Feature: Vietnamese snapping up traditional, modern moon cakes ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival in Vietnam is always celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the lunar calendar, with the festivities including, among a host of others, families getting together to enjoy moon cakes.

There are a variety of different moon cakes enjoyed on this occasion with different yummy fillings in an assortment of shapes - some even resembling animals - including grilled moon cakes, snow-skin (sticky) moon cakes and even jelly and ice cream moon cakes.

However, both traditional and modern recipes of moon cakes provide these festive delights with a unique flavor.

Amid the fierce competition among moon cake makers, the cakes baked with traditional Vietnamese flavors are still preferred by locals to their modern counterparts.

Located on the small and narrow Thuy Khue street in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, Bao Phuong is a renowned private moon cake brand. Every year, in the run up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the shop draws lots of people of different ages who queue up to buy the cakes.

About a month before the festival, Hanoians and people living around the city begin flocking to the shop to buy their favorite moon cakes with the traditional "Thap Cam" (Ten-Ingredient Mix) filling.

Thap Cam grilled and sticky moon cakes have a savory sweet filling of Chinese sausage, cashew nut, pumpkin seeds, lotus seeds, water melon seeds, sesame, sweet winter melon, shredded lime skin, pork meat floss or roasted chicken floss, or salted egg yolk, in the center.

Each filling of the cake is a medley of heaven and earth and wrapped delightfully in a grapefruit-flower-scented dough.

According to Pham Hai Bang, the grandson of the mooncake shop's founder, his grandfather learned to make moon cakes when he was 18 years old.

Now Bang's grandfather is 85 years old, which means his shop has a history of more than 60 years.

"In the past, my grandfather took up moon cake making to earn his living. Now it has become a career to his offspring. All family members make the cakes with all our hearts," Bang, owner of one of two Bao Phuong shops, told Xinhua.

The shop owner said proudly that in addition to maintaining the traditional flavor, his moon cakes contain no preservatives, which is greatly welcomed by local people.

"We are making fresh moon cakes. 'Fresh moon cakes' might sound strange to some people as they have become used to moon cakes being mass-produced and being able to last a couple of months," said Bang, adding that the products are always made during the day and sold at once.

The sticky moon cakes can be kept for a maximum of five days during cool weather, while the grilled ones can last for seven days, Bang explained.

"As for the traditional moon cakes, the recipe has remained almost unchanged since the beginning," said Bang, noting that some machines have been added to save human power.

Speaking to Xinhua while the queue in front of his shop grew longer by the second, Bang said, "In the past, our customers were middle-aged and old people. However, now, there are an increasing number of younger customers."

Bang explained, "Not all the young like the flavor of traditional moon cakes. However, as time passes by, the young become older and more nostalgic and come to our shop to enjoy the cakes."

Meanwhile, Nguyen Thanh Loan, a 31-year-old lady who owns a modern moon cake shop told Xinhua that many customers choose her moon cakes as they better suit their taste.

"Many people don't like traditional moon cakes as they are too sweet. The modern moon cakes are made with less sugar and more flavors suitable for their taste buds," said Loan.

The modern varieties with or without salted egg yolk are usually filled with a range of sweet fillings, from durian, taro, coconut, sour soup, green tea, chocolate and caramel, green and red beans, mango, black sesame, coconut, to cookie crumble and dried apricot, to name just a few.

While baking a beautiful thousand-layer moon cakes, Loan told Xinhua, "My customers prefer the moon cakes with eye-catching shapes, color and a moderate amount of sugar."

Each day, Loan makes and sells between 400 to 500 moon cakes. She has to stop receiving orders two days ahead of the festival due to being overbooked.

As the Mid-Autumn Festival is nearing, moon cake stands have been popping up on street corners of Vietnam's big cities to satisfy the demand of local consumers. Endit