Vietnamese Culture and Cuisine Festival begins

Doha: Vietnam’s culinary heritage developed through centuries is featured in the first ever Vietnamese Culture and Cuisine Festival which kicked off to a colourful start yesterday at Shangri-La Hotel Doha’s Sridan Restaurant.

Running until November 12, the festival takes food lovers on a gastronomic journey through some of the iconic Vietnamese dishes including Hanoi crispy seafood rolls, steamed sea bass in banana leaf and Indochina devilled crab cake, among others. The two-week long festival which is a collaboration between Shangri-La Hotel Doha, the Vietnamese Embassy and Emirates Airlines, offers some of the healthiest dishes in the world specially prepared by Vietnamese chef Vu Van Dang of Shangri-La Abu Dhabi’s award winning Hoi An restaurant.

"Traditional Vietnamese cooking is greatly admired for its fresh ingredients, minimal use of dairy and oil, complementary textures, and reliance on herbs and vegetables. With the balance between fresh herbs and meats and a selective use of spices to reach a fine taste, Vietnamese food is considered one of the healthiest and delicious cuisines worldwide," said Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Hoang, at the launch attended by ambassadors of Asean member countries and other officials. A performance of traditional Vietnamese dance also featured the opening ceremony of the festival, which also showcases arts and crafts as important facets of Vietnamese culture considered one of the most ancient in Southeast Asia.

"The Vietnamese Culture and Cuisine Festival in Sridan, which is reminiscent of a traditional Arabian souq, will not only showcase an authentic and sumptuous Vietnamese cuisine but also feature an exhibition of Vietnamese culture through handicraft, paintings and designs as well as creation of the mixture of Arabic and Vietnamese culture, giving all Qataris and expatriates an opportunity to enjoy a unique cultural adventure and experience," explained Ambassador Hoang.

An exhibition of heritage sites and stunning attractions in Vietnam provides diners a peek into the myriad reasons why the country is a must-visit for tourists. "It is my firm confidence that this event will not only bring about the promotion of Vietnamese food to be more well-known in Qatar, but also serve as a cultural gateway to strengthen people-to-people relations not only between Qataris and Vietnamese but people from all over the world with Viet Nam," the ambassador added.

While underscoring the partnership between Shangri-La and the Vietnamese Embassy, Shangri-La Hotel Doha General Manager Alex Willats stressed the vibrancy of Vietnam's culinary scene with its street food making it to the top ten of Forbes magazine's list of best street food in the world. Two business class return tickets and a weekend stay at Shangri-La Hotel Dubai, as well as an Economy class ticket to Hanoi, Vietnam will be given away through a social media contest open to those attending the festival.