Lai Trach clear noodle village (Yen Phu, Yen My, Hung Yen) has a long history in producing canna clear noodles. Since 2004, this village has been acknowledged as the craft village of the province. There are nearly 30 households investing in manufacturing ovens with about 250 to 300 frequent labors working in all processes. As an area taking agriculture as the major profession to make money, the products are getting qualified even more and creating a reputable brand in the market. ...

From the village gate, tourists can see the large empty ground and gardens that are full of clear noodles dried in the sun. Batches of transparent clear noodle reflect the light green of canna powder, delicate fragrance of new starch that fills in the air with the special taste. Once the clear noodle comes out of the ovens, it is moved to the drying racks immediately. The working atmosphere in the manufacturing place and on the drying ground is always bustling.

 The major ingredient is the canna powder ordered and imported from other areas in the province such as Khoai Chau, Van Giang and mountainous provinces such as Son La, Yen Bai. When manufacturers find out the reliable supplier of ingredients, they are stuck with it. In order to make delicious clear noodle, the powder must be refined and pure. Canna powder is processed to get the starch and then put into the steamer. Here is where loaves of clear noodle come out. These loaves are dried and sliced to finished products by the cutting machine. After all those years of manufacturing, all steps of manufacturing undergo different machines in order to increase the effectiveness and productivity. Currently, each manufacturer in the village equips one clear noodle maker which costs VND 30 million, 3 cutting machine, one cooking-stove and one powder container. Thanks to the industrial production line and rich experiences of villagers, each manufacturer can produce 1 ton to 1.5 tons of  clear noodle per day from 1.5 to 2 tons of powder. Higher productivity means higher income. Accordingly, labors are less arduous and tend to focus on certain steps such as making loaves, drying and cutting. On these days, as taking a stroll around the village, we can see busy craftsmen continuously making loaves, drying and cutting.

A medium business household  hires from 10 to 15 labors. The bigger one has to employ 20 with the wage of VND 100 thousand per day. Due to the fact that the work is not so arduous and income is considerable, the craft village attracts labors in the local area and  from other provinces. Apart from orders of customers, villagers also take clear noodle to sell at stores or on streets within the provinces and in other areas  in order to get more revenue in the free time.

Lai Trach clear noodle is like “ Good wine needs no bush” that creates reputable brand of the village. Once traders ever sell Lai Trach clear noodle, they do not want to sell other one. The cumulative secrets for years make up a specially delicious clear noodle. Even residents of other villages who want to learn techniques cannot pick up any know-how. No chemical substances and no colorings are the leading criteria of manufacturers. However, only with the special orders that require the color of honey, do they add food coloring. The original clear noodles are pure and a bit greenish which is the color of the original canna powder. Thanks to techniques in starch mixture, demanding selection of ingredients and drying clear noodle, the finished product is pure, tough, soft but still crunchy and fragrant. Especially, the craftsmen let the clear noodle dry naturally without conservative substance or using drying ovens. However, it is still qualified and lasts for months.

In recent years, the price of clear noodle is stable and increasing in proportion with other food. Thus, villagers still make profits with the average income of VND 150 million to VND 200 million per household per year. In the free time near Tet, households intensify production. In the busy harvesting time, villagers produce lesser. Lai Trach residents always consider this a career to live on. Up till now, the sewer system is about to be complete to emit sewage coming from starch filtering in order to ensure environment protection and to use wastes for fertilization.

Pure clear noodles dried on racks under shining sun and wind and then dispersed to different areas are the promise of economic efficiency and a full Tet for villagers.