From grains of rice to a craft village brand: Preserving the taste of Dong Quang rice noodles for over half a century

From grains of rice to a craft village brand

Origin and making process of Dong Quang rice noodles

Mornings in Ha Hai usually start very early. While many roads in the village are still quiet, at the rice noodle production workshops, rice has already been prepared, soaked, and ground into flour before going through various stages to yield soft, white noodle strands.

To outsiders, making rice noodles may seem like merely a matter of rice and water. But insiders understand that the quality of a batch of noodles depends on every single step. The rice must be suitable, the batter must reach the right standard, and the processing time must be precise. Just one misstep can make the noodles crumbly, hard, or lack the necessary chewiness.

Research indicates that the craft of making rice noodles and cakes first emerged in Dong Yen Village, now Ha Hai Village, in 1973. Back then, villagers mainly made use of their home kitchens, doing every step by hand before selling the noodles across the local area. The products lacked packaging and branding; to retain customers, craftspeople relied primarily on quality and reputation.

Over time, Dong Quang rice noodles have carved out their own unique character, with a distinct plain rice flavor, natural color without artificial glossiness, and a gentle aroma fresh from the stove. These simple qualities have established the product's place in the lives of local residents.

From around 2005-2010, households began investing in machinery to reduce manual labor. From 2010 to present, several facilities have further adopted automated production lines, increasing capacity and ensuring more consistent noodle batches.

Thanh Dam Rice Noodle Facility also grew during that transition. Building upon traditional craft roots, the facility gradually invested in machinery, prioritizing production processes, quality, and product refinement. The recognition of Thanh Dam Rice Noodles as a 3-star OCOP product marks a milestone showing that traditional craft village products are shifting from familiar regional goods into products with clearer branding and standards.

Mr. Trinh Thanh Dam, owner of the Thanh Dam Rice Noodle Facility, said that making rice noodles may seem simple at first glance, but maintaining consistent quality depends on every single stage.

“When making food, you must think of the consumer first. When preparing food for others, safety and cleanliness must come first, too. This craft is tied to my family and hometown, so I want to preserve the traditional flavor of bun, while making the production process increasingly systematic,” Mr. Dam shared.

Solving the environmental problem as craft villages expand

When production remains small-scale, each household can treat wastewater on its own premises. But as output grows, environmental issues become a collective challenge for the entire craft village.

Prior to 2019, household producers mainly used on-site biogas digesters to store and treat wastewater. As production scale expanded, several digesters deteriorated and could no longer handle the capacity, leading to backlogs in wastewater treatment and foul odor emissions.

The households then pooled funds to build a shared tank for settling, filtration, and treatment. However, by early 2021, the system became overloaded again. This reality demonstrates that wastewater treatment in a food-producing craft village cannot rely solely on piecemeal solutions from individual households.

Facing this demand, local authorities and household producers worked together to find a suitable solution. The communal storage tank system was upgraded; the local government coordinated with the Environmental Monitoring Center to apply more effective treatment technologies, while also concreting the wastewater drainage ditch system post-treatment.

In 2024, the system was put into operation, contributing to improving the environment in the craft village area. This was also a notable milestone in the development journey of Dong Quang rice noodles. When a traditional craft transitions to commercial-scale production, product quality is no longer just about delicious noodles, but also about raw ingredients, food safety, production processes, and responsibility toward the living environment.

According to Mr. Hoang Huy Tu, Chairman of the Linh Toai Commune People's Committee: the traditional noodle and cake making craft in Dong Quang not only yields signature local products but also generates employment and income for local residents.

The craft village currently has 9 households producing with modern machinery, along with many households participating in distribution. On average, facilities supply around 9 tons of noodles and rice cakes daily, generating revenue of about 1.8–2.2 billion VND. The craft provides livelihoods for hundreds of workers, with an income of about 4–5 million VND per person per month.

Along with production growth, higher demands are placed on local authorities. According to Mr. Tu, besides supporting craft development, the locality must join hands in resolving arising issues, especially environmental sanitation and food safety. This is an essential condition for craft village products to maintain their reputation as the market continues to expand.

From a craft that began in family kitchens back in 1973, Dong Quang rice noodles and cakes have spanned more than half a century. Hands that once made noodles entirely by hand are now supported by machinery; products once sold only within the village have become branded goods, among which Thanh Dam Rice Noodles has achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Production methods have evolved to adapt to the market, but the craft's core value remains rooted in the grains of rice and the familiar taste of bún. Preserving that flavor while ensuring safe, standardized, and more environmentally friendly production is the way for this traditional craft to secure its place in modern life.