Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho An Phong presents a decision recognizing the craft of making Thanh Tri steamed rice pancake a National Intangible Cultural Heritage to local representatives. (Photo: Viet Hung/VGP)

This dish is a well-known delicacy and the best example of Hanoi's refined culinary culture. The steamed rice pancake used to be kept inside headworn baskets to be sold across Hanoi's small alleys.

Making this dish requires careful selection of the rice, and skillful hands to grind the rice into flour, mix it with water, filter, spread the flour on a stretched cloth over a pot of boiling water, make it as thin as a paper, and prepare dipping sauce.

This craft has been passed down through many generations and demonstrates Hanoians' sophistication. Though technology is developing rapidly, steamed rice pancake is still being made by hand, making this intangible cutural heritage more unique.