As the demand for banh tet (cylindrical glutinous rice cakes typically eaten during the Lunar New Year holiday in Vietnam) skyrockets ahead of the holiday, a four-generation family-run bakery in Can Tho City has been working tirelessly to meet the surge in orders.

The owner of Ut Be bakery, Le Duong Tuyet Van, has been busy with her team wrapping the tasty treat. 

Her family has been making banh tet for generations, and their bakery is now well-known in Can Tho.

They offer a variety of banh tet, including those using magenta leaves, three-color fillings, dried shrimp, sweet bean paste, banana, and fatty pork. 

All the colors of the delicacy originate from natural ingredients, like purple from magenta leaves, green from pandan leaves, and orange from spiny bitter cucumber.

The purple color of 'banh tet' is derived from magenta leaves, making the cake more eye-catching.

Banh tet la cam is recognized for its distinct purple ring, and is notorious in Can Tho, with a recipe preserved and developed over four generations. 

Van said the cake’s recipe was passed down by her grandmother, Huynh Thi Trong.

To meet the high demand during Tet, Van has hired extra workers to help with the production.

The shop is now receiving around 100 orders per day, and during peak times, this number can reach 1,000.

To complete this volume of orders, the team works at full capacity even through the night. 

A man prepares glutinous rice mixed with the purple water from magenta leaves.

Customers have been placing orders for not only local consumption but also shipping to the U.S. and Australia as presents for their relatives. 

Banh tet is vacuum-sealed and can be stored at room temperature for up to five days, while frozen 'banh tet' can be eatable after a month. 

The price is VND40,000-50,000 (US$1.6-2) for a 550-gram cake and VND90,000-120,000 ($3.6-4,7) per 900-gram cake.

'Banh tet' is wrapped with banana leaves.

Sweet ripe banana is a popular filling for 'banh tet'.

Salted eggs are also used as a 'banh tet' filling.

'Banh tet' is vacuum-sealed for preservation.

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