Published:  00:00 Thursday - October 07, 2010

The 2010 Ha Thanh Culinary Festival opened in West Lake Park in Hanoi on October 6 as part of Hanoi’s millennial celebrations and National Tourism Year 2010.

The five-day event is to highlight the quintessence of Vietnamese gastronomy and preserve the best of Hanoi’s culture as well as promote Vietnam to the world.

The 130 stands at the festival are divided into three sections, featuring the cuisine of southern, northern and central Vietnam with over 500 dishes.

In addition, about 60 foreign dishes will be prepared at the event by 12 groups from countries such as Thailand, Belgium, Russia, France and China.

Hoang Manh Hien, Deputy Chairman of the Hanoi City People’s Committee, said the festival is also a venue for domestic enterprises to meet and establish trade links.

Tens of thousands of tourists had the chance to taste different dishes at the opening ceremony.