Keeping tradition alive at Da Nang’s last sugar oven

In Que Son Trung Commune, once Que My Commune in old Quang Nam Province before the province was merged into Da Nang on July 1, 72‑year‑old Nguyen Dinh Hai tends a glowing hearth that has been burning for decades.

Though dozens of such ovens once operated here, his is the lone survivor—fired only during sugarcane season, and often just on weekends when tourists arrive to watch and taste.

Visitors come to sample banh trang nhung duong non—thin toasted rice paper drowned in the fresh, silky syrup made on-site.

The process is hands‑on: sugarcane juice is pressed, boiled through a succession of large cauldrons until the syrup syrupy enough to coat rice paper, then churned with wooden pestles to the perfect consistency.

“This is how we preserve our traditional craft,” Hai said, gesturing to the simmering pots.

“Many visitors are surprised to see that this practice still thrives.

“We hold it close to honor the memory of our heritage.”

For many, the snack is more than just sweet—it is nostalgia.

Elder visitors like 65‑year‑old Pham Nhu Tuan, who traveled dozens of kilometers, visit Hai’s place to relive childhood flavors and observe the ancestral methods his family once knew.

“I’m old and don’t eat much, but I came here to watch the traditional sugar-making process passed down from our ancestors — and of course, to taste the banh trang nhung duong, a snack that’s been part of every poor child’s childhood in Quang Nam,” Tuan said.

Similarly, 55‑year‑old Nguyen Duc Thiet journeyed 40km for a single sugar‑dipped rice cracker.

“Its sweetness carried my childhood,” he said.

“Eating it now brings back the joy hidden in hardship—like eating memories.”

Each cracker costs just VND8,000 (US$0.3), yet the true value lies in experience—a humble yet meaningful tribute to tradition on the edge of urban transformation.

More than a snack stall, Hai’s oven keeps alive the living history of community memories and sweet simplicity.