On the morning of February 11th, 2025, at the courtyard in front of the bell tower of Côn Sơn Pagoda (part of the special national heritage site Côn Sơn-Kiếp Bạc in Chí Linh City), the organizing committee of the Côn Sơn – Kiếp Bạc Spring Festival kicked off the annual Bánh Chưng and Bánh Giầy competition for Hải Dương province. This event marks the beginning of a series of vibrant cultural activities during the festival.

Mr. Nguyễn Thành Trung, Director of the Hải Dương Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, and Deputy Head of the organizing committee for the Côn Sơn – Kiếp Bạc Spring Festival 2025, sounded the drum to officially open the competition.

This year, over 100 artisans from 12 teams representing various districts, towns, and cities across Hải Dương participated in the competition. Among them, 12 teams competed in making Bánh Chưng, while 6 teams took part in preparing Bánh Giầy.

During the morning session, each team sent 5 artisans to wrap 10 Bánh Chưng within a maximum time limit of 15 minutes. The organizing committee specified that the teams had to wrap the rice cakes by hand without using molds, and the cooking time was set for 5 hours.

In less than 15 minutes, the teams successfully completed their 10 rice cakes.

Here are the Bánh Chưng made by the teams after wrapping.

This competition attracted significant attention from local residents and visitors alike.

The Bánh Chưng and Bánh Giầy competition provides artisans with a platform to showcase their talents while celebrating the rich cultural traditions of the nation. The winning rice cakes from the teams will be offered as offerings to Buddha and deities during the festival, as well as served at the rituals at Côn Sơn Pagoda, Nguyễn Trãi Temple, Trần Nguyễn Đán Temple, and Kiếp Bạc Temple, all aimed at praying for favorable weather, prosperity, and well-being.

We invite readers to watch the video of the spectacular fire festival in Spain:

Hải Ninh