Phu Thanh Vermicelli Village

(Baonghean)The craft village of Phu Thanh - Quynh Hau - Quynh Luu is famous for its "hereditary" craft: vermicelli making. This simple, rustic dish, rich in rural flavor, has brought prosperity to the people here.

The family of Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Phu Thanh vermicelli village packages vermicelli for export.

We arrived at Phu Thanh vermicelli village on a scorching summer afternoon and saw that every yard was filled with bamboo mats and racks used to dry vermicelli, with customers bustling in and out. According to the locals, this craft used to be very laborious and time-consuming, done manually. During the Tet holiday season, they sometimes worked all night and day to make vermicelli, yet still couldn't keep up with customer demand. Since 2009, most vermicelli makers in Phu Thanh have switched to purchasing machinery and applying technology to their production, which has made the work less strenuous and more efficient.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tinh, a vermicelli maker in Phu Thanh, recounted: “In 2011, my family invested over 30 million VND to buy a flour pounding machine and a vermicelli extrusion machine. We produce 180-200 kg of rice per day, making vermicelli five times more productive than manual production and consistently meeting market demand. The vermicelli making business provides regular employment for four workers, with an income of 4-4.5 million VND per person per month.” According to Mr. Tinh, Phu Thanh vermicelli is supplied to most wholesale markets in Quynh Luu and Hoang Mai town, and is also widely sold in Vinh City, Thanh Hoa, and Ha Tinh… The reason Phu Thanh vermicelli is always in high demand and maintains its brand reputation is due to its high-quality and reliable product. Besides using machine-based vermicelli making technology, Phu Thanh vermicelli makers have a secret recipe for fermenting the flour and mixing it in the right proportions to create vermicelli strands that are both soft and naturally crispy, with a fragrant aroma. The noodles are beautiful and can be stored for several months without getting moldy or spoiled. To make delicious vermicelli, the main step is selecting pure rice, not hybrid rice, because hybrid rice is too sticky. After processing, the rice flour is put into a machine to be "extruded," then dried in the sun; just one day of strong sunlight is enough to sell.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong's family has four workers actively packaging vermicelli for delivery to customers. Ms. Huong says that 2 kg of rice produces 1.8 kg of vermicelli, which sells for 12,500 VND/kg, resulting in a daily profit of 200,000 - 300,000 VND. Making delicious vermicelli is not simple; they have to wake up at 3 AM to pound, soak, and mix the rice flour, then at 6 AM put the flour into the machine to produce the vermicelli and hang it on a drying rack. Sunny days are manageable, but sometimes when it rains heavily and they can't get the vermicelli to dry in time, it's all ruined. My family produces two types of vermicelli to meet customer demand: "folded" vermicelli and "loose" vermicelli. "Folded" vermicelli is the common type that is hung on a drying rack to dry, while "spread" vermicelli is made quite elaborately, with finer flour and thinner strands. When drying, it must be spread evenly on a drying rack. "Spread" vermicelli is usually 1,500 VND/kg more expensive than regular vermicelli. The vermicelli-making profession also has the advantage of utilizing by-products for raising pigs and chickens. My family earns over 60 million VND annually from vermicelli production and over 20 million VND from selling pigs. Thanks to vermicelli making, Mrs. Huong has been able to renovate her house and support her children's education.

Besides that, the family of Mr. Tran Van Ngoc (born in 1979) has over 15 years of experience in the vermicelli making business. Mr. Ngoc both produces vermicelli and collects it for distribution to markets in Thanh Hoa and Ha Tinh provinces. According to Mr. Ngoc, collecting vermicelli helps ensure a market for the villagers and contributes to building and promoting the "brand" of Phu Thanh vermicelli. Vermicelli making in Phu Thanh is year-round, but the busiest times are before and after Tet (Lunar New Year), when villagers have to increase production, working day and night, but still can't meet customer demand. On a normal day, they produce 200 kg of rice per day, and during the Tet season, it ranges from 300 to 500 kg per day. Many villagers currently hope to receive preferential loans to purchase production equipment and stockpile rice. Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong further shared that each time they buy 4-5 tons of rice, the amount is equivalent to 40-50 million VND, and during the period leading up to Tet (Lunar New Year), her family needs over 100 million VND in capital. Many families also need money to renovate the drying yard and the area for drying vermicelli to ensure food safety and hygiene.

Mr. Ho Van Hoa, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Hau commune, said: Phu Thanh vermicelli village was recognized by the Provincial People's Committee in 2012. Currently, there are over 40 households engaged in vermicelli production (including 3-5 households providing vermicelli business services), creating jobs for over 200 local workers with incomes ranging from 3 to 5 million VND per person per month. A favorable factor is the readily available supply of locally produced rice as the main raw material for production. Thanks to the vermicelli-making industry, Phu Thanh commune is increasingly prosperous. There are more and more multi-story houses, village roads and alleys are all paved with concrete, and families can afford modern amenities. Some households specializing in vermicelli production have even bought cars to transport their vermicelli for sale, such as the Ho Van Dung family, who bought a 2.5-ton truck to transport vermicelli to Quang Binh, Thanh Hoa, and Ha Tinh provinces. The commune is continuing to encourage more households to pursue the vermicelli-making profession and expand production scale, as the products still do not meet the current market demand.

The current challenge facing Phu Thanh vermicelli village is that, despite being recognized as a traditional craft village by the province, there have been no projects to invest in infrastructure, such as drainage systems to ensure food safety and hygiene, and no projects to build roads within the village, thus hindering transportation. The people of Phu Thanh vermicelli village urgently need government investment to ensure the sustainable and efficient development of the craft, helping them improve their livelihoods.

Van Truong