Tourism fair in Hanoi a fun feast for visitors

By Kieu Duong   March 29, 2019 | 12:55 am PT
Thousands of visitors to an ongoing tourism fair are having a fun time, playing games and eating to their heart’s content.
Tourism fair in Hanoi a fun feast for visitors

Food stalls at the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) in Hanoi are serving a myriad of dishes from traditional Vietnamese ones like spring rolls and steamed rice rolls with pork to Japanese and Korean delicacies. Freshly fried potato wafers and grilled meat on skewers are big draws.

The fair is being held at the Vietnam-Soviet Friendship Cultural Palace at 91 Tran Hung Dao Street from March 27-30, with the participation of more than 700 businesses from 25 countries and territories.

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A grilled intestine covered with a spicy sauce, a tasty treat that is both spicy and a bit sweet. A serving costs VND30,000 ($1.3).

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Other popular skewer items include sausage fried in butter covered with cheese and fried diced potatoes.

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Calf meat from central Nghe An Province is served with a special sauce which is a mixture of chili sauce, fresh chili and garlic. According to the seller, a calf’s leg costs VND120,000 ($5.2) and can be stored for one month if refrigerated.

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Packages of this gummy-looking dish which are dry resin of scaphium affine trees are being sold at Phan Rang booth.

Phan Rang Town is a popular tourist destination in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The resin is to be soaked in water for 12 hours and then mixed with sugar and honey. The end result tastes like the edible swiftlet nest. A bag of 200 grams costs VND100,000 ($4.3).

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This grapefruit wine has attracted a lot of attention from visitors because of its interesting packaging - a real grapefruit. This product can be found at the Dong Nai Province booth.

Dang Van Thai of Bac Giang Province said it was the first time he was learning about this wine. "The wine tastes mild, it is sweet and a bit bitter, just like the taste of grapefruit."

A grapefruit jar costs VND170,000 ($7.3).

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In addition to gorging themselves on food, a large number of fair goers are also spending time queuing up at game booths.

The Japan game section shown in the picture has a dart game with Japanese products as prizes. The higher the score, the greater the value of the gift received.

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Hanoi resident Nguyen Van Tuan is trying out a virtual reality game. Players get to wear virtual reality glasses and rescue a cat from a high-rise building. What they see is also shown on the large screen in the background.

"It was a bit strange at first, but then I calmed myself and completed the challenge," said Tuan. This game, lasting between 2 to 3 minutes each go, is free.

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At the Taiwan booth, visitors can paint their own masks with watercolors. In addition to selling discounted tours and introducing new ones, the Taiwan section has attracted a lot of young people with milk tea and some cultural performances.

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The Korea Tourism Board mans one of the busiest booths at the fair. It offers several activities, including learn how to make the Korean traditional attire, hanbok, with paper. Visitors can also try out a real costume for free.

The VITM goes on until Saturday, March 30.

 
 
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