The Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 kicked off at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday night, attracting crowds of local and international visitors. 

The fest will last until Sunday.

Rechard is overjoyed at the festive atmosphere at the Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. The festival kicked off on March 28, 2024. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Various specialties, gorgeous cultural spaces, and art performances are the highlights of the festival.

“Everything is so wonderful,” said Zora, a Hungarian national currently visiting Vietnam with a group of friends.

“This is my second trip to Vietnam, but it is the first time I have immersed myself in such a vibrant atmosphere of the culinary festival in the country,” said a foreigner named Rechard.

Fish soup, sun-dried beef, com lam (sticky rice cooked in bamboo tube), venison jerky, and pork grilled in bamboo tubes are some of the delicacies from the Central Highlands region on offer at the festival.

With over 40 booths, experienced chefs from Saigontourist Group and its subordinate hotels, restaurants, and resorts are introducing fest-goers to more than 400 dishes and drinks. The food space was divided into three pavilions representing the northern, central and southern regions of Vietnam.

A booth of mini Vietnamese pancakes and sizzling crepes attracts visitors at the Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Among dishes originating from Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan Provinces, south-central Vietnam served during the festival included stingray fried with egg, herring spring rolls, banh can (mini Vietnamese pancakes), banh xeo (sizzling crepes), and Ninh Chu fried squid paste.

The festival treated visitors to a slew of famous dishes from the southern region, including black chicken stewed with chili and coconut juice, sparrow deep-fried with coconut water, and Mo Cay Nam grilled pork sausage.

Chefs perform tuna filleting skills during the Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Shrimp curry, a signature dish of the central region. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Fest-goers are treated to numerous delicacies originating from many parts of Vietnam. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Apart from savoring a wide array of dishes, many international travelers played folk games such as nhay sap (Cheraw dance), piggy bank smashing, ball throwing, and crossing a bamboo bridge. 

The culinary festival is open to the public from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm daily until March 31.

First launched in 2022, the Saigontourist Food and Culture Festival was named 'Asia's Best Culinary Festival 2022' by the World Culinary Awards. The festival also received the title in 2023.

The annual festival won the World's Best Culinary Festival 2023 award in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates in October 2023.

Stilt artists perform at the culinary festival in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The festival also features a drum dance to delight visitors. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Fest-goers are excited at competing in a rice-cooking contest during the Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City also brings visitors to the cultural spaces of the country’s three main regions. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Saigontourist Group Food and Culture Festival 2024 at Van Thanh Tourist Site in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City will wrap up on March 31, 2024. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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