Vietnamese 'phở' wins hearts of diners in South Korea
Saturday, October 05, 2024, 15:26 GMT+7
Visitors to the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024, which kicked off on Saturday morning in Seoul, have been tantalized by the unique flavors of Vietnam's national dish.
The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024, which lasts until Sunday, has treated locals and tourists to hot bowls of phở from famous brands from Vietnam, such as Phở Thìn Bờ Hồ, Phở Phú Gia, Phở Ngọc Vượng, Phở Dậu, Phở Sen SASCO, Phở Ta, Phở Sâm Ngọc Linh, Phở Atiso Đà Lạt, Nhứt Phở, as well as popular phở brands in Seoul like Phở Khỏe and Phở Vikô.
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| Chefs from Phở Ta - Binh Tay booth serves phở with lobster at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
Hyeongjo Kim, an office worker in Seoul, expressed his delight at being able to savor the fragrant and hot bowls from Phở Sâm Ngọc Linh with his family.
"Vietnamese phở is very delicious. The flavors are rich and impressive,” Kim said
“Thank you for bringing us such a wonderful Vietnam Phở Festival.”
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| Phở with lobster is served at Phở Ta - Binh Tay booth at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
A family from Portugal was spotted stumbling upon the festival during their visit to South Korea.
Having recently traveled to Vietnam's Da Nang and Hoi An, the family has developed a fondness for Vietnamese cuisine.
During their trip, they had tasted phở, so they were very happy to savor the dish again in South Korea.
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| A family from Portugal enjoy phở at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Visitors enjoy phở at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
Within the framework of the festival, attendees can also enjoy a variety of delicious delicacies from Vietnam, including bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwiches), bánh xèo (Vietnamese savory sizzling crepes), chả giò (Vietnamese egg rolls), and bánh hỏi (soft thin vermicelli noodles).
They can participate in fun games, such as a mini quiz about the spices used in phở and a lucky spin wheel.
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| A young visitor play game at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
The organizers have arranged exhibition spaces for visitors to experience Vietnamese culture and tourism, allowing participants to try on and take photos with áo dài (Vietnamese traditional long dress), don or paint on nón lá (Vietnamese traditional conical hat), and engage in folk games.
Throughout the festival, there are scheduled talks and cooking demonstrations to help visitors understand phở and its making process.
Notably, the chef of the Saigon-Morin Hotel, under the Saigontourist Group, will showcase the exquisite techniques of preparing a royal dish from the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam, promising to delight the audience.
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| Miss Grand Vietnam 2022 Thien An enjoys phở from Nhứt Phở booth at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| A visitor dons ‘áo dài' (Vietnamese traditional costume) at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Vietnamese famous swimmer Anh Vien serves phở to visitors at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Guests give a thumbs up for a photo after enjoying phở at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Festival-goers were captivated by Vietnamese artist Mai Dinh Toi, known as the 'witch of musical instruments' for his mastery of homemade instruments, at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| A mini game about phở spices attract a lot of festival-goers at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Visitors try on traditional Vietnamese costume ‘áo dài' at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| A visitor enjoys phở at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| A family visits the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Visitors enjoy phở at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| South Korean children perform at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 is co-organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea, Tuoi Tre, and Saigontourist Group under the direction of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
The event is 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.
The Vietnam Phở Festival 2024 will feature a performance stage, along with nearly 70 booths including more than 40 offering phở and other Vietnamese and Korean delicacies.
There will be spaces for cultural experiences, exhibitions, and showcases of Vietnamese cuisine and tourism.
With the slogan 'Enjoy Phở, Discover Vietnam,' the organizers aim to use the festival to promote people-to-people diplomacy, strengthen the friendship between the two nations, and highlight their culinary cultures.
They also hope to foster trade connections, leveraging the economic and tourism potential of both Vietnam and South Korea.
The event features the participation of Bin Corporation Group, Phở Atiso, Phở Ta Bình Tây Food, Phở S, Gobi, Saigontourist Group, Sasco, Vietnam Airlines, and many phở brands from five-star hotels such as the Grand Saigon Hotel, Saigon Morin Hotel in Huế, Hotel Majestic Saigon, Thu Duc Golf Course Restaurant, and Caravelle Saigon Hotel.
It also includes Vietnam's well-known phở brands familiar to both local and international diners, such as Phở Thìn Bờ Hồ, Phở Phú Gia, Phở Ngọc Vượng, Phở Dậu, Phở Sen SASCO, Phở Ta, Phở Sâm Ngọc Linh, Phở Atiso Đà Lạt, and Nhứt Phở, along with popular phở brands in Seoul like Phở Khỏe and Phở Vikô.
FPT Corporation, K-Medical, and Picare are also partners of the event.
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