Participants of the 15th Multicultural Cooking Contest pose at Yongsan Family Center in Seoul, Saturday. Photo courtesy of Yongsan District Office

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese flavours stole the spotlight at the recent 15th Multicultural Cuisine Contest in Seoul, where Việt Nam's team clinched first prize with a creative fusion of traditional and Korean tastes.

Organised by the Yongsan Family Centre, the annual event celebrates the district’s cultural diversity, bringing together communities from around the world. This year’s theme, Global Flavours Meet Korean Taste, reflected Yongsan’s vibrant multicultural identity, a district shaped by decades of international influence, home to Seoul’s largest mosque and the cosmopolitan neighbourhood of Itaewon.

Teams from seven countries - Việt Nam, China, Japan, the Philippines, India, Mexico, and Nigeria - competed to create dishes that blend their national cuisines with Korean ingredients such as kimchi, soy sauce, gochujang (chili paste), and doenjang (soybean paste).

The Vietnamese team won over the judges with their summer rolls and rainbow fried rice, securing the top prize. Mexico and China took second and third place, respectively.

Expressing delight after the victory, members of the Vietnamese team said the contest was not only a chance to share Việt Nam's culinary heritage but also to strengthen cultural exchange and friendship among nations.

Beyond the cooking competition, visitors also enjoyed a variety of interactive cultural experiences, from trying on traditional costumes to playing folk games from the participating countries, transforming the event into a lively celebration of global unity through food. — VNA/VNS