Han Thuc Festival – a beautiful tradition in Vietnamese culture

The Han Thuc (Cold Foods) Festival, observed on the third day of the third lunar month, is regarded by many Vietnamese families as an occasion to honour ancestors, gather together to make banh troi (floating cake) and banh chay (lean cake), and reflect on their cultural roots and traditions.

According to the lunar calendar, the Han Thuc Festival 2026 falls on Sunday, April 19, in the Gregorian calendar. As it coincides with the weekend, it provides families with more time to prepare ancestral offerings in a more thoughtful and complete manner.

Traditionally, banh troi and banh chay are indispensable dishes during the Han Thuc Festival. Both are made from glutinous rice flour and have simple forms but carry deep symbolic meanings. Banh troi is usually round with a sugar filling and rises to the surface when boiled, symbolising completeness and fulfillment. Meanwhile, banh chay has a soft white skin, often served with sugar syrup, representing purity and gentleness.

In addition to these cakes, ancestral offerings for the Han Thuc Festival may also include incense, fresh flowers, fruit trays, and other simple dishes depending on each family’s conditions. The festival is also an occasion for older generations to remind younger ones of family traditions, ancestral roots, and long-standing cultural values. 

Teaching children to make banh troi and banh chay is a way for Vietnamese people to pass down and preserve the nation’s cultural values to younger generations. 
Banh troi and banh chay are traditional dishes of the Han Thuc Festival in Vietnam. 
The Han Thuc Festival has become an occasion for descendants to turn toward their roots and pay tribute to their ancestors.

 

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