Cốm embodies the flavour of autumn and the essence of Vietnamese culture. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

HÀ NỘI — Young green rice, or cốm -- a rustic yet iconic gift from Việt Nam's countryside -- is drawing crowds at the Autumn Fair 2025, held at the National Exposition Centre in Hà Nội's Đông Anh Commune.

More than just a traditional food, cốm embodies the flavour of autumn and the essence of Vietnamese culture.

The display of green, aromatic rice flakes at the fair evokes nostalgia for many visitors --  memories of barefoot children running through fields, gathering tender grains of sticky rice for their families to make cốm.

The fair, designed to promote local agricultural products and connect craft villages and small businesses with the market, features dozens of booths showcasing cốm and related specialties. These products blend tradition with innovation, bringing the familiar taste of the countryside into the modern life.

Mochi with cốm. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

According to Nguyễn Duy Bích from Bắc Lũng Commune, Bắc Ninh Province, cốm has long been a beloved delicacy in many parts of Việt Nam. It is made from young sticky rice grains, harvested before ripening, then carefully husked to reveal soft, fragrant kernels with a natural green hue and gentle sweetness that captures the scent of new rice.

“Every autumn, around harvest time, we children would pick young rice grains and ask our mothers or grandmothers to make cốm,” Bích recalled. “The grains were roasted until fragrant, then pounded and sifted to remove impurities, creating a fresh, green rice flakes.

The whole family would gather to enjoy the taste of autumn – simple but full of joy. Now, seeing these products at the fair, those memories come rushing back.”

Craft of tradition

Among the most popular booths is that of Nguyễn Thị Thúy Hiền, a producer from Mễ Trì Village in Hà Nội – a place long famous for its green rice flakes. Her family brought a wide range of products to the fair, including fresh cốm, sticky rice with cốm, stir-fried cốm, cốm cakes, mochi with cốm, and even new creations like cốm-flavoured yoghurt, milk tea, and ice cream.

“All our products use carefully selected young sticky rice and are still made by hand,” Hiền said. “We package them in natural materials like lotus leaves and banana leaves, tied with rice straw – completely free from preservatives.”

She added that making traditional cốm requires great patience  – from choosing rice and roasting it to pounding, sieving, and wrapping the final product – to preserve its aroma, natural green colour, and soft texture.

Sticky rice with cốm. — VNA/VNS Photo Trần Việt

Thanks to that craftsmanship, cốm remains a favourite among visitors. Many buy it as a seasonal treat or a gift for friends and relatives. Hiền’s booth alone welcomes hundreds of customers  dayly.

At the Autumn Fair 2025, producers have also introduced vacuum-packed, dried, and roasted versions of cốm to extend shelf life and reach new markets. Other processed items such as cốm candy, cốm  ice cream, and cốm milk have been developed to meet modern consumer demand.

In recent years, several Mễ Trì producers have even signed contracts to regularly export cốm products to foreign buyers – a promising sign that this symbol of Việt Nam's autumn could soon find a lasting place in international markets.

As exhibitor Nguyễn Minh Trung put it: “Each grain of cốm, whether traditional or modern, carries the flavour of autumn and the spirit of Vietnamese craftsmanship – a delicate blend of purity, nostalgia, and love for our homeland." VNA/VNS