Mr. Nguyen Hoang On, Director of the Tourism Development Center of Can Tho City, said: “The 10th Southern Folk Cake Festival 2023 contributes to preserving and promoting the value of folk cuisine of Can Tho city in particular as well as the Mekong Delta region and the whole country.

This year’s festival attracts more than 300 display booths and 160 bakers from 27 units and organizations of provinces and cities, including Hau Giang, Tien Giang, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Soc Trang, Ben Tre, An Giang, Dong Thap, Binh Thuan, Can Tho and others. The festival is a chance for gourmets to enjoy a wide range of local specialties and delicious cakes and performances of traditional cake-making of localities in the country. The event also includes a series of cultural and sports activities, such as cake offering ceremony at the Temple of Hung Kings in Can Tho City, tourism promotional programs, don ca tai tu (southern amateur music), performances of traditional cake making, folk cake making contest and folk games, etc.

The annual Southern Folk Cake Festival in Can Tho City is a major cultural event that attracts many visitors. Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Can Tho City Nguyen Thuc Hien said that the Southern Folk Cake Festival has become an important tourism event with the goal of preserving and promoting the cultural values of Vietnam’s cuisine and traditional cakes of the southern region. It is also an opportunity to honor bakers, boost the production process of folk cakes, and promote Can Tho tourism.

For example, the brand “Co Chin folk cake” of artisan Truong Thi Chieu in Bui Huu Nghia ward, Binh Thuy district has made its name in the market thanks to the Southern Folk Cake Festival. Artisan Chin Chieu said: "After participating in the festival, more people know me so I have been invited to participate in many cultural and tourism events... Our family have just finished a demonstration of making Southern folk cakes in the Northwest and left many good impressions there.” Another story is about artisan Ha Thi Sau from Thuan Hung rice paper village in Thot Not district. Ms. Sau's business has improved a lot since she won the Gold Medal of the Southern Folk Cake Competition. To Ms. Sau, the Southern Folk Cake Festival offers her opportunities and motivation to continue her craft.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has decided to add the traditional craft of Thuan Hung rice paper making to the list of Vietnam’s national intangible cultural heritage on March 6, 2023, for its unique cultural values and contribution to the development of the local tourism economy. On May 19, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Can Tho City coordinated with the People's Committee of Thot Not District to organize a ceremony to designate the 200-year-old Thuan Hung Rice Paper Village in Thot Not District, Can Tho City as a national intangible cultural heritage. This is the first traditional craft village in Can Tho to receive this privilege.

Moreover, the Asian Record Organization has officially recognized an additional 9 Asian records in the categories of dishes, food groups, and famous specialties of Vietnam. "Various traditional cakes from Can Tho City" are included in this prestigious list. It is evident that the practical knowledge of processing and enjoying the Southern Folk Cakes is a valuable and diverse cultural heritage. Can Tho City gathers and spreads that heritage by preserving and promoting various types of traditional cakes in daily life. The establishment of the Asian record for the Southern Folk Cakes in Can Tho City serves as a launching pad and resource to further develop and promote the cultural heritage of Can Tho's traditional cakes to a wider audience.