Bringing the quintessential flavor of Vietnamese pho to the land of cherry blossoms

In order to introduce and promote Vietnamese culinary culture to the world , especially Pho, the Organizing Committee of Pho Day decided to bring this event abroad with the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 - Vietnam Pho Festival 2023, taking place from October 7-8 at Yoyogi Park, Keyaki Namiki, Tokyo (Japan).

Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 with the theme "Delicious flavors: Enjoy & explore Vietnamese culinary culture" is an event marking an important step forward when the Pho Day event on December 12 enters its seventh year.

This event brings pho - the national dish of Vietnam - from within the country to international friends and overseas Vietnamese. This is also a practical activity in response to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Japan.

The program is co-organized by Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Saigon Tourist Group, Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association of Ho Chi Minh City, with the support of the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan and the support of Japanese friends such as Mr. Aoyagi Yoichiro - Member of the House of Representatives, Head of the Organizing Committee of the Vietnam-Japan Festival, Mainichi Newspaper (Japan), and Vietnamese associations in Japan.

The program is sponsored by Vietnam Airlines, Suntory Beverage & Food, Simply Food (Binh Tay Food Company), SASCO, Dai-ichi Life Vietnam, Pho'S and several other businesses.

According to journalist Tran Xuan Toan, Vice President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association in Ho Chi Minh City, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee, at Vietnam Pho Festival 2023, for the first time, a number of chefs who won the Golden Star Anise award over the years such as: Nguyen Tien Hai, Nguyen Tu Tin, Pham Quang Duy... along with chefs of famous pho brands in Vietnam will bring the quintessential flavors of Vietnamese pho to the land of cherry blossoms.

Among them, there are many Pho brands that are familiar in different regions of Vietnam such as: Pho Dau, Pho Hai Thien, Pho Phu Gia, Pho'S, Pho Sen SASCO, Pho Ta-Binh Tay Food, Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Majestic Saigon Hotel, Pho Grand Saigon Hotel, Pho Thu Duc Golf Club (VGCC)... will participate.

In addition to directly introducing the flavor of Pho, Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 also organizes many activities to promote Pho such as Pho noodle making demonstration; talkshow Love of Vietnamese Pho with the participation of artisans, experts, and celebrities from Vietnam and Japan; organizing the contest Japanese people create Vietnamese Pho; exhibitions, video screenings providing information and history of Pho...

In particular, the program also has the participation of culinary expert Matsuo Tomoyuki, President of the Japan-Vietnam Culinary Culture Association. Mr. Matsuo is the ambassador of the program, directly introducing pho, demonstrating how to make pho noodles, and how to prepare pho continuously during the two days of the festival. The festival also brings together many Vietnamese restaurants and chefs in Japan as well as Japanese restaurants and chefs to create a colorful culinary culture space.

Besides cuisine, the festival also has activities to introduce culture and promote products and services from Vietnam and Japan.

The Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City also organizes activities to call for investment cooperation and development, especially in areas following the green economic and circular economic trends; and organizes product introductions of manufacturing enterprises in the food sector.

On the stage during the two days of the festival, there will be many performances and cultural and artistic exchanges with the participation of the reigning Miss Intercontinental Le Nguyen Bao Ngoc, a number of artists from Vietnam such as singer Hien Thuc, singer-songwriter-writer Hamlet Truong and many artists in Japan such as: Vietnamese-American actress Phuong Chi, music groups Dear Kiss, Finally, Mamma Goat, Yukids, singer Rayi YanTD, Minoyaki Kagohashi, Meik, Vietnamese art troupes in Japan...

Also within the framework of Vietnam Pho Festival 2023, the Organizing Committee coordinated with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnamese Embassy in Japan to organize a trade promotion program (Business Matching) in the field of production and trading of food, foodstuffs and products derived from rice and starch.

This is an activity to connect trade between businesses of the two countries, seek opportunities for cooperation, export, and further enhance the value of Vietnamese rice. The event was attended by more than 110 guests including manufacturing and trading enterprises from Vietnam and importers, distributors, and retailers in Japan.

Mr. Le The Chu, Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Co-Head of the Festival Steering Committee, said: “As a press agency with large media coverage in Vietnam, we are always interested in promoting and enhancing Vietnamese cultural values, as well as connecting with other cultures.

Therefore, throughout our history of development, we have not only carried out our main mission of providing useful information to readers but also organized and carried out many activities behind the scenes."

Mr. Chu said: “We hope to use Pho to introduce to the Japanese people unique cultural values, promote the images and economic potential of Vietnam.

At the same time, the event also helps Vietnamese people and businesses explore cuisine, culture and business opportunities in Japan; contributing to promoting cultural exchange and connection as well as economic relations between Vietnam and Japan."

The 2023 Vietnamese Pho Festival will take place at Yoyogi Park - a famous entertainment spot for Tokyo residents. (Source: worlatlas)

Meanwhile, Mr. Pham Huy Binh, Chairman of the Board of Members of Saigon Tourist Group, Co-Head of the Festival Steering Committee, affirmed: “Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 is an interesting combination between a media agency specializing in organizing events to promote Vietnamese pho and a tourism corporation with strengths in the field of culinary services.

Saigontourist Group currently manages over 100 hotels, resorts, restaurants, travel agencies, entertainment areas, tourism training schools... with extensive experience in organizing international-scale culinary cultural events, which have been successfully implemented in countries around the world.

By participating in the first large-scale and systematic Vietnamese culinary cultural event held in the land of cherry blossoms, Saigontourist Group wants to add more flavor to the rich harmony of Vietnamese pho as well as contribute to promoting Vietnamese cuisine to the world, thereby creating a highlight to attract more Japanese tourists to Vietnam.

Some activities in the Festival :

- “Pho Number 1 Grand Prix” Voting Contest: Visitors will vote for the most favorite pho brand at the Festival.

-Japanese People Create Pho Contest: Contestants will create a Pho menu that is suitable for Japanese culinary culture, the judges will score publicly on stage and decide the prize.

- Culinary expert Matsuo Tomoyuki, Japan-Vietnam Culinary Ambassador, President of Japan-Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, demonstrated how to make Pho noodles, gave an overview of Pho and interacted with the audience.

-Talkshow Discovering Pho: Participating speakers include actress-Pho Ambassador Phuong Chi, reigning Miss Intercontinental, Japanese culinary expert, Japanese journalist.

- Performance, cultural and artistic exchange: Takes place over two days with the participation of a number of artists from Vietnam and artists in Japan.

-Introduction, exhibition of information and history of Pho: Static and dynamic exhibition of information about the typical values of Pho and the history of its development...

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/le-hoi-pho-viet-nam-2023-dua-huong-vi-tinh-tuy-cua-pho-viet-den-xu-so-hoa-anh-dao-244849.html