Da Nang (VNA) – More than 70 traditional shoulder-pole vendors and a colourful cyclo parade brought nostalgic street food memories to life at the “Ganh vi Da Nang” culinary procession on May 20, blending local cultural heritage with the vibrant atmosphere of a modern seaside festival and reinforcing Da Nang’s appeal as a regional tourism and culinary destination.
Held within the framework of the Da Nang Food Tour 2026, the event drew large crowds of residents and tourists to My Khe beach and nearby coastal tourism streets.
Festival showcases central Vietnam’s cultural spirit
Starting at 5pm at East Sea Park, My Khe beach and surrounding coastal roads, “Ganh vi Da Nang” emerged as one of the standout activities of the festival. Rather than a simple parade, the programme was designed as an immersive cultural experience, offering visitors direct interaction with the distinctive street food culture of central Vietnam.
Under the sunset sky along My Khe beach, dozens of shoulder-pole vendors moved through the crowds with familiar street cries that recalled memories deeply rooted in the lives of generations in the Quang region. Local favourites such as Quang noodles, banh xeo pancakes, cao lau noodles, seafood dishes and mountain specialties from central Vietnam each reflected stories of regional life and culture.
The festival atmosphere was enriched by rustic bamboo shoulder poles, traditional vendor attire and the lively energy of the coastal city. Many visitors stopped to sample dishes, take photos and learn about the once-common street vending trade that formed part of daily life across central Vietnam.
Nguyen Thanh Mai, a visitor from Hanoi, said the event impressed her not only with its authentic flavours but also with the warm and familiar atmosphere it recreated.
According to organisers, the programme featured themed zones such as “Flavours of Memory”, “Homeland Flavours”, “Seaside Flavours” and “Five Continents Flavours”, allowing the event to showcase local culinary heritage while encouraging exchanges with Vietnamese and international cuisines.
Organisers said recreating images of shoulder-pole vendors, street cries and everyday local life within a modern festival setting was a creative way to preserve and promote indigenous cultural values. Familiar scenes from ordinary working life have now been transformed into unique tourism experiences that help define the festival’s identity.
Many visitors said that interacting directly with vendors, hearing stories behind the dishes and experiencing the lively street atmosphere made the culinary experience more authentic than simply dining at fixed stalls.
Interactive culinary experiences add new dimension
One of the event’s most distinctive features was its combination of artistic street parades and interactive outdoor culinary experiences, a format still relatively new to Vietnam’s tourism and food festivals.
Alongside the beachside vendors, decorated cyclos carrying shoulder poles, traditional food displays and colourful lanterns travelled through central coastal streets, creating a vivid cultural flow through the modern urban landscape. The blend of traditional street cries and the bustling seaside atmosphere offered visitors a rich multi-sensory experience.
Nguyen Thi Hoai An, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said the programme was designed to promote the culinary culture of the Quang region while enhancing experiences for both domestic and international visitors to Da Nang.
She noted that culinary tourism is among the fastest-growing segments of the tourism industry and an effective channel for promoting the culture, people and identity of each destination.
Alongside traditional Vietnamese dishes, the festival also introduced international cuisine such as Japanese sushi, Mexican tacos and Italian pizza, creating a colourful cross-cultural culinary journey. The combination of local and global flavours helped attract a diverse range of visitors, particularly foreign tourists.
Le Thi Phuong, one of the participating vendors, said the programme aimed not only to sell food but also to tell stories about the street vending trade and Da Nang’s seaside memories. Whenever visitors stopped to listen to street cries or take photos with shoulder poles, local culture was also being shared and preserved, she said.
Tourism experts said integrating indigenous cultural values with experiential tourism, festivals and tourism services is becoming an increasingly sustainable development trend for destinations worldwide.
For Da Nang, programmes such as “Ganh vi Da Nang” not only diversify tourism offerings but also stimulate the night-time economy, enrich visitor experiences and support the city’s ambition of making tourism a spearhead economic sector.
The Da Nang Food Tour 2026 runs from May 20-24 at East Sea Park, Tam Thanh beach square and various locations across the city. With a diverse and highly interactive programme lineup, the festival is expected to further strengthen Da Nang’s image as a dynamic and creative coastal city on the regional culinary and festival tourism map./.
