Hanoi Food Culture Festival 2024 brings a unique space, filled with flavors and colors of traditional cuisine at Thong Nhat Park (Hanoi).
This is a special event held to celebrate the anniversary of Hanoi Pho being recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage, affirming the position of this dish in the hearts of locals and tourists.
One of the most prominent highlights of this year's Festival is the Pho So Ha Thanh program, taking place at the gate of Thong Nhat Park - Tran Nhan Tong walking street.
Here, diners have the opportunity to enjoy beef and chicken pho... from famous pho brands such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ngoc Vuong, Pho Ga Nghe Nhan... at stalls next to each other like a street specializing in "Pho Hanoi".
The price for each bowl of traditional pho ranges from 30,000 to 50,000 VND, equivalent to the price when eating at the restaurant. There is also a booth to experience pho-flavored coffee.
Diners can directly watch the pho making process, from slicing meat, blanching pho to pouring broth, performed by chefs and artisans of each pho brand.
Mr. Le Phi Linh, representative of Pho Phi Linh brand, shared: "Initially, before participating in the Hanoi Food Culture Festival 2024, I just thought this was an opportunity to expand brand awareness. But I didn't expect that the pho flavor of my restaurant would be loved and supported by so many diners. During half a day on Friday, all day on Saturday and up to now, the restaurant's booth has always been packed with customers."
The owner said the stall sold about more than 500 bowls of pho.
In particular, the program "Pho So Ha Thanh" brings a unique experience by allowing participants to experience pho served by robots.
A robotic arm will perform tasks such as blanching the pho; putting meat and green onions into the bowl; pouring the pho sauce... and a robot waiter will bring it to the diner. Some people have had to wait up to 30 minutes to eat pho served by the robot.
Although "pho so" is still in the testing phase and needs to fix some functions to improve speed and performance, many diners have positive reviews about the quality and creativity of this model.
Ms. Nguyen Linh Chi (Dong Da district, Hanoi) shared: "Although I had to wait in line, I felt very excited when I enjoyed a bowl of pho prepared by a robot and served at the table, using modern technology. I hope that this technology will improve the speed of service, helping society develop more and more."
Regarding the taste of "pho so" compared to traditional pho, Nguyen Minh Khanh (Thanh Xuan district, Hanoi) commented: "The taste is not much different between "pho so" and traditional pho, because in fact, the steps such as cooking pho broth, seasoning... are all done by humans. However, I still consider this an interesting experience and worth trying."
In addition to enjoying pho, diners can also participate in many other interesting activities such as experiencing rice milling to make pho, watching the process of making hand-rolled pho and kneading dough, frying fried dough sticks; learning about old Hanoi pho spices and the history of pho; taking photos with the old pho space...
Besides pho, the Hanoi Food Culture Festival also introduces many other special dishes from traditional craft villages such as Ho Tay shrimp cakes, Phu Do vermicelli, Uoc Le sausage, Vong village green rice... and dishes from many other countries around the world.
The diverse food stalls attracted a large number of locals and tourists to enjoy and experience. The festival took place until December 1, at Thong Nhat Park (Hanoi).