Vietnam’s mooncakes a sweet way to grease wheels of commerce
FEATURE |
HANOI — Vietnam’s appetite for mooncakes is rising as adults use the annual treats, traditionally enjoyed by children, to grease the wheels of commerce.
Mooncakes are a sweet, round delicacy given to youngsters and offered to ancestors during Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival, which falls on Wednesday.
But in Vietnam’s rapidly developing economy they have taken on increased importance for grown-ups who use gifts of mooncakes to build business relationships.
Most of the cakes sell for about one dollar but others, sometimes elaborately packaged and
made with expensive ingredients like birds nest or crayfish, can retail for almost two million dong ($101).
That is almost three times the official minimum monthly wage for civil servants.
Source: The Daily Tribune
URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100922com5.html
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