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A street vendor selling mooncakes in a market in 1930.
Over 90 years ago, in the 1930s, when Chinese immigrants left their homeland to settle in Saigon-Chợ Lớn, Mr. Triệu Mộc, a Teochew man, also joined the migration to Vietnam. He chose Chợ Lớn – the most bustling area of Saigon at that time – to establish his business.
His family had a long tradition of making mooncakes, sesame candy, and peanut candy, so he continued the craft even in his new home. In the beginning, the Trieu family's "establishment" was just a small mooncake stall. He would often carry two baskets, weaving through the narrow market alleys, his cries blending with the bustling life, the aroma of baked goods mingling with the scent of incense from the Chinese temples. In 1948, he opened a small bakery in an alley off Binh Tay Street – which remains the only location of his shop to this day.
The interior of Trieu Minh Hiep bakery is a blend of Teochew and Cholon cultures.
From a humble street vendor's stall selling mooncakes, after 77 years, the Trieu family business has spanned four generations, preserving the traditional handcrafted mooncake-making method. Initially, only people from Teochew came to buy these sweets for weddings, festivals, holidays, and ancestral worship ceremonies. Word spread, and gradually, the flavor of Trieu Minh Hiep mooncakes became famous, attracting both Chinese and Vietnamese people in Saigon who loved them, making them a familiar gift every Mid-Autumn Festival.
The bakery's atmosphere from decades ago is recreated through murals on the walls.
The secret to preserving the soul of a bakery.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, which coincides with many families holding weddings, orders increase, and the bakery becomes busier than usual. Despite the hard work, Mr. Trieu An, the current owner, says that the staff still make the cakes using traditional methods. The processes of mixing, rolling the dough, making the filling, and shaping are all done by hand, with only about 20% using machinery to preserve the traditional flavor as much as possible.
Mr. An carefully selects the ingredients for his cakes, "everything must be of the highest quality, even if it's expensive." The flour is always imported from Japan to maintain its elasticity and aroma, and the sesame seeds and peanuts must also be the best from renowned growing regions.
After kneading the dough, rolling out the thin crust, wrapping the filling, and arranging them on a tray, the round, white cakes turn a golden yellow, glossy, and piping hot after 30-45 minutes in the oven. "We make our cakes fresh every day, without preservatives, so they only last about 10 days. You have to eat them right out of the oven to fully appreciate the flavor," he said.
Entering the shop these days, one is easily captivated by the rich aroma of freshly baked dough wafting throughout the alley. Trays of freshly baked mooncakes are neatly arranged on the tables, with savory mung bean and salted egg yolk fillings and crunchy mixed-filling mooncakes. Regular customers often buy a whole box of four mooncakes, priced from 219,000 to 279,000 VND, depending on the filling and the amount of salted egg yolk. Many also order them to be shipped as a special Mid-Autumn Festival gift for relatives in Hanoi, Da Nang, or even abroad. "The mooncakes don't use preservatives, so they only last for 10 days. It's best to eat them immediately after purchase while they're still warm," Mr. An advises customers.
Mr. Trieu An - the third-generation owner of the bakery.
For him, it's the unwavering adherence to the old recipe that keeps customers coming back. "Making cakes the traditional way is much more laborious than using industrial methods, but we want our customers to still taste the familiar flavors of the past," he said.
Traditional Mid-Autumn Festival atmosphere in Cho Lon.
While the Bình Tây alley is quiet during the day, it becomes much livelier during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Bakeries are brightly lit all night, the ovens crackle softly, and the aroma of caramelized sugar fills the air. Many customers come simply to "breathe in the scent of the old Mid-Autumn Festival." Ms. Mai, a regular customer, says she visits the shop every year to buy mooncakes to offer to her ancestors. "The mooncakes here aren't overly sweet, the crust is thin, and you can eat them until the last bite without getting tired of them. Every time we open a box of mooncakes, the whole family feels like we're transported back to our childhood," she says.
Many customers choose Trieu Minh Hiep mooncakes as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, as a familiar souvenir from Cho Lon.
In addition, an interesting detail is that the cake box – something few people pay attention to – has been the shop's identifying feature for decades. While many brands are racing to design luxurious boxes, Mr. An's shop has remained loyal to its handcrafted, brightly colored, hand-folded paper boxes. Only last year, when the box factory closed due to the retirement of elderly workers, did the shop switch to industrially printed paper boxes. The box design features the shop's distinctive pattern and name in Chinese characters. "We still choose paper because it absorbs moisture well, keeping the cakes warm without the crust becoming soggy. Using plastic or metal boxes easily causes the cakes to steam, and the crust loses its crispness," he explained.
Mid-Autumn Festival is not just about eating mooncakes and drinking tea, but also a time for family gatherings. The Trieu family's mooncake shop has therefore become a part of the memories of many Chinese people in Cholon. It's a place where generations meet, reminisce about the past, and exchange boxes of warm mooncakes.
Customers line up to buy cakes in the shop on weekends.
Keeping the flame alive for the fourth generation.
Now, having been passed down through three generations, the bakery is preparing to enter its fourth. Mr. An's son, Trieu Hoc Can, has begun learning the trade, assisting his father from kneading dough to tending the oven. "I want my son to understand that this is not just a bakery, but a family legacy. Each cake sold is a piece of the customer's memory," Mr. An shared.
To keep up with the times, Mr. An opened an online sales channel, accepting online orders and delivering to homes. However, he remains steadfast in maintaining the original flavor and method. The only change is the more modern box design, featuring characteristic patterns and the shop's name in Chinese, but inside, the cakes retain their familiar taste.
Mr. Trieu Hoc Can - the fourth-generation owner of the shop - is preparing cakes to deliver to customers.
This Mid-Autumn Festival, the box of four mooncakes remains the best-selling item. Customers arrive early to queue, and wholesalers place large orders for corporate gifts. Despite being busy, the Zhao family strives to deliver all orders before the full moon night, ensuring everyone has mooncakes to offer as gifts and share with loved ones.
For over 77 years, the small mooncake shop in Binh Tay alley has been more than just a place selling mooncakes; it's also a repository of a part of Cho Lon's memories. Amidst the newly opened shops, the aroma of freshly baked mooncakes still fills the air every Mid-Autumn Festival, reminding people of moonlit nights of the past, of the joy of gathering around a warm cup of tea and a warm mooncake.
