Visitors enjoyed vegetarian dishes at the 2023 Vegetarian Food Festival. Photo courtesy of the HCM City Culinary Association

HCM CITY — The 2025 Vegetarian Food Festival will take place from October 31 to November 4 at Bình Phú park in HCM City’s Bình Phú Ward, featuring more than 200 booths from vegetarian restaurants, brands, chefs, and cuisine artisans across the country.

As the city’s largest vegetarian food festival, the event themed “Delicious in taste - Healthy in heart” is aimed to promote Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine and encourage the community to practice a greener, more eco-friendly lifestyle.

Speaking at a press briefing on October 20, Nguyễn Tấn Việt, chairman of the HCM City Culinary Association --the event’s organiser -- said that following the success of the 2023 Vegetarian Food Festival, the second edition will be larger in scale, with additional community activities planned.

“A vegetarian dish is not only a type of cuisine but also a story about health, culture, and responsibility toward nature,” Việt said.

Nguyễn Thị Hằng, deputy chairwoman of Bình Phú Ward People’s Committee (Administration), said the committee has coordinated with relevant departments and units to ensure security, safety, environmental hygiene, and healthcare during the event.

“This is not only an opportunity for people and tourists to experience the essence of vegetarian cuisine but also a chance to join hands in building a green, waste-free, compassionate, and sharing community,” she said.

She hoped that the event will enhance cultural values, culinary appeal, and boost tourism.

Spanning ​​nearly seven hectares in Bình Phú Park, the festival will be divided into several thematic areas, including creative vegetarian cuisine, OCOP (One Commune One Product) and organic products, along with an exhibition of vegetarian ingredients.

There will be a competition for vegetarian chefs - the Green Master Chef Vietnam 2025 - along with various activities such as green tourism, cuisine and economy forums, nutrition discussions, vegetarian cooking demonstrations, and vegetarian buffets.

With the support of the non-profit organisation Foodbank Vietnam and the GreenHero project, a number of community volunteer programmes will be held during the event, including the Food Waste Recycling Day, which raises awareness about environmental protection, and Kitchen of Love - 1,000 Free Meals, which delivers 1,000 vegetarian meals to disadvantaged people.

The event is expected to attract around 150,000 visitors. VNS