A two-day culinary festival will be held in Hanoi this weekend,offering local gastronomes the chance to taste traditional dishes of theRepublic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam .
A variety of scrumptious delights await festival-goers at theKorean-Vietnamese Culinary Festival, including Korean specialitieskimchi and bibimbap and traditional pho (noodle soup) and nem (springroll) from Vietnam .
Both Vietnamese and Koreancuisines will be highlighted in the festival this year in order tocelebrate the culinary cultures of the two countries, according to thefestival's organiser.
Jointly organised by the RoKEmbassy, the RoK General Department of Tourism and Vietnam 'sMinistry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aims to promotebilateral relations and understanding among people of the two countries.
During the festival, visitors can enjoy special foods andtake part in a wide range of activities, including drumming, liondances, martial arts demonstrations, and a cooking contest.
Guests to the festival can also join in a vocal competition, in whichKorean contestants will sing in Vietnamese and the Vietnamese will singin Korean.
The RoK Rural Development Administration hasplanned an exhibit for the festival on kimchi, which ranked among thetop five of American Health magazine's World's Healthiest Foods in 2006.
Korean food companies will display and sell theirproducts while Vietnamese companies will advertise tropical productslike tea, coffee and fruits.
Guests will be asked to buy acoupon for 10,000 VND, allowing them to taste foods and automaticallyentering them in a cash lottery. The money made from food sales will bedonated to needy children in Vietnam through the Central Committeeof the Vietnam Fatherland Front.
The festival will takeplace at the Vietnam Agriculture Fair Centre, 2 Hoang Quoc Viet Street, Cau Giay District. The weekend culinary event forms part of the 19thanniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relationsbetween Vietnam and the RoK. /.
