‘Cha’ (Vietnamese paste roll cakes) commonly made from minced meat, is a popular dinner dish, eaten stuffed into baguettes or as a snack. It is a must in the Vietnamese Lunar New Year (Tet) meal. Over these days leading to the traditional Tet 2022 festival, besides the traditional beef and pork paste, many families, restaurants, supermarkets and businesses have rushed to make orders from food establishments that specialise making a wide range of ‘cha’ showing off new, strange and popular flavours.

An employee at the Thao Sinh food making facility is seen processing a wide range of paste roll cakes.

Paste products made from chicken, pork belly with chilies and crab are much preferred by many customers who long to enjoy ‘newcomers’ on the Tet food market for the time being.

With a maximum of 22 dishes that can be displayed on a tray for Tet choices, customers can order such a whole food package at the highly popular Thao Sinh's meat paste roll cakes making facility at 86 Pham Nhu Tang, Hoa Khe Ward, Thanh Khe District. This site offers a host of food choices for customers with an abundant display of such dishes as paste products made from chicken, pork belly with chilies, dried spicy chicken served with lemon leaves and chili sauce, smoked pork paste roll cakes, ‘ruoc’ or ‘cha bong’ (dried shredded pork/chicken).

In particular, the Thao Sinh beef paste was recognised by the Da Nang People's Committee as one of the 18 products certified under the “One Commune One Product’ (OCOP) programme in 2020.

Over recent days, Thao Sinh has received orders of the aforementioned dishes from businesses and individuals as Tet gifts for employees.

Mr. Nguyen Phi Sinh, the owner of Thao Sinh production facility said, “As of the start of the Lunar New Year of the Tiger 2022 festival, we will have provided more than 2 tonnes of Vietnamese sausages of all kinds to customers near and far. Also, We plan to open a small mart at 86 Pham Nhu Tang to display our 22 signature products, along with the OCOP of other cooperatives and family-run businesses across the city".

‘Cha bo’ is a traditional and popular dish of Vietnamese people, each production facility chucks out its products with different flavours and colours due to the way ingredients are used.

For example, beef paste made by the Mrs Kim facility at alley No. K129/70 Tieu La, Hoa Cuong Bac Ward, Hai Chau District has always trusted by many local consumers in the city. What makes this OCOP product stand out from many other beef paste is its distinctive reddish brown colour as it is not as white as many other types of beef sausage. Another attractive point is that it has the stronger flavour.

This facility’s signature dishes such as beef paste roll cakes, ‘nem chua’ (fermented pork roll) and ‘tre’ (a kind of fermented pork) served chili sauce will be the favourite choices deeply imbued with special flavours on the Tet holiday.

Meanwhile, Yen Tien beef paste, also an OCOP produced by the namesake food establishment in An Ngai Tay 2 village, Hoa Son Commune, Hoa Vang District has a special flavour.

The important processing steps are the meticulous selection of fresh beef, how to pack banana leaves without squeezing the meat, and the cooking time.

To meet the diversified tastes of customers, this establishment also produces other types of meat past roll cakes, fermented pork roll and a kind of fermented pork

Reporting by NAM TRAN – Translating by A. THU