The soul of the countryside in every green pearl

There are flavors that are deeply embedded in the memory, and just a whiff of them makes the heart flutter. For me, one of them is the scent of green rice, a sweet scent like the first wind of the season, like the bustling sound of pounding rice on an old autumn night. Following the story of an old woman nearly 80 years old, I returned to Son Vinh hamlet, Binh Thanh commune, where green green rice grains are still preserved as a part of the village's soul. There, tradition is not only present in memory, but is being revived every day thanks to the persistent hands and the loving hearts of the simple villagers.

Finished rice flakes are packaged and vacuum-sealed before being delivered to customers.

Memories of the old green rice season

No one remembers exactly when the profession of making green rice flakes began in Son Vinh hamlet. We only know that every time the rice in October begins to turn yellow, the whole village resounds with the sound of mortar and pestle, and the sound of laughter. Mrs. Tran Thi Ma, over 70 years old this year, still remembers clearly the years of her youth when she was attached to green rice flakes. “Back then, my village was the only one in this area that made green rice flakes. Every harvest season, the young people in the village made green rice flakes all night long without anyone feeling tired. It was so much fun!”, she said, her eyes shining with excitement mixed with nostalgia.

Grandma Ma’s memories appear clearly like a slow-motion film: chilly nights, villagers gathered around the fire, each pair of hands quickly pounding green rice, the smell of new rice mixed with the rhythmic sound of the pestle, the sound of children playing, the cheerful laughter of the women. Green rice at that time was not just a dish, but the crystallization of village love, of youth and memories.

“In the past, making green rice had to be pounded by hand, from threshing, roasting, sifting to pounding, everything was done by hand. Choose the right ripe sticky rice, thresh it in small handfuls, roast it in a pan or burn it over charcoal in a clay oven. If you burn it, you have to change the tray several times so that the green rice is evenly cooked and has a beautiful green color,” said Mrs. Ma.

The pounded green rice is served to guests, served with steamed and mashed green beans. The aroma of sticky rice mixed with the rich taste of green beans creates an unforgettable flavor. In the distant gaze of Mrs. Ma, it seems like her whole youth comes back in the green color of the green green rice of that day.

Move with the new rhythm of life

Despite its unique cultural value, the craft of making green rice flakes in Son Vinh was once in danger of disappearing. But thanks to dedicated people like Ms. Nguyen Thi He, Mrs. Ma’s daughter-in-law, the old craft has now found new life.

Learning from her mother and grandmother, Ms. He found a way to combine traditional techniques with modern machinery. The first batch of green rice made by machine only produced... 2kg of green rice from a whole bag of rice. But she was not discouraged, the more she worked, the more experience she gained, and now, the products made by her family are considered to be the best in the region.

Mrs. Ma is currently helping He and her husband with some steps of making green rice flakes at the factory.

Each rice crop, Ms. He and her husband, Mr. Ma Khac Chung, can make 5-6 quintals of rice, up to 1 ton on a peak day. If before, rice was washed in a pot and roasted in a pan, now they have improved with a washing tank, the tea roasting pan has been remade to be suitable for roasting rice, both saving labor and increasing productivity. After roasting, the rice is put through a hulling, sieving, and pressing machine to replace the previous manual pounding and sieving steps.

These improvements help Son Vinh green rice retain its traditional flavor, while being more uniform, clean, and attractive. The market increasingly favors the product, making Ms. He determined to expand production.

Cooperatives - A fulcrum for rice grains to reach far

In March 2022, Ms. He and 14 other members established the Son Vinh Lychee Sticky Rice Production Cooperative. With a modern machinery system, a standard factory and a methodical process, the cooperative not only helps her family but also creates livelihoods for many other households in the village.

With support from Me Tri green rice village ( Hanoi ), Ms. He learned the secret of adjusting the temperature and adding water during the roasting process, making the green rice softer, stickier, and more fragrant. “Having learned the good things, I just came back and improved my way of making it. The core is still to preserve the quality of the green rice of my hometown,” she shared.

Thanks to its superior quality, Son Vinh green rice flakes produced by He and her husband and the cooperative members are sold out as soon as they are produced. Instead of being sold at the market, customers now actively come to the factory to buy. Many customers even place orders year-round, opening up the prospect of building a solid brand for the village's products.

With a raw material area of ​​5 hectares of lychee sticky rice produced according to VietGAP standards, the cooperative has brought to the market nearly 10 tons of green rice per crop. In 2023, Son Vinh lychee sticky rice was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. By 2024, it will continue to be honored as a "Typical agricultural product of Thai Nguyen province".

Most recently, at the 2nd Conference to Honor Outstanding Thai Nguyen Farmers in 2025, Ms. Nguyen Thi He was honored as a Provincial-level Excellent Business Production Household with a revenue of 1.6 billion VND and a profit of 851 million VND.

Mr. Chung and his wife, Ms. He, harvest sticky rice, raw material for making green rice flakes.

Amidst the ever-changing rural life, the craft of making Son Vinh green rice flakes still retains the soul of the homeland. More than just a culinary product, the green rice flakes here carry the story of people who love their job, are diligent, creative, and know how to preserve the traditional craft their ancestors left behind.

From manual hands to modern machines, from memories of pounding green rice at night to spacious workshops today, the green green rice grains still retain the flavor of the earth and sky, of village love, and the pride of the people of Dinh Hoa, Thai Nguyen.

Nowadays, in addition to traditional green rice products, thanks to equipment that helps preserve green rice to keep it delicious for a long time, Ms. He has also created many types of Tet cakes made from green rice with the strong flavor of spring, expanding the direction for village products.

“Green rice flakes can be stored in the freezer for a long time while still maintaining their quality,” Ms. He shared, as an affirmation of the potential of her hometown product to reach far.

Every green rice season, Son Vinh people not only make a rustic gift from their hometown, but also wrap a whole memory, a long-standing cultural vein into each young green rice grain. From the diligent hands of the villagers, those fragrant and soft green rice grains seem to preserve and spread the soul of their homeland, silently connecting the past with the present, from the bamboo tray at the alley entrance to the specialty stalls in all regions. In each green rice grain, the soul of the countryside is still there, deep, lasting and constantly spreading.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202507/hon-que-trong-tung-hat-ngoc-xanh-3462239/