Papaya salad with baby eggplant - Photo: HOANG LE
Besides the food stalls, the area of folk games and traditional art performances at the festival attracts many young people and families with small children to visit and have fun.
Enjoy gifts made from coconut leaves
Right in front of gate 1 of Van Thanh tourist area (HCMC), there is a cockfighting competition. Next to it is a bamboo dance and a Quan Ho singing performance. There are always many people playing and enjoying.
People play bamboo dance at Saigontourist Group's 2024 Food and Culture Festival - Photo: HOANG LE
Inside, the organizers set up an area for playing folk games such as throwing rings into piggy banks, blindfolded pig beating, spear throwing...
Interestingly, the winners will receive prizes such as grasshoppers, fish, and flowers made from coconut leaves.
In another corner, mats are spread out so that children can play chess, checkers, and checkers together while resting.
Mr. Lam and three employees at Binh Quoi tourist village quickly created a cute animal from coconut leaves.
Three employees make gifts for children who win folk games - Photo: HOANG LE
He said: "The three of us work tirelessly. There are many other gifts like key chains, small stuffed animals, but this gift is very popular and chosen by many children."
Many delicious dishes at the festival
One of the early guests of Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival is the family of Mr. Truong Trong Luu, present at Van Thanh tourist area at nearly 4:00 p.m.
He spoke to Tuoi Tre Online in broken Vietnamese: "My parents are Vietnamese, but I was born and raised in Switzerland, and only know a little Vietnamese."
Quan Ho singing performance at the festival - Photo: HOANG LE
His family, including his Swiss wife and two sons, returned to Vietnam for a vacation right during the festival.
"Of course we had to come to enjoy all the delicious Vietnamese food," he said with a smile. His two sons enjoyed the grilled pork vermicelli, while he chose the seafood dish.
He shared that in Switzerland, his family sometimes goes out to eat or cooks some Vietnamese dishes to satisfy their cravings.
"Cooking Vietnamese food is very laborious and difficult, so I rarely cooked before. Now YouTube teaches Vietnamese dishes in great detail, so I practice following them and gradually I can cook them well," he said.
Queuing up to buy milk tea at the Vietnam Airlines milk tea booth - Photo: HOANG LE
In addition to 400 unique dishes with flavors from the three regions of North - Central - South, the milk tea and other dishes sold by Vietnam Airlines also attract a large number of young people.
Holding a cup of rich milk tea in her hand, Minh Anh, a first-year university student, boasted: "This milk tea has been a trend among young people for a long time but few places sell it. Now that I've come here, I'm happy to enjoy it."
Choosing to arrive early at the festival, Mr. Luu and Minh Anh became one of the lucky guests because they did not have to endure the crowded atmosphere.
A corner of the Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival at 6:00 p.m. on March 30. The later it gets, the more people come - Photo: HOANG LE
Starting from 6pm, the crowd of people pouring into the festival grew larger and larger. Finding a seat to enjoy the food was not easy.
Stopping in front of the food stall of the sunny and windy land of Phan Rang, I heard a tourist lamenting to his mother:
"It's so hot today." The mother immediately objected: "It's not the weather, it's the crowds."
It was 7:30 p.m., and the crowd continued to flock to the Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival.
The festival is open one more day, ending on Sunday, March 31.
Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival, organized by Saigon Tourist Corporation (Saigontourist Group), is open to the public from 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. every day, continuously from March 28 to 31, 2024 at Van Thanh tourist area, Ho Chi Minh City.
At the festival, experienced chefs from more than 40 4-5 star hotels and resorts of the corporation and a number of partners introduced to the public more than 400 regional specialties at more than 40 culinary booths arranged into three regions: North, Central, and South.
Among them, there are many unique delicacies introduced for the first time at the festival.
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