Ice cream sticks simulating the Turtle Tower, Temple of Literature, Long Bien Bridge, and Quan Chuong Gate are loved by young people and tourists when coming to Hanoi.
On the occasion of the April 30 holiday, tourists have fun around Hoan Kiem Lake walking street, Thong Nhat Park or visit some mobile ice cream carts at entertainment spots, attracted by ice cream sticks printed with famous landmarks. language in Hanoi.
Each stick costs 20,000 VND, with flavors such as strawberry, green tea, chocolate, green rice, banana, durian, mango, especially with images of 11 famous landmarks such as Turtle Tower, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Cathedral, Opera House, Long Bien bridge, Quan Chuong Gate, Temple of Literature, Hang Dau post.
Ice cream sticks with pictures of landmarks in Hanoi. Image: Gelato Stick
The author of these ice cream sticks is Ly Hai Hoang Tan, originally from Hue, currently living and working in Hanoi. Having been to China many times and impressed by the ice cream sticks with images of famous landmarks of this country, Tan wanted to make his own product that would mark the place where he lived at a reasonable price.
“Ice cream in China costs about 70,000 VND in Vietnamese currency. This price is not feasible to sell in Vietnam, so we created ice cream with local flavors, suitable for Vietnamese culture, and at a reasonable price. “, Tan said.
Tan has been making ice cream since 2018, and in 2021 started making ice cream sticks with many different shapes. From the beginning of 2023, he launched local ice cream, with the goal of contributing a small part to promoting local tourism.
To have a complete ice cream with images of landmarks, Tan went to each place to observe, sketch on software, then use a drawing board, then cast it into a mold. The production department will mix the ingredients, pour them into molds, transfer them to freezer, separate the ice cream from the mold and box it.
The main ingredients of these ice cream sticks are ice cream powder imported from Italy, milk powder imported from Thailand, Vietnamese fruits to create flavors such as avocado, durian, custard apple, banana, mango, cocoa powder from Dak Lak, Thai Nguyen green tea powder and some types of jam for flavor.
Tan said he chose Hanoi as the starting place because it “has many famous landmarks and a long history”. In the near future, he will have more ice cream shaped like the Hanoi Railway Station and Flagpole. Tan has also made products in other places such as Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City and Lao Cai.
Ice cream buyers are mainly young people, tourists and women who like to take check-in photos. Consumption of these ice creams during the April 30 holiday increased about 3 times compared to normal days. Quang Anh, 12 years old, bought ice cream from a mobile cart in the West Lake area, enjoyed watching it for a while before eating it. “I really like this ice cream,” Quang Anh said.
Recently, a number of tourist attractions across the country have also appeared a few types of ice cream, impressing tourists such as Ha Giang, Da Lat or Ba Den Mountain in Tay Ninh, made by local brands. develop. Customers buy together mainly out of curiosity, most will take photos before eating.
Tan said he will not stop at current products. “We hope to make our mark in many places across the country to create more effects and contribute to tourism development,” Tan said. He also plans to include local ice cream in all large and small tourism events and fairs across the country.