The festival was designed to help popularise Vietnamese cuisine, with a specific focus on Phở - a popular Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat (typically beef or chicken).
Addressing the functions, Vu Ba Phu, director of the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), emphasised that like Korean kimchi, Vietnamese Phở has proved popular worldwide, and the festival presented an opportunity for Koreans, Vietnamese nationals, and international friends to gain greater insights into Vietnamese culture, history, and cuisine through the country's iconic dish.
“Through the festival, we do hope that Korean consumers and businesses will know more about famous Vietnamese Phở brands,” said Phu.
At the event, visitors also explored other products made from rice, including noodles, rice paper, shrimp chips, and seafood.
In particular, a space was set up to help strengthen trade exchanges between Korean and Vietnamese businesses with the support of the Vietnamese Trade Office in the RoK.
Vietrade is fully committed to supporting businesses of the two countries in seeking trade and investment opportunities in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, food processing, and many other fields, Phu stressed.
For his part, Pham Huy Binh, chairman of the Board of Directors of Saigontourist Group, stated that the company has pledged to provide the local community and international tourists in Seoul with the best possible Vietnamese cultural and culinary experiences, as well as promoting tourism exchanges between the two countries.
