THE ORIGIN OF THE NAME "VUNG THOM" AND A SPECIAL LOCAL CAKE

The origin of the name Vung Thom.

According to legend, in ancient times, Vung Thom was a land of grapes. Every time the tide recedes, the boats have to stop there and wait for the tide to rise again if they don't want to take a detour. Because boats gather in a crowded place, this place is called Kompong Thom (meaning big wharf, big port). Late one night, there was a merchant boat arriving in Vung Thom just in time for the tide to recede. Normally, like other boats, you will have to plug the boat back and wait for the high tide to pass. But the owner of the boat, who knew a little magic, instructed everyone to go to sleep and especially advised that if he heard or saw anything strange, he should not speak so that he allowed the boat to cross the promontory. Late at night, while the boat was flying over the promontory, there was a cook who, because he was busy cleaning last night, did not listen to the instructions of the boat owner, he was woken up by the sound of the rooster crowing, turned over, took out the bucket. The boat was about to draw water to wash his face and prepare breakfast. But when the bucket was dropped, it didn't touch the water, but instead hit the ground and entangled in the grass, the cook shouted in panic. So the magic lost its sanctity, stopped and the boat fell and broke…. Goods and items on the boat fell all over the place. The 8-knob golden gong sinks here, today every year people here organize the Thac Kon festival. A bronze jar drifted further towards Soc Vo, where today people have built the "Temple of the bronze pot". A Buddha statue fell before the boat sank, so it is on the remains of the sunken boat. There, people in Soc have built a sala and a small temple to remember the old legend.

The process of forming Vung Thom land corresponds to the phenomenon of the sea receding. Regarding the customary name Vung Thom,  people call it Pung Thoom, which is a transliteration of the Khmer language (Kompong Thom). These characters are taken from the base from the bronze bell marking the time of establishing Thien Hau Temple in Vung Thom.

The first people set foot in Vung Thom.

According to recorded documents, the Chinese were the earliest settlers in Soc Trang, around the 17th century. The document further mentions that the original migrants may have been in the anti-Thanh and Ming-reconstruction groups under Duong Ngan Dich, Tran Thuong Xuyen, etc. However, that is still speculation, and the migration of the Chinese has taken place over a long process. The result of that migration is that today has created a land with a diverse population, weather, ...

Particularly in the land of Vung Thom, according to the memories of the descendants of the Chinese, mainly Trieu Chau, their "ancestors" have settled here for more than 100 years. At Thien Hau Temple today, there is still a bell with the date of construction of the temple: year of the Goat, year of Quang Tu, established. on an auspicious day in early May. This bell was carried by migrants from China. It indicates the time when Thien Hau Temple was established in 1895, more than 100 years ago, which matches the concept of the Chaozhou people about the time when the ancestors settled.

Vung Thom Pia Cake.

Trieu Chau people in Vung Thom are mainly commercial activities. They own in hand many stores that also produce and supply essential items, confectionery, jam, fruit, ... especially cakes. The place Vung Thom is therefore famous for the technology of making cakes of the Trieu Chau people, especially pia cakes.

Legend has it that pia cakes appeared in this land from the 17th century, following the Han people to the South, these cakes were then the secret food to help them escape from the difficult days. After coming to the South and settling down, they started thinking about business. Gradually, this cake was modified to suit the taste of Vietnamese people. They took advantage of the abundant raw materials of this land and gradually developed into many large craft villages like today.

Cong Lap Thanh bakery of Mr. Au Minh Xuong (one of the ancestors of the pia cake-making village) is considered the first bakery in Vung Thom land. Later, when Cong Lap Thanh was doing well, many other bakeries also appeared, such as Tan Hung, Thuan Thanh, My Hiep Thanh,....

Currently, Soc Trang has more than 50 kilns specializing in the production of large and small pia cakes. However, the number of pia bakeries and shops selling pia cakes is concentrated in Vung Thom town, which is considered the cradle of pia cake making.

The profession of making pia cakes has been associated with cultural characteristics in the land of Soc Trang. Pia cake is an offering made to worship, is given as a gift on holidays, Tet, etc., it contributes to preserving the traditional cultural values ​​of the people. The profession of making pia cakes also brings many economic values ​​to many households, providing a stable source of income for local workers. From the economic benefits of the profession, the community has gradually built a professional production village, the products are made more and more sophisticated, with its own characteristics of the land of Soc Trang.

With many typical values ​​mentioned above, the profession of making pia cakes has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritages by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism under Decision No. 2728/QD-BVHTTDL dated 30 09/2020.