The Saigon Urban Street Fest has unfolded with a captivating array of contemporary circus, comedy, and free street dancing in front of the Saigon Central Post Office in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. 

The festival, officially launched on Friday morning, hosts various performances and street art activities daily from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm through Sunday.

Noteworthy performances included live music by the Whee! band and a moving art presentation by Felix Nguyen. 

Each evening, the German dance group The Funky Monkeys collaborates with Vietnamese artists to deliver engaging performances that feature contemporary circus, comedy, and street dance in a harmonious fusion of cultures.

Children contribute to a collaborative painting at the Saigon Urban Street Fest in front of the Saigon Central Post Office in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, December 8, 2023. Photo: Supplied

Trang Duong, a representative of the organizing committee, highlighted the collaboration between the Goethe Institute in Ho Chi Minh City and the virtual art campus artLIVE in bringing the German artists to the Saigon Urban Street Fest. 

The Funky Monkeys dance group spent over 20 days in Ho Chi Minh City practicing and collaborating with local artists for their performances.

Beyond the stage performances, the festival offers attendees the opportunity to engage in various street art activities. 

Artist Thao Xeko created three works depicting Ho Chi Minh City’s architectural marks, street food culture, and various street art forms like graffiti, skateboarding, hip-hop, and circus. 

Additionally, attendees can collectively contribute to a fourth work centered around the theme of Saigon Urban Street Fest.

Miss Peace Vietnam 2022 Tran Thi Ban Mai contributes to a collaborative painting at the Saigon Urban Street Fest in front of the Saigon Central Post Office in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, December 8, 2023. Photo: Supplied

In collaboration with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, the organizers initiated the creation of the largest doodle about Ho Chi Minh City tourism in Vietnam. 

This collaborative painting, assembled from 22 pieces measuring 2×1.5m each, showcases images and tourism values of Thu Duc City and the 21 districts of Ho Chi Minh City. 

Participants have displayed their artistic talents in completing these paintings.

The event’s organizers anticipate recognizing the collaborative painting as a Vietnamese record during the closing ceremony of the Saigon Urban Street Fest, coinciding with the conclusion of Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Week 2023. 

They also announced that a portion of the revenue generated from the festival would contribute to the Draw Your Dream fund, benefiting children across the country, especially those from impoverished backgrounds, ethnic minorities, and pediatric cancer patients facing financial difficulties. 

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The People’s Committee of Da Nang City in central Vietnam has approved a plan to pilot cultural, entertainment, and tourism activities over Nguyen Van Troi Bridge, the oldest bridge connecting both banks of the Han River, to spur the night-time economy.

The pilot plan for the city’s historic bridge is meant to diversify its tourism products and form a unique feature on the Han River.

Da Nang City will start to roll out various tourism services on the bridge and at nearby parks during the first stage of the plan from the first quarter of 2024.

The city will install lighting systems at the park east of the foot of the Nguyen Van Troi Bridge and on the bridge, while building some appealing flowery points for photoshoots at the parks near the bridge.

Photo exhibitions will be held on the ancient bridge or nearby parks quarterly and during national holidays.

The city is looking to organize music performances focusing on traditional, ethnic, and folk music at night on weekends to enthrall dwellers and tourists.

Book-reading and beer festivals can be launched at the parks near the bridge, while fast-food and beverage services will be made available in its surrounding areas to lure revelers.

Built in 1951 by U.S. contractor RMK, Nguyen Van Troi Bridge is over 500 meters long with 13 spans.

According to Da Nang Bridge and Road JSC, a decade back, when the city administration decided to retain the bridge and turn it into a footbridge, the municipal Department of Transport conducted repair and upgrade work.

One of its spans had vertical clearance lifted for three meters to facilitate the passing of passenger ships.

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Children and locals in Vietnam’s Central Highlands will find solace in steaming bowls of pho in the cold weather and participate in a variety of pho-based activities through a meaningful program to mark the Day of Pho (December 12) this weekend.

Pho, one of Vietnam’s most well-known dishes, consists of fresh rice noodles with broth and beef or chicken.

The ‘Pho for Mountainous Children 2023’ initiative – an event meant to delight children in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region with a slew of pho-centric activities, will take place in Da Lat City, a popular tourist site in Lam Dong Province, on Saturday and Sunday.

The Day of Pho is an annual event initiated in 2017 by Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

It went international for the first time via the Vietnam Phở Festival 2023 in Tokyo, Japan on October 7 and 8.

Through the initiative, locals in Lam Dong will be able to participate in a pho-cooking class, rice noodle-making activities, a game show, and a zero-dong market, while immersing themselves in art performances.

The event will also feature a ceremony to award scholarships to outstanding students from low-income families.

At the event, attendees will have the opportunity to savor hot bowls of pho cooked by renowned chefs and winners of the ‘Hoa Hoi Vang’ (Golden Star Anise) award.

The ‘Hoa Hoi Vang’ award is granted each year during the Day of Pho edition to honor pho chefs from across Vietnam.

Winner of the ‘Hoa Hoi Vang’ award Nguyen Tu Tin, co-founder of the Pho’S brand, told Tuoi Tre that three other winners will attend ‘Pho for Mountainous Children 2023’ as well.  

Tin added that to prepare for the event, 30 kilograms of beef bone, 40 kilograms of local grass-fed beef, fresh rice noodles, and ginseng are being transported to Da Lat City from nearby Kon Tum Province, where he will be participating in another food-based function in the days prior to ‘Pho for Mountainous Children 2023.’

Cao Van Luan, the owner of a pho eatery in Australia, and his culinary apprentice will provide the program with 1,000 bowls of pho using beef imported from that country.

“I am eagerly awaiting the event so that I can bring 1,000 bowls of pho to children and locals in Da Lat,” Luan shared, adding that he hopes to spread Vietnamese pho culture through his international cooking style.

“Da Lat has a diverse culinary culture because the city is home to people from various regions [across Vietnam],” Luan said.

“Pho boast a rich diversity of regional styles.

“Each pho brand features a different taste. My international cooking style brings an exotic flavor to eaters.

“I cook the broth for pho with fruits such as apple, coconut, and pineapple to whet eaters’ appetite.”

For the past six years, Tuoi Tre has rolled out numerous community-driven initiatives to honor the annual Day of Pho.

These programs have brought the signature noodle dishto children and poor households in Binh Phuoc, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa Provinces, as well as Ho Chi Minh City.

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