Trang Dai ward residents stay up all night to prepare aid for flood victims

On the night of November 22 and into the early morning of November 23, hundreds of residents in Trang Dai Ward (Dong Nai province) gathered at the Ward Cultural House to make banh chung and banh tet. They also donated essential supplies and clothing to support compatriots in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands affected by the historic flooding.

Residents guide one another in making square glutinous rice cakes (banh chung) and cylindrical glutinous rice cakes (banh tet) to send to communities affected by natural disasters. Photo: Cong Nghia.

The premises of the Trang Dai Ward Cultural House, although spacious, suddenly felt constrained by the massive turnout of people who brought gestures of love and solidarity to their compatriots in the midst of the natural disaster. Inside the Cultural House, thousands of packages of essential goods had already been packed and stacked to a height of over two meters, with residents continuing to deliver donations.

The busiest area was the large courtyard, where around 100 people, young and old, gathered in a lively, urgent atmosphere to make banh chung and banh tet. Despite the large number of participants, the activity was well-organized and ran smoothly. Volunteers were assigned specific tasks such as rinsing rice, peeling mung beans, washing dong leaves, and slicing pork. Others, mainly women, worked together to wrap the cakes. As each cake was finished, it was immediately brought to the cooking area, where more than 10 large pots were already set up. All ingredients, rice, pork, beans, dong leaves, and banana leaves, were donated by residents and prepared entirely by volunteers.

Skilled residents make Vietnamese cylindrical sticky rice cakes to send to people affected by natural disasters. Photo: Cong Nghia

A young boy carries washed banana leaves to the area where sticky rice cakes are made. Photo: Cong Nghia

A little girl carefully cleans the banana leaves. Photo: Cong Nghia

A resident distributes sticky rice to women making the cakes. Photo: Cong Nghia

The atmosphere of making square glutinous rice cakes and cylindrical glutinous rice cakes intensifies as the night progresses. Photo: Cong Nghia

Finished cakes are carried into the kitchen. Photo: Cong Nghia

The cooking area glows with fire throughout the night. Photo: Cong Nghia

Residents bring essential goods to the cultural house to support people affected by the disaster. Photo: Minh Hanh

A girl delivers essential items for disaster relief. Photo: Minh Hanh

The community contributes hundreds of boxes of instant noodles and convenience foods. Photo: Minh Hanh

Donated clothing is carefully sorted and folded for shipment. Photo: Minh Hanh

Pots of sticky rice cakes are boiled through the night to produce more than 3,000 square and cylindrical cakes. Photo: Minh Hanh

The finished sticky rice cakes are carefully palletized and staged for logistical transfer. Photo: Minh Hanh

Residents prepare ingredients to make more cakes the following morning. Photo: Minh Hanh

To ensure that essential supplies from Trang Dai residents reach communities in Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands quickly, public service and heavy-duty trucks were already on standby. Shipments were scheduled to depart in the early hours of November 23.

By Cong Nghia, Minh Hanh – Translated by Quoc Dung, Minho