl of dipping sauce to suit their taste, placed right in front of them so they can enjoy them hot right away...

Dong Khanh steamed rice rolls.

No one can bring the sea to the forest to open a beach service there. Therefore, out of the millions of tourists who visit Cua Lo every year, even if only a tenth of them enjoy a hot, steaming breakfast of banh muot (rice noodle rolls), it would still be a huge burden for the people of Dong Khanh village, because no one can keep the banh muot warm enough to bring from Vinh or Nghi Loc! Mr. Duc, the new Party Secretary of Dong Khanh village, calmly stated this and added: “Besides the 8 households registered to sell on the main streets, 4 households sell in the markets. Now, even if someone outside the village wanted to open a banh muot business, there wouldn't be a place to do so. Therefore, the villagers don't have to worry about competition, so they have to refine their skills even more. The most important thing now is to receive support from higher authorities for training in business practices to serve tourism.” Mr. Quang added: “The banh muot from Dong Khanh village is delicious and high-quality, but ensuring cleanliness and comfort for customers is equally important… That’s the essence of tourism culture.”

We got to experience that feeling, sitting on the sidewalk of Sao Nam Street, enjoying the cool sea breeze and the morning sun, savoring hot Dong Khanh - Cua Lo rice noodles amidst the bustling voices of tourists visiting the seaside town on weekends, enjoying so many seafood specialties, yet not forgetting to add to our culinary guide a simple, rustic dish that has enriched the charm and allure of this top-tier seaside tourist city in the North!

Mr. Vu