Ha Thanh Food Festival is one of the main activities that has come along with the 1000 year anniversary of Thang Long – Hanoi.
The opening ceremony of the festival attracted so many visitors that traffic was severely jammed along Lac Long Quan Street. People hurried, pushed and shoved to get to the food festival.
A very large parking area was arranged to watch vehicles for visitors but it could not meet the demand. Many people had their vehicles kept at private parking areas. However, these visitors were over-charged with prices as high as VND50,000 ($2.6) per vehicle which is much higher than normal price.
Over-crowding left many visitors disappointed. There was not much space to enjoy the exciting atmosphere of the event. Many felt exhausted after being kept waiting to buy coupons or to queue at food booths.
The crowded atmosphere made it quite difficult for visitors to soak in the cultural and artistic value of the event.
However, in the coming days, the situation should be much improved so visitors can enjoy the unique food culture of the North, Central and South of Vietnam.
At the parking areas, they won’t have to queue up too long tor worry about being overcharged.
Below are some pictures of the festival:
“Banh cuon” (rolled cake) of Ba Hoanh is a famous brand in Hanoi
Cha ca (fried fish with dill recipe) is a specialty of Hanoi
Food court from the central region lured many customers with unique dishes
Vegetarian food has its own special features at the food court of the South
Visitors have a chance to understand more about special kinds of tea, which were often used by kings from dynasties of the Old Capital city of Hue
Children look on in awe
A dragon made from fruit
Calligraphy also attracted a lot of visitors
Souvenir area showcases traditional gifts
Many young people want to keep images of the festival