Pho festival to kick off in Seoul in October

Attendees discuss significance of Pho Fesival in Vietnam. (Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea (BAViK)

A culinary festival dedicated to promoting Vietnam's trademark pho will be held in Seoul in October, the Business Association of Vietnamese in Korea announced in a press release Tuesday.

The festival is to celebrate pho, a Vietnamese dish made from a fragrant broth, rice noodles, herbs and typically beef or chicken, and showcase the dish to Koreans, Vietnamese living in Korea and international tourists.

According to BAViK, pho represents the heart of Vietnamese culture and the pinnacle of the country's rice civilization. Beyond being a beloved food, pho contributes to the economy by increasing farmers' incomes, as the value of pho is much higher than that of raw rice, it said.

Pham Huy Binh, chairman of Saigon Tourist Group and one of the co-organizers of the festival, emphasized Korea's importance as a major tourism market for Vietnam and noted the significant Vietnamese expatriate community in Korea.

"There are more Korean tourists in Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam," Binh said. "We aim to attract even more Korean visitors to Vietnam in the future."

Korea is the largest investor in Vietnam and a leading source of tourists, with strong bilateral ties evident in the popularity of on another's cuisines.

The festival will deepen cultural exchange and mutual understanding, showcasing the intertwined culinary traditions of both countries, according to organizers.

Detailed information on the festival in Seoul is to be released later, the organizers added.