Vietnamese, banh chung, Hanoi, central Vietnam, floods, natural disaster

Hanoians cook traditional rice cakes for flood victims

Hanoians have been gathering at a pagoda for several days to cook "banh chung" for people suffering from the historic floods in central Vietnam.

On the morning of October 21, hundreds of people came to the Dinh Quan Pagoda in Hanoi’s Bac Tu Liem District to make banh chung, a square-shaped pack of sticky rice with meat and bean fillings wrapped in green leaves usually made for Tet (the Lunar New Year).

Each was given one task like preparing ingredients, arranging leaves, wrapping, or cooking.

They work around the clock to ensure the banh chung would reach the affected areas at the earliest. For the last two weeks central Vietnam has been hit by severe floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains. As of October 21 at least 111 people had lost their lives and 22 were missing. Over 200,000 people in Ha Tinh, Quang Binh and Quang Tri provinces have been evacuated. In the photo, women prepare ground green bean for the filling.

As of October 22, some 7,000 banh chung had been made and sent to Thua Thien - Hue, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Ha Tinhh. In this photo, Thich Tinh Quan, head monk of the Dinh Quan Pagoda, puts sticky rice into leaves for wrapping. "We were touched to see monks in Hue prepare food for people in flooded areas. So we cooked banh chung to share the burden of our people," she said, adding the food is tasty, clean and keeps people full for longer.

Many university students in Hanoi came to give a hand.

"I read and saw the news about the flooding in the central provinces and felt sorry," Nguyen Huong Giang (R), a mechanical engineering student at the Hanoi University of Technology, said. "When my faculty launched a campaign to help, I volunteered immediately."

"I find time to join the work at the pagoda... Some people help in the morning, some in the afternoon, others stay up all night to watch the stoves," Giang said.

Nguyen Duc Chung, a second year mechanical engineering student at the Hanoi University of Technology, said: "I came here at 5.30 a.m. and have worked since. I am tired but happy because I know what I am doing is meaningful."

Many people also donate money to the pagoda so that the monks can make more banh chung.

The banh chung is sent to central Vietnam by a sponsored flight.

"I have managed 3-4 pots since the morning," To Thanh Tuan (R), said, loading the banh chung in a pot to prepare it for cooking.

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