The First Vietnamese “Bánh Mì” Festival 2023

In 2023,  The Department of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association will organize the first Vietnamese Banh mi Festival, to contribute to the creation and affirmation of the value and brand of Banh mi.

The origin of Vietnamese Banh mi

Vietnamese Banh mi meets three criteria: inexpensive - quick -  delicious, hence it has long been a popular food among Vietnamese people. Nonetheless, Vietnamese bread is developed from the French baguette.

During the "colonization" phase of the nineteenth century, the French brought baguettes to Vietnam. The baguettes are long and have a firm, dark golden crust. Europeans frequently sliced it into little pieces and ate it with soup, curry, or alone. Because Vietnamese cuisine is typically mushy and watery, dry baguettes are not especially popular among the Vietnamese.

Vietnamese Banh mi

Hoa Ma bakery began selling French-style bread "wrapped in everything" in 1958. By 1970, Vietnam had made bread with a crispy, aromatic exterior layer, and an interior that was hollower and spongier than a baguette. The empty intestine is used to stuff with contents like meat, pate, eggs, herbs, and so on. This is also why bread has grown popular all around the world.

The First Vietnamese Banh mi Festival

According to the organizers, the Vietnamese Banh mi Festival is organized to commemorate the importance that bread gives to the country's cuisine, disseminating the value of Vietnamese bread to domestic and international friends, as well as the desire to create conditions that allow bakers to utilize their abilities and creativity.

What will be featured during the Bread Festival?

The Vietnamese Banh mi Festival will be held at the Youth Cultural House in Ho Chi Minh City from March 30 to April 2. 120 stalls of restaurants, bakeries, and ingredient suppliers from Ho Chi Minh City, as well as neighboring provinces and cities, will be present at the festival.

The festival also presents many famous pieces of bread from across the world, including French bread, Italian bread, and sorts of bread in various styles, in addition to native bread that has become household names in Vietnam. The event also holds a lecture called "The voyage to build Vietnamese Banh mi" featuring 105 dishes made with bread from renowned chefs. 

The first Vietnamese Banh mi Festival will be hosted in HCMC

Not only exhibiting and introducing Banh mi, but the Banh mi Festival also dedicates space to the program of starting a business from bread carts for women and students of the bakery industry; The program honors the "Top 50 oldest and famous bread brands in Vietnam". Culinary experts and economic experts will introduce the advantages of the bread business in starting a business, shaping their own brand, and affirming the creativity of rich dishes from bread.

Vietnam Banh mi Festival - Utilizing cuisine to lure tourist

According to the "father" of marketing, Philip Kotler, when he came to Vietnam in 2007, said, "making Vietnam into the world's kitchen is the finest approach to grow tourism". Vietnam boasts a diverse and distinct cuisine. Vietnamese food has to be developed to lure visitors like it has been successful in Thailand.

For travelers, eating is not just about meeting their nutritional needs, but also about having a good time and discovering new foods. Exploiting the gastronomic value in tourism will aid in the development of tourism in general and the local economy in general.

Using cuisine to boost tourism

As a result, Vietnam must improve society's awareness about the importance of food in tourist growth. Promoting tourism via cuisine requires including tourism and Vietnamese cuisine into the plan for constructing and promoting Vietnamese tourist products.

The information above is about the Banh mi and the Vietnamese Banh mi Festival in HCMC. The event is projected to draw between 50,000 and 70,000 visitors who will come to see, experience, and shop. What are you waiting for? Travel to Vietnam and join in this festival!