Hanoi villagers harvest ‘dong’ leaves for tasty Tet holiday treats
‘Dong,’ or arrowroot (Phrynium placentarium), leaves are often used for wrapping various Vietnamese dishes, most popularly ‘banh chung’ – a square, glutinous rice cake filled with mung beans and pork which is considered an indispensable part of the Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. Trang Cat Village is famous in the northern region for its 600-year history of growing and harvesting ‘dong’ leaves. Each and every ‘dong’ plant in Trang Cat is carefully grown to ensure quality and color, according to Chu Thi Thanh, a ‘dong’ leaf farmer in the village. Harvesting ‘dong’ leaves is difficult work that often requires entire households to chip in, especially on large farms like Thanh’s 720 square-meter plantation. Nguyen Van Tu arranges ‘dong’ leaves after harvesting in Trang Cat Village, Thanh Oai District, Hanoi. Photo: Nguyen Hien / Tuoi Tre After being harvested, ‘dong’ leaves are sorted by size, soaked in water, and neatly stacked, according to Thanh. The leaves are then t