A two-day culinary festival will be held in Hanoi this weekend, offering local gastronomes the chance to taste traditional dishes of the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam.

A variety of scrumptious delights await festival-goers at the Korean-Vietnamese Culinary Festival, including Korean specialities kimchi and bibimbap and traditional pho (noodle soup) and nem (spring roll) from Vietnam.

Both Vietnamese and Korean cuisines will be highlighted in the festival this year in order to celebrate the culinary cultures of the two countries, according to the festival's organiser.

Jointly organised by the RoK Embassy, the RoK General Department of Tourism and Vietnam 's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the event aims to promote bilateral relations and understanding among people of the two countries.

During the festival, visitors can enjoy special foods and take part in a wide range of activities, including drumming, lion dances, martial arts demonstrations, and a cooking contest.

Guests to the festival can also join in a vocal competition, in which Korean contestants will sing in Vietnamese and the Vietnamese will sing in Korean.

The RoK Rural Development Administration has planned an exhibit for the festival on kimchi, which ranked among the top five of American Health magazine's World's Healthiest Foods in 2006.

Korean food companies will display and sell their products while Vietnamese companies will advertise tropical products like tea, coffee and fruits.

Guests will be asked to buy a coupon for 10,000 VND, allowing them to taste foods and automatically entering them in a cash lottery. The money made from food sales will be donated to needy children in Vietnam through the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front.

The festival will take place at the Vietnam Agriculture Fair Centre, 2 Hoang Quoc Viet Street , Cau Giay District. The weekend culinary event forms part of the 19th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the RoK. (Source: VNA)