Among the many delicious Vietnamese foods that have caught the attention of people worldwide, Cuon banh trang (food wrapped in girdle cakes) is becoming a favourite. To make this nutritious and attractive dish, high quality girdle cakes are used, especially the girdle cakes made by people living in Phu Hoa Dong Commune, Cu Chi District, Ho Chi Minh City. Making and packing girdle cakes for sale at the market.. Drying girdle cakes under the sunlight will increase the cakes’ quality. Making girdle cakes by machine. Checking the cakes’ quality before packing them for export.    It is widely acknowledged that the griddle cakes from here are so delicious because of the water in Phu Hoa Dong Commune, which comes from deep wells that tap into underground streams. There are over 700 households in Phu Hoa Dong Commune making girdle cakes, of which 30 households have 48 cake-making machines. The production goes on for 10 months a year, making 8,500 tonnes of cakes annually, bringing in 144.5 billion VND per year. About 65-70% of the product is exported to the United States, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the EU.  “The products satisfy customers' requirements due to their purity and shape,” Le Van Duot, owner of Trung Tin Factory in Phu Hoa Hamlet explained while taking us on a tour of his facility. Duot has more than 200 employees working at his facility and each month he can export about 200 tonnes of cakes. The main ingredients of the girdle cakes are cassava and rice flour which can be adjusted in amount to suit the customer’s requirements. The cakes' pliability depends on the amount of salt added to the flour and the amount of this ingredient remains a secret of each individual maker. The girdle cakes in Cu Chi District have a wonderful fragrance and a translucent white in colour. To develop the craft of making girdle cakes, Cu Chi authorities will implement measures to protect the water source, invest more in equipment and advanced technologies, expand trade promotion and build up trade mark. Attention will also be paid to the selection of suitable strains of rice and cassava that turn out quality flour; upgrade the kilns to regulate the heat and reduce exhaust fumes and at the same time ensure food safety and hygiene and environment protection. All those efforts are made to develop the craft of girdle cake-making in Phu Hoa Dong Commune which will become a tourist attraction in the future. Story: Thinh Phat Photos: Quang Minh – Thinh Phat