A corner of the cake festival in Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province. Photo bariavungtautourism.com.vn

CAN THO (VNS) — The fourth Southern Folk Cake Festival opened on April 27 as part of CanTho City's activities to commemorate the Hung Kings, the Reunification Day and Labour Day.

The five-day event, held at Cai Khe Islet aims to preserve traditional cuisines and activities of South Viet Nam.

It features performances and stalls showcasing how the typical kinds of cakes are made and allows visitors to taste more than 100 kinds of traditional cakes and 50 kinds of specialties, which have been exhibited in around 100 booths.

There are many other activities, such as contests for grinding flour, grading coconut meat, beating eggs and making dough to make sponge cakes, and contests to eat banh Tet (a glutinous rice cake), banh Bo (a sweet and chewy sponge cake), and many traditional games, such as o quan (mandarin square capturing), mua sap (bamboo dance), and others.

Do Anh Dung, the deputy chairman of the city, said this year's festival featured several new events.

"The traditional southern cakes highlight the differences and creativity in the cuisine culture of localities," Dung said.

"Banh khot VungTau (small, fried rice flour pancakes in Vung Tau style), banh Xeo Long Hai (fried rice cake with shrimp and pork in Long Hai style), banh Bao hat Dieu (ball-shaped bun filled with pork and cashew), banh Hoi Long Dien (extremely thin noodles that are woven into intricate bundles in Long Dien style) are really impressive, compared with the same kind of cakes in CanTho, SocTrang, BenTre, and Tien Giang.

During the inaugural night of the festival, organisers set a new record for making banh xeo, which had a 1.9 metre diameter and was made from 6kg of flour and 8kg of meat, shrimp, and sprouts in 30 minutes.

The festival features activities that help promote creativity, including a playground for children. -- VNS