Sticky rice cakes with special meaning
![]() |
According to artisan Nguyen Van Ngai from Hung Lo Commune in Phu Tho Province’s Viet Tri City, banh chung is made of sticky rice, pork and green beans, with every ingredient wrapped in large green leaves called “la dong” (Phrynium placentarium leaf). Making banh chung requires care and precision at every step. Rice and green beans are soaked in water for a day, while pork is usually mixed with pepper for several hours before being wrapped. Squaring off and tying the cake with bamboo strings require skillful hands to form a perfect square.
![]() |
![]() |
Banh chung was invented by Prince Lang Lieu, the 18th son of the Hung Emperor, as an offering to the king’s ancestors during Tet. According to legend, around 4,000 years ago, the Prince made round and square cakes, the round cake symbolizing the sky and the square banh chung or chung cake symbolizing the earth, which in ancient times was believed to be square.
Since the cakes he offered were of special meaning and delicious taste, Lang Lieu’s father chose him as the next emperor. Since then, banh chung has been placed on every Vietnamese family’s altar to worship ancestors.
The preparation of chung cake provides an opportunity for family members to come together, sitting around a warm fire, recounting stories of the past and exchanging wishes for health and prosperity. In big cities, although the habit of extensive cake preparations has died out with the shift to urban life and busy lifestyles, ancestor worship and cake offerings persist, evidence of the Vietnamese loyalty and deep gratitude to their ancestors.
![]() |
![]() |
See also

Norwegian Ambassador experiences Vietnamese Tet traditions
06:00 | 28/01/2023 Lifestyle

Chau Ma brocade lives on
06:00 | 27/01/2023 Lifestyle

Bathing in coriander-filled water
13:00 | 25/01/2023 Culture

Gongs keep ringing in Central Highlands
06:00 | 25/01/2023 Lifestyle

Laotians experience Tet in Da Nang
13:00 | 24/01/2023 Lifestyle

Lucky money, lucky year
06:00 | 24/01/2023 Culture
See more news

Tet in Paris, with all the trappings
13:00 | 23/01/2023 Lifestyle

Fireworks soar across Vietnam ringing in Year of the Cat
13:07 | 22/01/2023 Photo

The cat in Vietnamese culture
13:00 | 22/01/2023 Lifestyle

Drum Dance Festival of the Muong
06:00 | 08/01/2023 Photo

Moc Chau, a four-season destination
06:00 | 07/01/2023 Photo

Water puppetry, a unique folk art form of Vietnam
09:00 | 03/01/2023 Entertainment

Five-color sticky rice, blending nature with culture
06:00 | 17/12/2022 Photo

Da Lat’s enticing persimmon season
00:06 | 20/11/2022 Entertainment

Introducing Indian culture to Vietnamese people
14:18 | 02/11/2022 Entertainment

“Khám phá mỹ vị Hoa Kỳ” promotion launched at MM Mega Market
09:05 | 21/09/2022 Lifestyle

Headquarters of Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology inaugurated
09:23 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

WHO to share mRNA vaccine technology with VietNam
09:14 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

Lao mission in Geneva joins Vietnamese counterparts on Lunar New Year festival
07:04 | 30/01/2023 Vietnam and ASEAN

Intertwined opportunities, challenges for Vietnam’s economy in 2023
07:00 | 30/01/2023 Economy

Tourism is back, big time
06:00 | 30/01/2023 Tourism
Multimedia

Norwegian Ambassador experiences Vietnamese Tet traditions
06:00 | 28/01/2023 Lifestyle

Fireworks soar across Vietnam ringing in Year of the Cat
13:07 | 22/01/2023 Photo

The cat in Vietnamese culture
13:00 | 22/01/2023 Lifestyle

Sa Dec Flower Village, an attractive destination in Tet
16:11 | 11/01/2023 Tourism

Da Nang tops Vietnam's tourism competitiveness rankings
15:37 | 11/01/2023 Longform

Việt Nam supports expansion of UN Security Council
06:00 | 30/01/2023 Policy

Prime Minister assigns tasks to Deputy Prime Ministers
07:00 | 17/01/2023 Policy

Taking advantage of growth opportunities: Party leader
09:18 | 04/01/2023 Policy

Financial mobilization for development of circular economy
17:02 | 03/01/2023 Policy

Binh Lieu mountain region powers up
06:00 | 28/01/2023 Province

Steel industry to gradually recover in 2023
15:48 | 27/01/2023 Industry

Quang Ninh ships first tonne of coal on first day of Lunar New Year
18:16 | 23/01/2023 Energy

Support industries vital for global integration
06:00 | 18/01/2023 Support industries

Viet Nam calls for more investment in green growth
16:52 | 22/01/2023 FDI

Hanoi attracts nearly US$1.7 billion in FDI in 2022
17:43 | 03/01/2023 Metropolis

FDI disbursement exceeds US$20 billion
06:00 | 01/01/2023 FDI

Screening proposed for improved foreign investment
06:00 | 21/12/2022 FDI

Positive 2023 securities market forecasts
06:00 | 20/01/2023 Stock Market

Banking sector stable, but challenges abound
06:00 | 16/01/2023 Finance-Banking

PM directive to ensure payment demands during Tet
17:55 | 03/01/2023 Finance-Banking

Green finance puts down roots in Vietnam
06:00 | 26/12/2022 Finance-Banking

Vietnam looks ahead to 2023 climate summit
06:00 | 25/12/2022 Environment

Preserving nature, facilitating business
06:00 | 10/12/2022 Environment

AkzoNobel Vietnam protects Cu Lao Xanh lighthouse against harsh weather
11:40 | 24/11/2022 Environment

JTI Vietnam commits to net zero greenhouse gas emissions
16:25 | 15/11/2022 Environment

Headquarters of Vietnam-Korea Institute of Science and Technology inaugurated
09:23 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

WHO to share mRNA vaccine technology with VietNam
09:14 | 30/01/2023 Science - Technology

Welcoming the year of digital data for Vietnam
16:57 | 22/01/2023 Digitalization

Vietnamese animation studio won legal case on copyright infridgement in Russia
11:14 | 11/01/2023 Startups

Prime Minister launches New Year tree planting festival
15:36 | 27/01/2023 Society

Party General Secretary extends greetings for Year of the Cat
12:19 | 22/01/2023 Metropolis

Strong recovery of capital's economy
06:00 | 17/01/2023 Metropolis

Animated morning at Nghi Thuy fishing port, Cua Lo Town
10:48 | 16/01/2023 Photo

Nestlé Vietnam and the journey to sustainable development
13:00 | 10/01/2023 Companies

VIMC embarks on strong recovery
06:00 | 10/01/2023 Companies

MM Mega Market launches a new modern Giá tốt business model
16:18 | 30/12/2022 Vietnamese Brands

PVCFC develops experts’ system
08:00 | 25/12/2022 Vietnamese Brands

Norwegian Ambassador experiences Vietnamese Tet traditions
06:00 | 28/01/2023 Lifestyle

Chau Ma brocade lives on
06:00 | 27/01/2023 Lifestyle

Bathing in coriander-filled water
13:00 | 25/01/2023 Culture

Gongs keep ringing in Central Highlands
06:00 | 25/01/2023 Lifestyle

Tourism is back, big time
06:00 | 30/01/2023 Tourism

Trang A Chu’s unique homestay
06:00 | 29/01/2023 Entertainment

Miss Tourism World contest promotes Vietnam
06:00 | 26/01/2023 Tourism

Sa Dec Flower Village, an attractive destination in Tet
16:11 | 11/01/2023 Tourism