Viet Cuong vermicelli - a specialty of Thai Nguyen

No one in Viet Cuong village knows exactly when the trade of making vermicelli appeared in the village, but it is clear that it has been handed down from generation to generation.Viet Cuong vermicelli is well known for its good texture, fragrant and sweet fibers.  Due to its special feature, the vermicelli will not be broken if you cook it and even warm up.

However, the trade faced challenges due to the adoption of out-of-date technology. Their production was absolutely dependent on weather.

In the past, local residents made vermicelli from May until a week before Tet (Lunar New Year). They were quite busy about 1-2 months before the Tet holiday.

The productivity was low as all production steps were done manually. Many people didn’t want to engage in the traditional profession of their ancestors and switch to other jobs because of low income.

Fearing that the craft might be lost, Nguyen Van Bao, a local resident, determined to revive the tradition.

Bao quit studying after  he finished seventh grade because his parents were very poor. He did some odd jobs to support the family’s income.

He said he didn’t sleep well for many nights, wondering about finding a new direction for making vermicelli.

After getting experience from his parents, Bao went to Bac Kan to purchase ingredients.

Then, he failed at the first attempt. Hundreds kilogrammes of vermicelli have been thrown away due to rainy weather.

However, the failure did not discourage him.

In 2007, Bao set up Viet Cuong vermicelli Cooperative with a desire to provide products with prestige and clear origin to the market.

Initially, the cooperative only had 9 members.

Ba said he encountered many difficulties at the beginning but he gradually overcame them.

“Seeing a potential development for a safe vermicelli market, I have manufactured a vermicelli press machine and an automatic drying production line to reduce labour cost. As a result, labour productivity has increased remarkably,” he said.

He also invested capital in installation of a modern production line imported from foreign countries. Thanks to the application of this line, the cooperative is producing about two tonnes of vermicelli per day, gradually meeting the customers’ demand.

The vermicelli is packed right after they finish production, so it is not affected by the weather.

Currently, the cooperative has 3 main products - arrowroot vermicelli, sweet potato vermicelli and cassava vermicelli. Of these, two products have qualified for One Commune One Products Standards.

In 2019, the cooperative earned  VND5 billion ($215,000) in revenue.

It now has 25 members with a monthly salary of VND6 million (US$258) per person.

With his contribution in agricultural techniques, in 2012, Bao was awarded Luong Dinh Cua Prize – the award given to young farmers with outstanding achievements in manufacturing, trade, applying modern science technologies, protecting the environment and setting up new rural lifestyles. 

Viet Cuong vermicelli is among those recognised as national outstanding rural industrial products.

The vermicelli made by Ba's cooperative are on sale in big supermarkets and provinces across the country.

The cooperative is expanding the production so that its products will be sold not only to the domestic market but also exported to overseas ones, he said.