In Long Dien Commune of HCMC, there is a famous mooncake bakery that has been in operation for nearly 80 years. With no branches, no agents, no e-commerce presence, and zero preservatives, Van Hoa Lac Bakery maintains its traditional baking methods, utilizing a recipe passed down through generations.
Every year, at the beginning of the 7th lunar month, the ovens of Van Chi Thang’s family are fired up once again. The children in the family, despite having their own careers and independent lives, return to their inherited bakery.
The baking tradition of the family dates back nearly 80 years. As the third-generation successor, Thang currently preserves the brand alongside his four siblings. Notably, all five have distinct careers and personal paths. However, when the mooncake season arrives, they arrange their schedules to return and jointly operate the family bakery.
To Van Hoa Lac Bakery, the mooncake season doesn’t last all year. From the beginning of the 7th lunar month, the bakery begins bustling with activity, which continues until the end of the Mid-Autumn Festival.
In a production area spanning over 300m², more than 20 bakers are busy with various stages of production. Some roll the dough, some prepare the fillings, while others divide the dough, shape the cakes, stamp the logos, and place the cakes into the ovens. After baking, hundreds of mooncakes are neatly arranged to “rest” and cool completely before packaging.
Compared to the past, machinery now assists in many stages. Wooden molds have been replaced by pneumatic ones, filling mixers and dough dividers help reduce manual labor, and coal stoves have been upgraded to electric ovens. However, these machines merely assist and can’t replace the skilled hands of the bakers.
Van Hoa Lac Bakery currently produces only two lines of pastries, namely mooncakes and “banh da dop” (flaky crust mooncake). The mooncakes feature familiar flavors such as mung bean, coconut, and mixed nut filling. Meanwhile, “banh da dop” is highly sought after by customers visiting Long Dien.
For this pastry, most steps are still performed manually. Bakers hand-roll the dough, prepare the filling, and shape the cakes to ensure they are perfectly round and visually appealing. From the recipe and flavor to the meticulousness of dozens of stages, everything has been preserved for over half a century.
Mr. Thang noted that the crust is one of the most recognizable features of Long Dien flaky crust mooncakes. The golden crust, which is thicker than that of many other similar varieties, fully encapsulates the filling. A single cake combines three distinct fillings: mung bean, taro, and mixed nuts.
When slicing the cake, each layer of crust and filling is clearly visible, yet the overall composition blends beautifully and remains highly appetizing. The soft crust and chewy filling, exuding the aroma of taro and mung bean, combine with the nuttiness of the seeds and the rich, savory flavor of the salted egg to create a distinctive and unforgettable taste.
Van Hoa Lac Bakery produces approximately 700 to 800 small cakes and 100 to 200 large “banh da dop” daily. The largest one made here measures about 20 cm in diameter and weighs up to 1.4 kg, featuring 14 salted eggs. This is also the type of cake customers frequently order as gifts or for family gatherings.
Van Chi Thang shared that one of the principles his family has maintained for many years is the strict avoidance of preservatives. As a result, the shelf life of their cakes is quite short, lasting only 10 days. The facility primarily bakes to fulfill specific orders, producing only a small surplus for retail, ensuring the cakes sell out as soon as they're made. Every stage of the process is closely monitored by a family member.
At a time when many specialty products are expanding their markets through agency networks, retail stores, and e-commerce platforms, Van Hoa Lac Bakery has taken the exact opposite approach. The bakery doesn’t advertise, open agencies, establish branches, or sell online. Customers wishing to purchase Van Hoa Lac cakes usually have to visit the facility in person or place direct orders. Despite this seemingly counterintuitive sales strategy, hundreds to even nearly a thousand cakes are produced and completely sold out every day during the Mid-Autumn season.
“We want to preserve the craft in our own way. We don’t mass-produce the cakes; they’re made strictly to orders so that the freshest cakes reach our customers. We don’t open agencies or additional production facilities, accepting lower output to maintain quality.”
Mr. Van Chi Thang
Content: Khanh Chi
Design: Huu Vi
Translation: Thanh Tam
