HÀ NỘI — Foodies will have chance to satisfy their taste with over 1,000 dishes at the Food Fest 2017, an international gastronomy and cultural event scheduled to take place in Hà Nội from April 6 to 8.

The three-day festival, sponsored by Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), will include several gastronomy events as well performances by Vietnamese A-listed singers.

More than 150 food stalls will be set up on the 3,000sq.m area of the Royal City Square, showcasing the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine with more than 1,000 dishes and 200 kinds of drink.

Wine tastings, a BBQ party, bartender demonstrations are also on the agenda.

Festival goers will also have chance to challenge themselves in some funny contests such as “Taste of Food” – which tests competitors with knowledge on delicacies of countries all over the world, “Hot Dog” eating competition which is for couples, and the “Food & Drink Champion”, which challenges contestants to set record in eating and drinking.

Those who love cooking can compete the Easy Cooking competition launched on March 25. To compete, entrants need to send a photo of their self-made food. Once their photos are selected, they will compete with other rivals at the Food Fest to win the VNĐ50-million (US$2,200) prize. The judges of the contest include Vietnamese-American celebrity chef Jack Lee, executive chef Vũ Văn Thành of the Lotte Hanoi Hotel, and executive chef Filippo Moreli of the Pullman Hanoi Hotel.

The “Vietnam Food Art” contest is for food stylists and photographers, who will be required to take photos during three days of the event. The best collection will be given a VNĐ30-million ($1,300) prize.

Celebrity chef Jack Lee, whose creations have been served to Angelina Jolie, Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank, Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand, will prepare a special dinner for 200 VIP guests every night during the event. Entitled Dinner of the Star, the dinner will respectively dedicate to Vietnamese, European and Asian cuisines.   

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Hương, deputy head of the VNAT said: “As gastronomy is an advantage of Vietnamese tourism, we have paid attention on how to develop our flavourful cuisine for tourists. I believe Food Fest will be an effective tool to promote Vietnamese food, and therefore to promote Vietnamese tourism.”  

Many of Việt Nam’s famous artists will perform at the Food Fest 2017. Those figures include Vietnam Idol 2014, Nhật Thủy, Vietnam Idol 2015 Trọng Hiếu, Vietnam Idol 2016 Janice Phương, the heartthrob singers Noo Phước Thịnh and Sơn Tùng M-TP.

It is expected that the event will welcome about 30,000 people. — VNS