Cooks perform the making of chả mực (squid cake) at the opening ceremony of the Quảng Ninh Food Festival 2024 on December 26. Photo baoquangninh.vn

QUẢNG NINH — The Quảng Ninh Cuisine Festival 2024 is underway in Hạ Long city, the northern province of Quảng Ninh, from December 26-29, boasting a lineup of nearly 130 booths – the largest number of registrations so far.

The festival, themed “Quảng Ninh - Destination of Culinary Quintessence”, brings together a symphony of flavours from all three Vietnamese regions.

Visitors can indulge in familiar northern delights such as phở, bún chả (noodle with grilled pork), chả cá (grilled chopped fish), bánh cuốn (thin rolled rice cake), and chả mực (squid cake). Central Việt Nam is represented by bún bò Huế (Huế-styled beef noodle), mỳ Quảng (Quảng-styled noodle), cao lầu Hội An (cao lầu noodle soup), and bánh bèo chén (savoury steamed rice cake). Southern specialties like lẩu mắm (fermented fish hotpot), cá lóc nướng trui (grilled snakehead fish), and bánh xèo Nam Bộ (rice sizzling cake) round out the culinary extravaganza.

Beyond the tantalising tastes, visitors can watch artisans prepare dishes on-site or experience cocktail-making demonstrations led by celebrities.

The event also offers exciting cultural activities and folk games such as wrestling, bamboo pole dancing, stilt walking, and blindfolded pottery smashing. Art performances reflecting the culture of ethnic minorities, such as xẩm singing, chèo opera, and love duet songs, along with rustic melodies from the coastal fishing communities of Hạ Long, Móng Cái, Uông Bí, Đông Triều, Đầm Hà, and Bình Liêu, will fill the air.

Designed to be vibrant and immersive, the performance space invites visitors to explore Quảng Ninh's long-standing cultural values in an intimate setting.

Supported by various agencies, localities, businesses, the provincial Tourism Association, the Vietnam Culture and Cuisine Association, Hạ Long University, and other units within and outside the province, the event aims to showcase Việt Nam's unique cultural and culinary features, enhance Quảng Ninh’s appeal as a four-season tourist destination that is safe, friendly, and attractive. The goal is to welcome 20 million visitors next year, including 4.5 million foreigners, generating a total revenue of VNĐ50 trillion (US$2 billion).

To celebrate the occasion, Sun Group is offering a 50 per cent discount on admission tickets to Sun World Hạ Long, the festival’s venue, for both adults and children. — VNA/VNS