The Profession of Producing Green Rice Flakes (Cốm) in Me Tri Thuong Village, Me Tri Ward, Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, Vietnam

Producing green rice flakes (it’s called Cốm in Vietnam) is classified as one of the oldest traditional professions of formerly and present Hanoi. It has been preserved for generations and plays an important part in the diverse and flavorful cuisine of Hanoi. In Hanoi, there are two villages which is famous for making green rice flakes: Me Tri in Nam Tu Liem district (including Me Tri Thuong, Me Tri Ha village) and Vong village in Cau Giay district. The profession of making green rice flakes in Me Tri up to now has a history of more than a century. Experiencing many ups and downs, the profession of making green rice flakes of Me Tri ward in general, and of Me Tri Thuong village in particular, still exists, develops and has changed a lot. In the past, every year the villagers only made green rice flakes in one crop, then added the fifth-month crop but now they make it all year round. On the other hand, instead of making green rice flakes entirely by hand, local people in this village nowadays have used machines and mechanized the stages of making green rice flakes, which help saving time, reducing production costs but still ensuring quality. The production process of green rice flakes is quite complicated, including many stages that require meticulousness, ingenuity and accuracy of the makers. The products made of green rice flakes are also diverse. Those are the specialties not only of Me Tri and Hanoi, but also recognized as an indispensable part of Vietnamese culinary culture. Me Tri green rice flakes (Cốm Mễ Trì) are now not only consumed domestically, but also exported to foreign countries such as the UK, Japan, the US and become favorite gifts for international tourists. Therefore, the profession of making green rice flakes in Me Tri in general and Me Tri Thuong in particular is really a unique cultural tourism resource that needs to be preserved and is a strength for the development of craft village tourism.