Ben Tre Traditional Coconut Candy Craft & My Long Rice Paper Making

The artisanal tradition of making coconut candy in Ben Tre originated in the 1930s in Mo Cay town and has been officially inscribed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Vietnam. Ben Tre is blessed with over 78,000 hectares of coconut plantations — the largest coconut kingdom in the country — where the coconut palm permeates every facet of daily existence, from thatched palm roofs and tidal footbridges to tableware, fuel, and food. Ben Tre coconut candy is not just a sweet treat, but an enduring emblem of artisanal ingenuity passed down through generations of craft families. The traditional candy-making process demands precise mastery: mature coconuts are selected for their thick, golden-brown copra possessing the highest oil richness, freshly grated, and pressed into concentrated virgin cream. This pure coconut nectar is blended with natural malt made from sprouted glutinous rice and fine cane sugar inside wide copper cauldrons over roaring wood-fired ovens. Craftsmen stir the bubbling amber syrup rhythmically for hours without pausing until it reaches perfect chewy elasticity and deep caramelized fragrance. The molten candy is poured into wooden molds, rolled flat, hand-sliced into bite-sized squares, and wrapped in delicate edible translucent rice paper before receiving its vibrant foil wrapping. Complementing coconut candy is the century-old My Long Rice Paper village in Giong Trom District. My Long rice crackers are hand-cast from stone-milled special rice flour richly infused with thick coconut milk, toasted sesame seeds, and cane sugar, spread paper-thin over steam cloths, and sun-dried on woven bamboo racks under the tropical southern sun. When toasted over glowing charcoal coals, the crackers puff dramatically into airy, shatteringly crisp wafers that fill the air with irresistible roasted coconut aroma.