People enjoy tasting Lao specialties in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City

Nearly 100 booths displaying typical Lao products and specialties attracted a large number of visitors at the Laos - Vietnam Tourism - Culture - Trade Promotion Festival 2024.

Người dân thích thú nếm thử đặc sản Lào giữa lòng TP.HCM - Ảnh 1. — Diners enjoy Lao specialties right at Le Van Tam Park on the evening of December 27 - Photo: NHAT XUAN

The festival opened on the evening of December 27 and will last until December 31, 2024 at Le Van Tam Park (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City). On the opening night, Le Van Tam Park welcomed a large number of people to visit and explore Lao cuisine and specialties.

The organizers said that the event will have the participation of nearly 100 booths from Lao and Vietnamese businesses. The Lao booths will introduce many regional specialties such as beef jerky, pork jerky, processed chicken, typical sauces, dried fruits and vegetables... In particular, typical dishes such as pork jerky, pork skin, Lao sausage, Lao sticky rice, Lao rice have especially attracted the attention of visitors.

After tasting a portion of sticky rice, Ms. Duong Thi Nghiem (65 years old) shared: "The sticky rice is very fragrant, soft and delicious. When dipped in a slightly spicy sauce and served with minced pork, it is quite unique."

Ms. Nghiem said this was the first time she enjoyed Lao specialties and planned to buy more dried beef and dried pork as gifts for her family.

Similarly, Ms. Ngoc Han (living in Binh Thanh District) also chose to buy a bag of Lao dried tamarind for 100,000 VND/kg. She commented: "Lao dried tamarind has a rather strange taste, not as sweet as Thai tamarind but very fragrant, suitable for snacking or as a gift."

Người dân thích thú nếm thử đặc sản Lào giữa lòng TP.HCM - Ảnh 2. — Ms. Kit's daughter - the owner of a stall selling Lao dried goods - is busy serving customers with a broken Vietnamese accent - Photo: NHAT XUAN

Ms. Kit, the owner of a stall selling Lao dried goods, was busy serving customers but did not forget to introduce: "We bring to the fair our hometown specialties such as Chinese sausage, dried beef, dried pork, rice, sticky rice and grilled chicken. Among them, Lao rice and Lao sticky rice are the two products most loved by customers."

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee Nguyen Van Dung emphasized that the special relationship between Vietnam and Laos is not only a neighborly relationship but also a close and loyal relationship for generations.

He also said that tourism and cultural cooperation between the two countries has made many important strides. Vietnam currently ranks second in the number of tourists to Laos, while Laos is among the top 15 tourism markets of Vietnam.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the relationship with Lao localities has always been given special attention. The city has established friendly relations with four major localities of Laos: the capital Vientiane, Champasak province, Savannakhet province and Hua Phan province. Events such as this tourism and cultural festival not only strengthen the friendly relations but also promote bilateral economic , cultural and tourism cooperation.

According to the organizers, in addition to the commercial area, the festival also organizes an exhibition space on the Vietnam - Laos friendship, displays traditional costumes performed by Lao students, and introduces Naga motifs - an intangible cultural heritage recognized by UNESCO. The area displaying typical Vietnamese - Lao products and Vietnamese folk activities such as making to he figurines and writing calligraphy also attracts much attention.