Saigontourist Group's 2024 Food and Culture Festival will take place from March 28 to 31 in Ho Chi Minh City, introducing more than 400 delicious dishes from three regions to city residents and tourists.
Diversifying tourism products in Ho Chi Minh City
Ms. Ngoc Minh (residing in Thu Duc City, Ho Chi Minh City) said that coming to, learning about, and enjoying delicious dishes at culinary festivals is a hobby of her and her family. Last year, she took her whole family to the Saigontourist Group 2023 Food and Culture Festival to enjoy dishes from stuffed snails, Phu Yen tuna to grilled meat, bamboo rice...
In 2023, the festival will welcome more than 80,000 visitors to enjoy the cuisine. This year, the scale of the festival has been expanded, serving 12,000 visitors at the same time. More than 40 member units of the Saigontourist Group system will introduce to visitors more than 400 regional dishes and drinks at food stalls arranged in 3 regions: North, Central, South.
Food festivals are a good opportunity to promote tourism.
Mr. Pham Huy Binh - Chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Group, Head of the Festival Steering Committee - said that the festival aims to stimulate tourism, diversify Ho Chi Minh City's tourism products and promote Vietnamese culinary culture. "The festival has many interactive activities between tourists and artisans, and will be a culinary cultural meeting place for tourists, including overseas Vietnamese from all over the world" - Mr. Pham Huy Binh expected.
Next, the second Bread Festival is expected to take place in Ho Chi Minh City in May 2024. The Bread Festival will be held annually to become an attractive culinary cultural event and a tourist product that attracts visitors. Last year, the first festival welcomed more than 100,000 visitors.
"Banh mi is a dish that is very popular with international visitors and they want to enjoy it when they come to Vietnam. Therefore, the Banh Mi Festival in particular and other food festivals that are organized systematically, professionally and periodically will become a typical product, attracting the attention of tourists, especially international visitors. This year, we want to welcome at least 100,000 visitors to this festival" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, Chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, emphasized.
Creating Vietnamese cuisine according to international tastes
For many years, culinary tourism has been identified as one of the important products, contributing to enhancing the advantages of Vietnamese tourism.
Vietnam is famous for its diverse and rich cuisine. Recently, the culinary website TasteAtlas published an article listing the 100 best sandwiches in the world, in which Vietnamese bread ranked first. At the end of 2023, through the votes of prestigious culinary organizations and information sites, Hanoi was honored to win the award "Best emerging culinary city destination in Asia in 2023". TasteAtlas also announced the list of 100 Best Cuisines in the World, in which Vietnam ranked 22nd in the 100 best cuisines in the world in 2023. According to the list of 100 Best Food Cities in the World, Hue City ranked 28th in the 100 cities with the best food in the world...
Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, commented that with its unique location between the forest and the sea, stretching from North to South, Vietnam is considered by the world as a gateway from East to West. Thanks to its diverse and rich advantages, Vietnamese cuisine has clearly reflected the deep cultural exchange with the world, through tourism. Hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese restaurants are present all over the world. On the contrary, in Vietnam, most provinces and cities have restaurants serving traditional dishes of many countries.
According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, tourism development cannot lack agricultural tourism. In which, cuisine and culinary culture are core factors contributing to creating a national brand to attract visitors.
For Vietnamese cuisine to truly become an attractive destination in the world, we need comprehensive and synchronous solutions. First, constantly improve the quality and creativity of Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese cuisine needs to be imbued with cultural identity but also needs to be modern, suitable for the taste of international tourists. Second, create unique and attractive culinary experiences. Tourists not only want to enjoy delicious food but also want to experience Vietnamese culinary culture. Third, effectively use digital technology to promote Vietnamese cuisine. Fourth, strengthen cooperation with international culinary organizations and associations to promote Vietnamese cuisine to the world.
Driving force of night economy
To conquer international tourists in the most competitive way, Vietnam needs to take advantage of its culinary advantages and delicious dishes. Recently, Ho Chi Minh City has reorganized Phan Xich Long food street (Phu Nhuan district), launched Xuan Thuy food street (Thao Dien ward, Thu Duc city)... attracting the attention of people and tourists. These initial successes demonstrate the right direction in developing culinary tourism, thereby contributing to the development of the night-time economy in accordance with the Government's goals.
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