The opening ceremony was attended by key officials, including Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Van Phong; Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Ta Quang Dong; Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha; and Standing Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Hanoi Nguyen Sy Truong. Representatives from embassies, city departments, and Hai Ba Trung District leadership were also present.
Prior to the ceremony, Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee, and Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh visited the festival’s booths and inaugurated the “Digital Pho” booth.
Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Tran Sy Thanh and Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha officially launched the “Digital Pho” booth. Photo: Quang Thai.
Chairman Tran Sy Thanh and other delegates explore the booths at the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2024. Photo: Quang Thai.
Celebrating Hanoi’s Heritage
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Vu Thu Ha expressed pride in Hanoi’s extensive and diverse heritage, which embodies the convergence of Thang Long culture with the cultural regions of Xu Doai, Xu Dong, Kinh Bac, and Son Nam Thuong.
Vice Chairwoman Vu Thu Ha delivers her speech. Photo: Quang Thai
Vice Chairwoman Vu Thu Ha highlighted that alongside traditional crafts such as Me Tri green rice, Phu Thuong sticky rice, and Quang An lotus tea, “Hanoi Pho” was officially recognized in 2024 as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism. This recognition is a significant milestone, bringing pride to the community and culinary enthusiasts while serving as a legal foundation for the preservation and promotion of “Hanoi Pho” as a cultural treasure.
Delegates inaugurate the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2024. Photo: Quang Thai.
Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism present the certificate recognizing “Hanoi Pho” as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. Photo: Quang Thai.
Delegates explore and enjoy culinary offerings. Photo: Quang Thai.
The Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2024, themed “Hanoi Connecting Five Continents,” aims to honor, preserve, and promote the city’s traditional culinary values. The event also seeks to build and effectively develop Hanoi’s culinary brand through the refinement and elevation of its gastronomic culture. Furthermore, the festival serves as a platform to showcase Hanoi as a distinctive destination for tourism, culture, and cuisine, fostering opportunities for exchanges between Hanoi, foreign embassies, provinces, organizations, and individuals.
“Hanoi Pho” with New Experiences
This year’s festival featured participation from 16 embassies, including Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Brazil, India, Iran, Japan, Mongolia, Laos, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Republic of Korea, France, Italy, and Venezuela. It also welcomed eight provinces: Ha Giang, Son La, Lang Son, Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Khanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa, and Quang Binh, with over 80 booths in total. The “Digital Pho” booth stood out as a highlight of the festival. Photo: Quang Thai.
Visitors had the opportunity to immerse themselves in the cultural and culinary heritage of Hanoi’s traditional craft villages through live demonstrations by artisans. These activities recreated the quintessential atmosphere of Hanoi’s gastronomic heritage, featuring iconic dishes such as Hanoi Pho, West Lake shrimp cakes, Phu Do noodles, Uoc Le pork rolls, La Vong green rice, Me Tri sticky rice, Phu Thuong sticky rice and sweet soups, Tranh Khuc sticky rice cakes, Phung spring rolls, Quang Ganh rice cakes, Phu Nhi rice cakes, Quang Phu Cau porridge, Ha Mo hand-pulled porridge, and So Village glass noodles.
The festival’s centerpiece was the effort to protect, promote, and introduce the intangible cultural heritage of “Hanoi Pho.” Key activities included the formal announcement of “Hanoi Pho” being added to the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list, the launch of a culinary feature section on the Hanoi Economic & Urban Newspaper, and a panel discussion on “Preserving and Promoting the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hanoi Pho.”
For the first time, visitors witnessed a robot serving pho. Photo: Phuong Hoa.
Additionally, the “Digital Pho Ha Thanh” program introduced attendees to the integration of technology and digital transformation in Vietnam’s culinary sector. Guests experienced signature Hanoi Pho dishes alongside “Digital Pho,” where smart robots handled preparation and serving tasks.
The festival attracted a large number of visitors and tourists. Photo: Phuong Hoa
Nguyen Thuy Trang, a Ba Dinh District resident attending the festival, shared her excitement: “This year’s festival has expanded in scale, featuring a wide variety of culinary booths. I was particularly impressed by the booths showcasing Hanoi Pho. Visitors not only get to savor the flavors of Hanoi’s renowned pho brands but also experience the novelty of robots preparing the dishes.”
In addition to the main activities, the festival features a variety of events to introduce, promote, and celebrate traditional culinary and cultural heritage, such as photo exhibitions, mobile book exhibitions showcasing artistic works, and presentations of books highlighting prominent domestic and international culture, arts, tourism, and cuisine. Other attractions include traditional folk games, performances of both traditional and modern art forms, and seminars aimed at improving human resource quality and advancing culinary culture.
The Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival 2024 will run until December 1.
Hoang Lan