Big year-end celebration of food and music in HCM City

The three-day Flavours Vietnam 2024 and HOZO International Food Fest features a variety of exciting activities. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

HCM CITY Flavours Vietnam, an annual food and beverage series, is officially teaming up with HOZO International Music Festival to bring a grand international celebration of food, music, and an F&B awards ceremony to Nguyễn Huệ Walking Street from December 13-15.

Co-organised by Vietcetera and Mastercard, Flavours Vietnam celebrates the contributions and achievements of Việt Nam's F&B industry.

Flavours Vietnam 2024 officially commenced in June with the theme "Crafting Shared Culinary Experiences", featuring various F&B events, including a Flavors Conference, Bar Week, and Flavours Restaurant Month, highlighting emerging and classic eateries around HCM City.

HOZO, Việt Nam’s largest community music festival, has become a key cultural event, attracting both local and international artists to HCM City.

Now in its fourth year, HOZO has successfully placed Vietnamese culture on the global music festival map, drawing tourists to HCM City and supporting the city’s cultural development for 2020-2030.

United by a shared mission to elevate Vietnamese brands on the international stage, Flavours Vietnam has teamed up with HOZO to present the Flavours Vietnam 2024 and HOZO International Food Fest. This three-day festival offers open access for visitors to immerse themselves in a variety of exciting activities.

Visitors can explore over 60 food stalls featuring renowned F&B brands like Phúc Long and Nam Mê Kitchen & Bar. Beyond enjoying the flavours, they can participate in physical activities, engaging workshops, mukbang challenges, or explore interactive AR games at the Vikki Digital Bank booth to win exciting prizes.

To enhance convenience for festival-goers, all food vendors will fully support cashless payment options, including bank transfers, and contactless payments via cards and digital wallets.

“Mastercard is delighted to celebrate and support the dynamic growth of Việt Nam’s F&B industry once again through our partnership with Vietcetera on Flavors Vietnam for the fifth year running. This year, we are elevating the experience by bringing HOZO together with Flavors Vietnam, creating an extraordinary festival that will foster meaningful connections and unforgettable memories through a vibrant fusion of food, music, and culture,” Winnie Wong, Mastercard country manager for Việt Nam, Laos and Cambodia, said.

“This collaboration also provides an excellent platform to encourage local businesses in Việt Nam, to adopt secure and seamless digital payments, keeping pace with evolving consumer preferences.”

The Flavors Awards ceremony will be held on December 14 to recognise outstanding businesses and services in Việt Nam’s F&B industry. — Photo courtesy of the organisers

On the second evening on Friday, the Flavors Awards ceremony will take at Nguyễn Huệ centre stage, recognising outstanding  businesses and services in Việt Nam’s F&B industry.

This year, Flavors Awards 2024 will present three awards categories: the Flavors Collection, voted by the public, the Editor’s Pick voted by Vietcetera’s editors, and the Grand Prize, selected by top F&B industry experts like Michelin-starred chef Peter Cuong Franklin of Anan Saigon; Niklas Wagner, general manager of New World Saigon Hotel; and Eve Manne, head of Modern On Trade at Diageo Vietnam. Young artists such as 52Hz will also perform to add energy to the evening’s celebrations.

Hảo Trần, Vietcetera CEO, said: "I’m proud to see Flavors Vietnam grow from a small awards ceremony to an annual event series and now a music-food festival. This journey with our Mastercard partner has been long, but we’ve stayed true to our mission: to celebrate Việt Nam’s F&B industry and elevate Vietnamese cuisine globally. This year, we’re excited to collaborate with HOZO, a like-minded partner dedicated to bringing Việt Nam to the world."

The most anticipated activities of the festival will be three nights of electrifying performances on the main stage of the HOZO Music Festival, featuring top Vietnamese and international artists like Mỹ Tâm and Henry Lau. VNS