The leaf market on Tran Quy Cap street (Hanoi) displays and sells bunches of green leaves and wrapped in Banh Chung, this year influenced by the Covid-19 epidemic, so the market has no buyers.
Dong leaf market located on Tran Quy Cap street (behind Hanoi station) has been around for decades. This is a familiar address that provides leaves for many areas in the capital and neighboring regions.
Near Tet, this area of the leaf market starts to be more bustling than usual. The whole road is nearly 100m long covered with a green of green leaves, everyone hustles, choose to buy the leaves urgently to prevent epidemic and in time to pack Tet banh chung.
On normal days, this market only has 5-7 small traders maintaining wholesale dong and banana leaves for establishments that pack banh chung and sausage. From December 20 onwards, some people from other places also brought the leaves to sell here, making the market more crowded and bustling.
However, according to many small traders, this year due to the influence of the Covid-19 epidemic, the trading atmosphere is bleaker compared to every year.
In modern society, there are many traditions that have been lost, but the tradition of wrapping and offering banh chung on the Lunar New Year is still preserved until today.
The banh chung not only reminds each person of a dish bearing the national culture, but also makes each Vietnamese people more proud and cherished more than a sacred product on Tet holiday.