These are some of the oldest mooncake shops in Vietnam, with some dating back up to 72 years.

Stopping to observe for a moment, the Travellive reporter noticed that everyone was heading towards Bao Phuong mooncake shop. Ms. Cuc (57 years old - Thuy Khue, Hanoi) shared: "Every year, the shop is always crowded. It's very busy. Most people come to buy mooncakes to give as gifts."

Bao Phuong Bakery (Hanoi)

On Thuy Khue street in Hanoi, every Mid-Autumn Festival, long lines of people queue up to buy boxes of Bao Phuong mooncakes. This is one of the oldest traditional mooncake shops in Hanoi, established in 1954 and over 60 years old.

In the memories of those born and raised in the 60s and 70s, traditional mooncakes consisted simply of candied winter melon, pork fat, and a little lotus seeds and lime leaves, all neatly wrapped in a slightly dry crust baked from flour and sugar syrup. Early Bảo Phương mooncakes also had a similar flavor. In a conversation with Mr. Xuân Hiếu (45 years old - currently a chef in Hanoi), he said: “I remember the Bảo Phương mooncakes from my childhood were a bit hard, and because they were all candied winter melon, they were very sweet.”

In times of scarcity, the cake was made extra sweet and greasy so that people could savor it with strong, rich tea. That starkly contrasting flavor has become a part of the childhood of countless children who are now aunts and uncles.

Bao Phuong mooncakes today have been modified to reduce the amount of candied winter melon and increase the amount of pork fat, Chinese sausage, roasted sesame seeds, lotus seeds, melon seeds, and the crust has been adjusted to be softer. But for many, the traditional mooncakes from the difficult times are the best. At Bao Phuong, mooncakes cost an average of about 70,000 VND per piece. During the period leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, the shop only accepts cash payments and not bank transfers due to the overwhelming number of customers.

Nhu Lan Bakery (Ho Chi Minh City)

Nhu Lan Mooncakes, located on Ham Nghi Street, District 1, was established in 1968 and has been operating for over 50 years, not only in the baked and soft mooncake market but also expanding into other markets such as pastries, bread, and cold cuts.

Before building her renowned mooncake empire in this city, Auntie Gai (the founder of the Nhu Lan mooncake brand) only had a simple bread cart. Her mooncakes have a unique and distinctive flavor.

Interviewing a long-time customer of Nhu Lan bakery, the reporter learned that each type of baked or glutinous rice cake here is very special. He said: “The mixed-filling baked cake here has a very soft and fragrant filling made from Chinese sausage, lotus seeds, melon seeds, lime leaves, and roasted chicken. The crust at Nhu Lan is more special than elsewhere because the owner (Lan) uses egg yolks to make the crust softer and more fragrant.”

According to him, he enjoys eating many Nhu Lan mooncakes every year. He is very familiar with the unique wine flavor of the cake. He said: "The mooncakes here come in two styles; although they have the same filling, they have two different flavors made from two types of wine: Mai Que Lo and Ap Xanh."

According to Mr. Hoang (29 years old, an office worker in Ho Chi Minh City): "Nhu Lan mooncakes have a wonderful aroma of Mai Que Lo wine."

However, compared to the mooncake market in general, Nhu Lan mooncakes are significantly more expensive, with a listed price of 160,000 VND for a mixed-filling mooncake with egg. This price can be double that of other bakeries.

Dong Phuong Bakery (Hai Phong)

Hai Phong is not only known for its crab noodle soup and spicy bread, but also for its long-standing brand of mooncakes and sticky rice cakes. Established in 1950, Dong Phuong bakery sells mooncakes, sticky rice cakes, and various jams, and has become the busiest bakery in the city during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Located on the bustling Cau Dat street, it's not easy for customers to squeeze through the long line stretching from the shop's entrance for hundreds of meters. What is it about this cake that makes so many people buy it?

In conversations with locals, some suggested the shop was lucky to have such good business, while others insisted that only delicious cakes could sell so well.

The defining characteristic of this mooncake is its very thin crust and soft, rich filling. Unlike the two bakeries mentioned above, where one follows a traditional style of mooncakes that are sweet and dry, and the other indulges in rich, liqueur-flavored mooncakes, Dong Phuong makes a simpler mooncake that meets the criteria of being soft, sweet and salty, and fragrant with lime leaves. Most of the mixed fillings here are made from char siu pork instead of Chinese sausage or pork fat. This Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncakes at Dong Phuong are priced at an average of 80,000 VND per piece.

Hopefully, with the suggestions above from Travellive, readers can choose a place to enjoy traditional mooncakes. These are all long-standing bakeries with a certain reputation in the baked and soft mooncake market in Vietnam. Wishing readers a peaceful and happy Mid-Autumn Festival.

Ha Chuu