An upsurge in the number of South Korean and international visitors to the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul prompted the owners of tens of stalls at the event to refill them with materials on the second day of the fest.

The organizers decided to double the servings to service festival-goers.

The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 kicked off in Seoul on Saturday, showcasing the distinctive flavors of Vietnam's iconic national dish to culinary enthusiasts.

The fest is co-organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and Saigontourist Group under the direction of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.

Early on Sunday morning, visitors crowded Pie Factory, 441 Gwangnaru-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul to savor the symbolic Vietnamese phở.

Huynh Nhu, a Vietnamese student in South Korea, said that she returned to the fest on Sunday after she spent Saturday joining it.

“The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 is a special event, which not only plays a key role in popularizing Vietnam’s culinary culture but also offers exciting experiences to the Vietnamese and South Koreans,” Nhu said.

“The fest acts as a bridge for the two peoples.

“Moreover, the event helps connect Vietnamese people in South Korea and creates a comfortable and happy atmosphere.

"The festival is wonderful."

Nguyen Dinh Tuyen, owner of Pho Khoe Restaurant, said that his staff had visited a supermarket late last night to buy additional materials as the number of festival-goers was higher than expected.

“We added over 40 kilograms of beef and pork as well as purchased additional vegetables to better serve visitors on the second day of the fest,” Tuyen said.

The organizers ramped up the volume of paper bowls, plates, spoons, and chopsticks to ensure that all the stalls had enough eating utensils.

Bui Thanh Loan, owner of the Pho Thin Bo Ho - Hang Tre brand, said that her stall was busy due to throngs of customers from morning till noon on the first day of the event.

“Many YouTubers and TikTokers visited the stall and reviewed the dish," Loan said.

“We hope that we will continue to be busy on the second day."

Attending the festival on Sunday, Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 Doan Thien An said that she was present at the event early in the morning to introduce prestigious phở brands to visitors.

Bich Hoang, owner of the Pho Dau brand, revealed that she had to increase the volume of meat and broth to serve fest-goers on the second day of the event.

Nguyen Tien Hai, a winner of the ‘Hoa Hoi Vang’ (Golden Star Anise) award, said that the stalls of Pho'S and Pho Ngoc Linh Ginseng served more than 200 bowls of phở within two hours on Sunday morning, equal to the number that he had previously registered to sell a whole day.

'Hoa Hoi Vang' is awarded each year during the 'Day of Phở’ (December 12) to honor phở chefs from across Vietnam.

“We refilled our stalls with materials to triple the servings compared to the number of the first day,” Hai said.

Vietnam Airlines operates eight daily Vietnam - South Korea flights 

Vietnam is South Korea’s third-largest trade partner, with two-way trade reaching nearly US$80 billion in 2023.

Revenue from import and export activities between the two nations totaled $38.4 billion in the first half of 2024.

The two sides aim for a target of $100 billion in bilateral trade in 2025.

Some 330,000 Vietnamese people live, work, and study in South Korea.

Between January and June, over two million South Koreans traveled to Vietnam.

Lee Soo Bhin, a representative from Vietnam Airlines in South Korea, said that the air carrier runs eight daily flights linking Vietnam and the East Asian nation.

These flights depart from Busan and Incheon and land in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Khanh Hoa Province, and Da Nang City.

The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024, which took place on Saturday and Sunday, featured a performance stage, along with nearly 70 booths including more than 40 offering phở and other Vietnamese and Korean delicacies.

The event was made possible through the collaboration of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, the Association of Vietnamese Communities in Korea, the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea, and the Korea-Asia Economic Cooperation Association.

With the slogan 'Enjoy Phở, Discover Vietnam,' the organizers aimed to use the festival to promote people-to-people diplomacy, strengthen the friendship between the two nations, and highlight their culinary cultures.

They also hoped to foster trade connections, leveraging the economic and tourism potential of both Vietnam and South Korea.

The event was joined by Bin Corporation Group, Pho Atiso, Pho Ta Binh Tay Food, Pho'S, Gobi, Saigontourist Group, Sasco, and Vietnam Airlines, as well as a series of famed phở brands from five-star restaurants and hotels such as Grand Saigon, Saigon Morin Hue, Majestic Saigon, Vietnam Golf & Country Club, and Caravelle Saigon.

Other popular brands joined the fest, including Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Ngoc Vuong, Pho Dau, Pho Sen - SASCO, Pho Ta, Pho Ngoc Linh Ginseng, Pho Atiso, Nhut Pho, and some in Seoul such as Pho Khoe, and Pho Viko.

FPT Corporation, the K-Medical brand, and the Picare brand also accompanied this year’s event.

This is the second time the Vietnam Phở Festival has gone international. Last year, it was held in Japan.

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