Getting a seat at a food festival is not easy.

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 the gift made from coconut leaves

Right in front of gate 1 of Van Thanh tourist area (HCMC) there is a cockfighting performance. Next to it is a bamboo dance and a Quan Ho singing performance. It is always crowded with players and spectators.

People play bamboo dance at the Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival - Photo: HOANG LE

Inside, the organizers set up an area for folk games such as ring tossing into a piggy bank, 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 rest and play chess, checkers, and checkers together.

Mr. Lam and three employees at Binh Quoi tourist village quickly created cute animals 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 and 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 holiday right on the occasion of the festival.

"Of course we had to come here to enjoy all the delicious Vietnamese food," he said with a smile. His two sons enjoyed the grilled pork noodle soup, 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'm here, I get to enjoy it and I'm happy."

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 crowds.

A corner of the Saigontourist Group 2024 Food and Culture Festival at 6 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 protested: "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, Sunday 31-3 and ends.

The 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 typical regional dishes at more than 40 culinary booths arranged in three regions: North, Central, and South.

Among them, there are many unique delicacies introduced for the first time at the festival.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/kiem-cho-ngoi-o-le-hoi-am-thuc-mon-ngon-khong-de-20240330153047974.htm