Blog Details

A Kaleidoscope of Flavors: Southern Folk Cake Festival in Bac Lieu

Bac Lieu, Vietnam – Held from February 18th to 25th, 2025, the Southern Folk Cake Festival in Bac Lieu left a lasting impression on tens of thousands of visitors, creating a highlight for the local tourism industry.

Rich Folk Heritage

As a province in the Mekong Delta, Bac Lieu shares the characteristic cuisine of other localities in the western river region. However, Bac Lieu is also the long-standing home of three distinct cultures – Vietnamese, Khmer, and Chinese – so its folk cuisine bears the mark of this cultural fusion.

"Banh xeo" (crispy pancake) is a dish popular throughout Vietnam. In the Mekong Delta, "banh xeo" is thinner and larger than in other regions, with a golden crust and a fragrant coconut milk flavor. The filling includes shrimp, pork, and mung beans, and in some areas, duck meat, coconut heart, and bean sprouts are added. It is eaten with wild vegetables such as guava leaves, ambarella leaves, crepe-myrtle leaves, fish mint, mango leaves, and perilla, dipped in a sweet and sour garlic chili fish sauce that is extremely flavorful. In Bac Lieu, "banh xeo" fillings often have more shrimp due to the ready availability of this ingredient.

But the most notable folk dish is Bac Lieu's "banh cu cai" (radish cake). This is a familiar dish to the locals. "Banh cu cai" (also known as Teochew radish cake) has enriched the street food scene of Bac Lieu.

On regular days, "banh cu cai" is often sold on pushcarts, by street vendors, or in sidewalk stalls. At first glance, "banh cu cai" looks quite similar to "ha cao" (steamed dumplings) or "banh xep" (folded cake), or even fried "banh quay" (Chinese donuts) as they are called in the Mekong Delta. However, "banh cu cai" in Bac Lieu has many differences, from appearance to taste. The cakes are larger, with a cloudy white crust that clearly shows the shrimp and meat filling inside. Not only is it eye-catching and appetizing, but Bac Lieu's "banh cu cai" is also completely different from "ha cao" or any other street food. The characteristic of this dish is that from the crust to the filling, there is the presence of white radish – a simple, everyday vegetable that is light and has many health benefits.

A Tourism Stimulus

The 2025 Bac Lieu Folk Cake Festival, although held at the city level, attracted more than 5,000 visitors each day to experience, eat, and shop. Mr. Tran Van Mau, Vice Chairman of Bac Lieu City People's Committee, said that the festival has truly stimulated tourism for the locality. Along with the famous tourist attractions of Bac Lieu City such as Quan Am Phat Dai Nha Mat, Hung Vuong Square, this year's folk cake festival has kept visitors staying overnight to further explore the cuisine and shop for OCOP products from localities in Bac Lieu province.

"The success of the festival not only creates a sustainable direction for the tourism industry but also stimulates consumption and product sales for local OCOP businesses. Therefore, in the coming time, Bac Lieu City will continue to improve the content of the festival, diversify, enhance service, management, etc. to achieve better results. Thereby, promoting the image of Bac Lieu's land and people to friends and tourists from near and far," emphasized Mr. Tran Van Mau.