The Vietnamese Cold Food Festival originated from an ancient Chinese tradition called the Han Thuc Festival. In Vietnam, the tradition has been changed to adapt to Vietnamese culture and customs. During the Han Thuc Festival, the Chinese extinguish all fires for 3 days and eat only cold food. During the Cold Food Festival, Vietnamese people continue to cook food as they normally do.

Main ingredients of Troi and Chay cakes
Glutinous rice flour, brown sugar, shredded coconut
Ingredients for lean cakes include peeled green beans, warm water, sugar, tapioca flour, grapefruit blossom oil, vanilla, and roasted white sesame. Both cakes are made from glutinous rice flour, which reflects the importance of rice in Vietnam’s wet rice culture.
Traditional floating cakes are small white balls made of brown sugar wrapped in glutinous rice flour. Lean cakes are filled with mung bean paste and sprinkled with roasted sesame and shredded coconut.
The cakes are favorites for people with a sweet tooth. The original cakes were white and round, symbolizing the pure things in life.
Today people prefer more colorful cakes.
The colorful cakes are eye-catching. The colors come from pandan leaves, turmeric, carrots, magenta leaves, and various fruits.