Festival-goers will be treated to specialties from the capital and other nations at the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2024, which is being held with the support of foreign embassies in Vietnam, according to the city's Department of Culture and Sports.

The event is expected to enhance people-to-people exchanges and friendship between Hanoi and foreign missions based in the city. Held from November 29 to December 1 at Thong Nhat or Reunification Park and Tran Nhan Tong Pedestrian Street in Hai Ba Trung District, the festival will showcase regional and international cuisines and dishes from typical craft villages in Hanoi and other places.

Vong Village's green rice products on display at the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2023. Photo: VNA

Many activities will be held within the framework of the event, including a photo exhibition on culture, tourism and cuisine of Vietnam and foreign countries such as Denmark, Venezuela, India, Iran and Panama, and a mobile book exhibition to introduce cultural art, tourism and food of countries around the world.

Under the theme "Hanoi Interacts with Five Continents", the three-day event aims to honor and preserve the traditional cultural and culinary values of the capital city, while developing and effectively utilizing the brand name of Hanoi culture, food and tourism, and intensifying local business networking opportunities.

It will project the image of the thousand-year-old capital as a captivating cultural and culinary destination for both domestic and international travelers. The area highlighting Hanoi's culinary culture will feature replicas of the city's renowned handicraft villages, including Phu Do, known for its vermicelli noodles; Uoc Le, famous for steamed pork paste and fried cinnamon paste; Tranh Khuc, which produces square sticky rice cakes; Phu Thuong, known for com (young sticky rice; and Phung, recognized for pork skin salad, among others.

There will be cooking demonstrations where artisans will showcase their talents in preparing delicious Hanoi specialties. Visitors will also be able to interact with the artisans and participate in cooking traditional local dishes.

In addition, festival-goers will have the opportunity to play folk games, participate in cultural, art and food exchanges, and attend seminars on human resource development to facilitate the food industry.

Last year, the third edition of the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival (after being interrupted for several years due to the Covid-19 pandemic) provided a deep insight into the capital's traditional values. About 10,000 locals and tourists sampled various styles of food, with dishes well decorated and well arranged by artisans from Vietnam and abroad.  

Hanoi has set a goal to make the cultural industry one of the economic spearheads in 2045, playing a key role in driving other economic sectors in the capital, improving people's living standards, and supporting the city's sustainable socio-economic growth.