A festival featuring cuisines from across Vietnam kicked off at Van Thanh Tourist Park in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday.

Themed ‘Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022’ (Festival of culinary culture, delicacies 2022), the food fest - organized by Saigontourist Group – will run from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm every day from August 25 to 28.

Visitors at the festival will have the opportunity to learn about and experience distinctive aspects of Vietnamese culture through over 300 dishes prepared by culinary experts and skilled chefs from all across the country.

A cook prepares banh xeo (Vietnamese savory crepes) at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

According to Truong Duc Hung, deputy director of Saigontourist, the dishes offered at the festival are meticulously researched and chosen in order to ensure a varied selection of regional traits and traditional flavors.

This festival, in particular, introduces unique and extraordinary delicacies, such as oysters from north-central Con Co Island, grilled sea urchin with egg sauce and scallion oil from Phu Quoc Island, grilled chicken from Vietnam's Central Highlands, tuna eye stew from south-central Phu Yen Province, and ethnic minority delicacies from northwestern Vietnam.

‘Oc buou nuong dua’ (Vietnamese escargot grilled with shredded coconut) at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Nguyen Hung, a Binh Thanh District resident, who visited the festival on Thursday said he really enjoyed the dishes from Vietnam's Central Highlands stall, both for their affordable price and their taste.

"I really love the ambiance [at the festival], and the food is fantastic,” Hung said.

“The chef [at the Central Highlands stall] informed me that all ingredients come from the Central Highlands of Vietnam, which is wonderful.”

According to Nguyen Thi Lan, a resident of District 3, her family is from the central region of Vietnam, so she prioritized the foods at this region's stall and was blown away by their flavor.

A chef prepares steamed snails at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 202' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

“The dishes at this stall remind me of my childhood in my hometown of Hue City,” Lan shared.

“All of the food at this event was prepared by five-star chefs, but it was still reasonably priced.”

In addition, the event also offered visitors a range of art performance activities such as folk games, ‘quan ho’ (Bac Ninh folk love duets), and ‘don ca tai tu Nam Bo’ (southern folk music).

Diners visit a sweet dessert stall at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

An Egyptian river hemp flower salad at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Visitors crowd a grilled food stall at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Chefs slice tuna caught in south-central Phu Yen Province at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

A chef prepares ‘mut dua’ (sugar-coated coconut) at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Traditional Vietnamese cakes wrapped in banana leaves at 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Visitors crowd 'Le hoi Van hoa am thuc, mon ngon 2022' in Van Thanh Tourist Park, Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, on August 25, 2022. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

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