Hanoi food is served at the International Media Centre (IMC) during the DPRK-USA Summit in Hanoi (Photo: Thuy Linh/ vov.vn)

Many prominent chefs were asked to prepare food at the International Media Centre (IMC) during the DPRK-USA Summit in Hanoi.

A wide range of European and Asian dishes, including typical food of Hanoi such as ‘Pho Thin’ (Mr. Thin’s noodles served with beef), ‘bun cha’ (noodles and grilled meat), ‘bun thang’ (noodles in chicken broth), ‘xoi Phu Thuong’ (steamed glutinous rice) and ‘banh khuc’(cake made of glutinous rice mixed with gnaphalium leaves), were served. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Hung, who was in charge of the logistics service at the IMC, said: “The menu included a variety of dishes. The reporters were really impressed with the Hanoi cuisine, especially the Hanoi Pho”.

Jung Rina, a reporter with South Korea’s Asia Today newspaper, was in Hanoi to report on the DPRK-USA Summit and had also been in Vietnam in 2017 to cover the APEC 2017 Summit in Da Nang. She speaks Vietnamese fluently, having majored in Vietnamese in school. She said she really enjoyed the Pho and the shrimp paste: “I like beef noodle soup and vermicelli with tofu and shrimp paste. South Koreans are also fond of Pho because it is similar to South Korean soup”.

Proud to serve “bun thang” at an important international event for the first time, chef Doan Van Loi said Ba Am “bun thang” appeared in Hanoi more than 100 years ago: “Bun thang is considered a typical dish of Hanoi. It requires a number of ingredients to make a bowl of bun thang, including shrimp paste, chicken, pork, egg, and herbs”.

Ye Jin Lee with South Korea’s TBS television and radio network and her colleagues are fond of Hanoi’s Pho (Photo: Thuy Linh/ vov.vn)

Mr. Hoang Nhan Chinh, Head of the Tourism Advisory Board, said: “Each dish has its own story and message which makes foreign visitors want to explore. Food is like an ambassador that promotes the image of Vietnam as well as its local tourism sector”.

Journalist Nguyen Ngoc Anh said: “Vietnamese cuisine is becoming better known in global media. It’s getting easier to find information on how and where to enjoy the delicious food of Hanoi. We should do more to publicize Vietnamese cuisine and culture to the world”.