The Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and Saigontourist Group. This festival is organized under the guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
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| Festival attendees gather at a booth showcasing various Vietnamese delicacies at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
This event is a result of the joint efforts of multiple organizations, including the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency under the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, the Association of Vietnamese Communities in Korea, the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea, and the Korea-Asia Economic Cooperation Association.
The festival offers a diverse range of attractions, including a performance stage and nearly 70 booths. Over 40 of these booths feature pho and other delicious Vietnamese and Korean dishes.
The Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 brings together the country’s top chefs and well-known pho brands, such as Pho Dau, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Sen, Pho Thin Bo Ho – 1 Hang Tre, and Pho Ta, to name a few.
In addition to culinary delights, the festival provides spaces for cultural experiences, exhibitions, and showcases of Vietnamese cuisine and tourism, offering a holistic experience for attendees.
With the theme ‘Enjoy Pho, Discover Vietnam,’ the organizers aim to utilize the festival as a platform to foster people-to-people diplomacy, strengthen the bond between Vietnam and South Korea, and celebrate their rich culinary heritage.
Furthermore, the event also seeks to facilitate trade connections, harnessing the economic and tourism potential of both nations.
9:45 am GMT+7 Lee Dong Gi, deputy chief of the mission to ASEAN at South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, commended the organizing board for their dedication, acknowledging the significant effort required to launch such a pho festival.
Lee highlighted the growth in trade and investment exchanges between Vietnam and South Korea since the elevation of their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership. He also noted that Vietnam has become the top travel destination for Koreans in the past year.
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| Guests indulging in delicious pho at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
Lee shared his expectations for the future, including the projected five million Korean travelers to Vietnam in 2024 and the continued growth of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries.
He pointed out the shared love for rice and noodles in the culinary cultures of South Korea and Vietnam. For South Koreans, rice holds a deep spiritual significance, and their appetite for pho and other types of noodles has been growing.
Lee observed the thriving pho and noodle shops in South Korea and reminisced about his first taste of Vietnamese pho during his visit to Vietnam 15 years ago, an experience he still remembers fondly.
“I believe that anyone who has had the chance to enjoy pho would never forget it,” he added, expressing his confidence that the festival will spark a new dining trend for pho among South Koreans.
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he wished everyone a delightful and memorable experience enjoying pho in the pleasant autumn atmosphere of Seoul.
9:30 am GMT+7 Vu Ho, the ambassador of Vietnam to South Korea, acknowledged the diverse experiences and flavors that Koreans have encountered during their visits to different parts of Vietnam. He emphasized that pho is often one of the first dishes offered to visitors, and it is now even served on Vietnam Airlines flights.
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| A festival-goer captures the vibrant atmosphere at the Vietnam Pho Festival in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
Ambassador Vu Ho highlighted the upgraded relationship between Vietnam and South Korea, which is reflected not only in trade and investment figures but also in the deeper and broader cultural exchanges between the two nations.
He expressed his hope that through the Vietnam Pho Festival, pho would become a familiar dish in Korean households, prepared and enjoyed by both Vietnamese and Korean cooks alike.
9:00 am GMT+7 Ko Min Jeong, a member of the National Assembly of South Korea, took time out of her busy schedule to attend the Vietnam Pho Festival. She shared her deep appreciation for Vietnamese culture and cuisine and expressed her hopes for the continued growth of the Vietnam-South Korea relationship.
For Ko Min Jeong, Vietnam holds special memories beyond just holidays. She treasures the impressions from her working visits and acknowledges the strong bond between the two countries, evident in their shared traits of friendliness, hospitality, and open smiles.
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| Distinguished guests posing for a photo at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
Le The Chu, Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre, emphasized the close relationship between the Vietnamese and Korean peoples, highlighting their discussions on economic collaboration and cultural exchanges. He also underscored the importance of cuisine in connecting people, noting the similarities between Korean and Vietnamese culinary cultures, with rice as a dominant ingredient.
However, he drew particular attention to pho, describing it as a “special thing.” The fragrant bowl of pho, with its clear broth, chewy rice noodles, tender beef slices, and fresh green onions, has become a beloved symbol of Vietnam’s culinary heritage worldwide.
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| Le The Chu, Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre (Youth) Newspaper, shares his thoughts at the opening ceremony of the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
According to Le The Chu, pho is more than just a symbolic dish; it embodies the spirit of the Vietnamese people. He concluded by stating that eating a bowl of pho is not merely about savoring delicious flavors but also about experiencing the cultural values embedded in Vietnamese cuisine.
The Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 attracted representatives of pho brands from both Vietnam and South Korea, who eagerly prepared their booths and broth, anticipating the opportunity to serve hungry festival-goers. Professor Bae Yang Soo from Busan University of Foreign Studies and ten students from the Vietnamese Faculty, who previously participated in a pho-themed writing contest, were also in attendance.
The festival was a celebration for the Vietnamese community in South Korea, with many attendees traveling great distances to be there. Pham Duong, a Vietnamese expat living in Seoul, learned about the event through Facebook groups and invited his friends to join him. “It’s quite exciting,” he shared, “it gives me a sense of home.”
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| Park Ra Gyeong, Kim Nam Ju, Shim Yun Ji, and Park Jin Hee traveled over 400 km from Busan to attend the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tran Van Hien (left) and Pham Duong (second from left) listen intently as chefs Le Duc Huy and Nguyen Tien Hai, award-winning masters of pho cooking, demonstrate how to prepare pho with Ngoc Linh ginseng at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre News |
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| Vietnamese attendees, Thuy Trang and Thu Thuy, arrive early at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 in Seoul on October 5, 2024. Photo: Duyen Phan / Tuoi Tre |
The Vietnam Pho Festival 2024 is a collaborative effort between the Embassy of Vietnam in South Korea, Tuoi Tre, and Saigontourist Group, organized under the guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City.
This festival is made possible through the joint efforts of multiple organizations, including the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, the Association of Vietnamese Communities in Korea, the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea, and the Korea-Asia Economic Cooperation Association.
The event will feature a performance stage and nearly 70 booths, with over 40 of them offering pho and other Vietnamese and Korean delicacies. There will be dedicated spaces for cultural experiences, exhibitions, and showcases of Vietnamese cuisine and tourism.
With the theme ‘Enjoy Pho, Discover Vietnam,’ the organizers aim to promote people-to-people diplomacy, strengthen bilateral ties, and celebrate the culinary cultures of both nations. They also hope to foster trade connections, leveraging the economic and tourism potential of Vietnam and South Korea.
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| Promotional banner for the Vietnam Pho Festival 2024, taking place in Seoul, South Korea, on October 5-6, 2024 |
Tuoi Tre News will keep you updated…
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