Crown Princess of Sweden Victoria Ingrid Alice Desiree has tried on Vietnam’s traditional conical hat and had a taste of local cuisine during her stay in Hanoi, as part of her official visit to the Southeast Asian country from May 6 to 8.

Upon her arrival in the capital, the crown princess joined talks with Deputy State President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh and Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan on Monday, before joining Thinh for a banquet on the evening.

Crown Princess Victoria also paid a visit to a local elementary school, where she was gifted a ‘non la,’ or palm-leaf conical hat, by the students, on the same day.

‘Non la’ is one of the symbols of Vietnamese culture and fashion, and is also a great souvenir for visitors. It is often donned by Vietnamese women, along with their ‘ao dai,’ the country’s traditional gown.

On Tuesday morning, she visited the bomb shelter within the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi and attended the Vietnam-Sweden Business Conference.

At noon, the crown princess arrived at a local ‘bun bo’ shop, located inside an alley on Kim Ma Thuong Street in Ba Dinh District, for lunch.

‘Bun bo’ is a popular Vietnamese soup containing rice vermicelli and beef. It originated from the north-central city of Hue but has become well-known in many regions throughout the country.

On Tuesday afternoon, Crown Princess Victoria joined talks with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and met with Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.

She was scheduled to arrive in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday, where she would meet chairman of the municipal administration Nguyen Thanh Phong and go on a cruise along the Saigon River.

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