A festival showcasing Hanoi's traditional cuisines and crafts will take place in Hanoi from May 19 to 23, according to the municipal Centre for Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion, 

The interior decoration pieces of stuff are made from bamboo and rattan by artisans from Phu Vinh Craft Village, Hanoi. Photo: Sam pham & Thuong hieu

The festival will feature six different thematic areas, including booths to introduce craft products from 47 trade villages in Hanoi; a gastronomy zone as well as an amusement area with folk games and games imitating SEA Games competitions to entertain the children and their parents.

At the culinary festival, special and delicious dishes from Hanoi prepared by local talented chefs will also be introduced, including pho (Vietnamese traditional rice noodle soup with beef or chicken), cha ca (grilled fish with fresh noodle), bun thang (vermicelli soup with chicken, pork sausage, mushroom, and turnip pickle), nem Phung (pork skin mixture with grilled rice powder), steamed sticky rice from Phu Thuong village, pork paste from Uoc Le village, among others.

In particular, a separate area will be set up in the framework of the festival to introduce products of craft villages, such as pottery from Bat Trang in Gia Lam District, silk from Van Phuc in Ha Dong District, rattan and bamboo from Phu Vinh in Chuong My District, and lacquer from Ha Thai in Thuong Tin District, among others.

In addition, a playground for the children and their families to experience both traditional and modern games like tug of war, blind man’s bluff, rope jumping and e-sports will be set up.

Other cultural activities include an Ao dai (Vietnamese traditional long dress) fashion show, photo exhibitions themed on Hanoi craft villages and craft practicing, among others.

According to Deputy Director of Hanoi Department of Tourism Nguyen Hong Minh, the festival aims to celebrate SEA Games 31, honor the quintessence of Hanoi traditional crafts while fostering socio-economic development and incorporating handicrafts into tourism.

“Hanoi Culinary and Craft Festival 2022 is organized to entertain visitors who attend the SEA Games 31 in Hanoi,” he said.

The products of Ha Dong Silk Village in Hanoi. Photo: Hanoi Tourism Department

Alongside the festival, on the occasion, Hanoi also holds a festival on tourism from May 13 to 15 in the Hanoi pedestrian zone around Hoan Kiem Lake.

In addition, a weekend street food and art performance space will be inaugurated on May 6 at Trinh Cong Son pedestrian street. There will be various cultural activities to be held regularly here such as outdoor contemporary painting exhibitions, chamber concerts and Vietnamese folk music and dance performances.

SEA Games 31 is expected to mark a breakthrough for tourism in Vietnam as well as the entire Southeast Asia region. The event slogan “For a stronger Southeast Asia” is a declaration of ASEAN community solidarity as a whole and promotes pride in the identity of the region.

Hanoi will be the central location for the biggest regional sports event, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies of the SEA Games at My Dinh Stadium as well as other 28 competitions at its 18 venues.

It is a great chance for Hanoi to present its image as a beautiful, friendly and dynamic capital city of Vietnam to international friends.