As impressive as… Vietnam Pho Festival in Korea

This afternoon, October 6, in the light rain, thousands of people in Seoul, South Korea still lingered to say goodbye to Vietnam Pho Festival 2024.

After two days, Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 has proven that pho is not just a dish, but also a strong bond that connects people, families, friends and communities.

The bridge connecting heart to heart

Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc speaks at the Vietnam Pho Festival on the afternoon of October 6. (Photo: Dao Truong)

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, Chairman of the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO, said that Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 is even more meaningful when it is held in the capital Seoul - the heart of Korea - contributing to bringing pho, the culinary quintessence of Vietnam to Korean and international friends.

Over the past two days, Vietnam Pho Festival has attracted tens of thousands of visitors and the hot bowls of pho delivered to diners have provided an opportunity for Koreans and international friends to enjoy and learn more about Vietnamese culinary culture.

Through each bowl of flavorful pho, people in Korea and chefs from Vietnam not only share unique cultural values, but also create a bridge connecting hearts to hearts.

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc attended the event right after a business trip to South America. Unfortunately, he caught a cold and almost lost his voice. Arriving in Seoul, eating two bowls of hot, flavorful pho helped him forget all his fatigue.

Sharing with his Korean friends, Mr. Ngoc said that in Vietnam, pho is not only an indispensable dish in daily life but also a unique symbol of culture.

Pho bears the mark of the fusion, the creative absorption of Chinese and French cuisines, blended with Vietnamese cuisine, and at the same time reflects the unique diversity of Vietnam's regions. Enjoying pho in Hanoi, Nam Dinh, Hue, Hoi An, Phan Rang or Ho Chi Minh City, each place brings a unique flavor, creating the richness of pho.

Moreover, the process of making pho is also an art that requires meticulousness, dexterity and elaboration. From the soft and chewy pho noodles, the sweet and clear broth, which is carefully simmered from bones for many hours, to the delicious soft slices of meat and unique spices, all are the crystallization of the artisans' labor and talent, passion and inspired creativity, offered to the connoisseurs in the most respectful way.

And that is why, enjoying pho is also an art with subtle, unique feelings and contains gratitude to those who made pho.

According to Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, cuisine is not simply dishes, but also the identity of a country, reflecting the history, culture, and customs of a community and a nation.

With that meaning, UNESCO has focused on preserving and promoting intangible cultural heritages, including traditional culinary practices, to reflect cultural diversity and the limitless creativity of humans.

Currently, there are 56 dishes in the world that have been recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage, such as kimjang - traditional kimchi salting culture (Korea), baguette bread (France), the art of making Napoli pizza (Italy)...

Together we hold hands towards a better future

Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc emphasized that the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 event was a great success. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the focal agency of the Government in implementing the Cultural Diplomacy Strategy to 2030, highly appreciated and warmly commended the efforts and dedication of Tuoi Tre newspaper and related units, businesses and individuals in implementing a meaningful activity of cultural diplomacy, introducing cuisine, contributing to promoting the image, country and people of Vietnam.

The event ended, marking a festival called “Vietnam Pho” in Seoul with resonance, influence, and a strong impression, while opening a new bridge, connecting Vietnam and Korea through cuisine, so that we can better understand and appreciate the cultural, historical, and traditional values ​​of each country, as well as foster and promote the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Korea.

Sharing at the closing ceremony, journalist Le The Chu, Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre newspaper, shared: “When you line up in long lines to enjoy hot bowls of pho and delicious Vietnamese dishes, I believe that you will love pho and Vietnamese cuisine even more.

Over the past two days, we have been delighted to witness the connection between pho chefs and Korean people; the connection between Vietnamese and Korean artists performing on this stage; the connection between Vietnamese and Korean businesses.

This is an important bridge, so that the two countries can understand each other better and we can join hands towards a better future."

The leader of Tuoi Tre newspaper expressed his gratitude to the Korean government, the Seoul city government, partners, and organizations that supported the organizers in successfully completing this pho event. “We also sincerely thank the pho chefs, artists, and especially the Korean people as well as the Vietnamese community in Korea for attending this event,” said Mr. Le The Chu.

Thanks were also sent to “the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for supporting the program, and to Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc for flying 30 hours to the event… The Vietnamese Embassy in Korea for supporting the event.”

Vietnam Pho Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors and is one of the largest events introducing Vietnamese cuisine, culture and tourism in Korea to date. (Source: NLĐ)

For more information about the program, journalist Tran Xuan Toan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Head of the Organizing Committee, shared about the impressive numbers in the past two days such as 28,000 visitors to the festival; over 40 products from pho to banh mi, bun bo... shared and enjoyed by visitors; over 100 meetings between businesses of the two countries in the fields of tourism, trade, services, investment..., including over 20 memorandums of understanding signed... In addition, there were more than 300 articles, clips and shares on the official media channels of the two countries.

The event organizer expressed his hope that “after the festival, more Koreans will come to Vietnam to enjoy pho, Vietnamese delicacies and Vietnamese culture, and more Vietnamese people will come to Korea to enjoy kimchi, Korean delicacies and Korean culture. Hopefully, more Vietnamese goods will appear in Korea and more Korean goods will appear in Vietnam…”

Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 takes place from October 5-6 at Pie Factory, 441 Gwangnaru-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.

The program is co-organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Korea, Tuoi Tre Newspaper, Saigon Tourist Group, under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee and the coordination of the Trade Promotion Agency of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, General Association of Vietnamese in Korea, Vietnam Business Association in Korea, Korea - Southeast Asia Economic Cooperation Association (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Korea).

Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 has a performance stage, nearly 70 booths, including more than 40 booths selling pho and Vietnamese and Korean delicacies. Besides, there is a space for cultural experiences, exhibitions, and introductions to Vietnamese culinary culture and tourism.

With the slogan “Enjoy Pho, Discover Vietnam”, the program organizers hope to use Vietnam Pho Festival to create people-to-people diplomacy activities, promote the friendly relations between the two countries, promote culinary culture, and connect trade based on the economic and tourism potentials of Vietnam and Korea.

The event was attended by Bin Corporation Group, Pho Atiso, Pho Ta Binh Tay Food, Pho S, Gobi, Saigontourist Group, Sasco, Vietnam Airlines, with many pho brands from Vietnam and Korea. FPT Group, K-Medical brand, Picare brand accompanied the program.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/an-tuong-nhu-vietnam-pho-festival-tai-han-quoc-289060.html