Lookatvietnam – More than 400 children from orphanages and high schools in HCM City and more than 200 businesspeople and university students have participated in making traditional cakes banh chung (square glutinous rice cake) and banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cake) for Tet festival.

The programme received the participation of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

Many craftsmen who are excellent in making the cakes were also invited to the festival to teach the children how to make the best cakes.

The seventh event was to educate the young generation about the spirit of teamwork and the tradition of Vietnamese lifestyle, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nhung, deputy director of the department of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, said.

The festival has become an annual celebration of the city every time spring comes. Nguyen Van Vu Linh, a ninth grader at Binh Quoi High School, said this was interesting to him and this was the first time he tried to make the cakes.

Thousands of years ago, Vietnamese people told each other the legend of banh chung and banh day (round cake) to teach younger generations about their forefather’s lifestyles.

The two traditional cakes are considered to represent the national spirit of Vietnamese people, and on Tet holidays, every family in Viet Nam must have the cakes. Family members usually sit together and wrap the cakes.

At the event, the department delivered 1,000 presents and 250 scholarships for English study, supported by Aston School and companies and associations in the city.

(Source: Viet Nam News)