Thanh Lich is a Hai Phong bakery selling traditional bánh nướng and bánh dẻo mooncakes, alongside gift-box collections. Its main shop is at 162 Cau Dat Street. It is a practical place to compare the two styles or choose a local food gift, provided you check the filling, cake weight and use-by date before buying.
For a first purchase, decide whether you want cakes to share during your trip or a boxed gift for someone else. The packaging is only part of the choice: a decorative box can contain different fillings, cake sizes and quantities. Ask for the current selection rather than ordering by an old box photograph alone.
Where to buy Thanh Lich mooncakes
- Main shop: Hiệu Bánh Thanh Lịch, 162 Cầu Đất, Hải Phòng.
- Shop phone: 0225 373 9696.
- Mobile and Zalo: 0936 636 455.
- Opening hours: 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m.; confirm holiday arrangements and late collection directly.
- Facebook page: Hiệu Bánh Thanh Lịch Cầu Đất – Hải Phòng, using the handle banhtrungthuthanhlich.
Use both the name and 162 Cau Dat when arranging your ride or pickup. Other bakeries also sell mooncakes on Cau Dat, so the street name alone is not enough. If you have preordered, confirm the collection address on the order rather than assuming any nearby cake shop can hand it over.
Thanh Lich also lists addresses at 142 Cau Dat and 15 Pham Minh Duc. If either is more convenient, ask the main shop whether your chosen cakes are available there and whether that location can handle your collection. Do not assume every branch carries the same seasonal stock.
Baked or sticky rice mooncakes?
Banh nuong: a baked mooncake
Bánh nướng has a golden baked crust around a dense filling. Choose it if you want the familiar baked mooncake style. The character of the filling matters more than the pattern pressed into the top: ask whether it is a smooth paste, a mixed filling or a variety containing meat or egg.
Banh deo: a soft sticky rice mooncake
Bánh dẻo has a soft, pale sticky rice exterior and a different texture from the baked version. It is useful to include both types when sharing with someone who has never tried Vietnamese mooncakes. Cut them into small pieces so everyone can compare without needing a whole cake each.
If you want only a small tasting purchase, ask whether individual cakes are available. For a mixed box, check how many are baked and how many are sticky rice cakes. “Four cakes” does not tell you the balance between the two styles.
Choose the filling before the gift box
Thanh Lich’s range includes traditional cakes and higher-priced gift collections. A premium name does not tell you whether the recipient will like the filling, so ask for the contents of each cake in the box.
- For a mixed traditional filling: look for thập cẩm and ask what is mixed into that particular recipe. It may include savory ingredients as well as nuts, seeds or candied components.
- For a simpler texture: ask which smooth paste fillings are available, such as mung bean or lotus seed, rather than assuming every collection offers them.
- For someone avoiding meat or egg: check both the filling and the crust ingredients. A sweet cake or a bean-based filling is not automatically vegetarian.
- For a recipient with an allergy: read the individual ingredient labels and ask about preparation. The box design cannot tell you whether nuts, sesame, milk or egg are present.
Some elaborate gift collections contain savory or specialty ingredients, so avoid choosing one simply because it is the most expensive. For a recipient whose tastes you do not know, agree on the fillings with the shop and keep the ingredient information with the gift.
Compare the contents and the full price
Before paying, compare the number of cakes, the weight of each cake, the filling selection and the packaging. A box with more cakes is not necessarily heavier, and an elaborate case can account for part of the difference in price.
For a gift order, confirm these details together:
- The exact cakes and whether substitutions are allowed.
- The total price, including the box, bag and any delivery charge.
- The date the order will be ready and the pickup location.
- The production and use-by dates of the cakes you will receive.
- Any deposit, cancellation or change conditions for a larger order.
Check accepted payment methods before collecting a large order. If you plan to use a foreign card, ask specifically about that card; a local bank-transfer QR code is a different payment method.
Buying around the Mid-Autumn Festival
Vietnam’s Mid-Autumn Festival, Tết Trung Thu, falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, so its date changes on the Gregorian calendar. Mooncakes are closely associated with this period. If you are visiting outside the season, ask what is available before making a special trip.
For several gift boxes or a particular combination of fillings, order ahead and agree on a collection date. Buying earlier is not automatically better if the cakes will be eaten much later. Match the production batch and use-by date to when you will give or eat them.
Keeping the cakes in good condition while traveling
Check that each wrapper is intact and that the label is readable before leaving the shop. NSX indicates the production date, while HSD indicates the use-by date or shelf life information. Ask the staff to explain any unclear date format and the storage instructions for the exact cakes you bought.
Follow the label for storage and for how soon to eat a cake after opening. Keep the box protected from crushing, direct sun and the heat of a parked vehicle. If your journey is long, explain the travel time to the shop before choosing the cakes; do not assume all fillings keep for the same length of time.
If you want to take mooncakes abroad, check your destination’s official food-import rules before buying, particularly for fillings containing meat or egg. Keep the original ingredient labels and sealed packaging, and declare food when required. A sealed gift box by itself does not guarantee entry.
Useful questions at the counter
- “Hộp này gồm những nhân gì?” — Which fillings are in this box?
- “Mỗi bánh nặng bao nhiêu gam?” — How many grams does each cake weigh?
- “Bánh này có thịt hoặc trứng muối không?” — Does this cake contain meat or salted egg?
- “Tôi mang đi xa. Bánh này cần bảo quản thế nào?” — I am taking this on a long journey. How should I store it?
- “Hạn sử dụng đến ngày nào?” — What is the use-by date?
Choose Thanh Lich by the cakes you want to eat or give, then select the presentation that suits the occasion. The most useful checks are the exact filling, total quantity and how long the cakes will remain suitable for your plans.