Malaysia-Vietnam festival showcases culinary delights, business opportunities

Co-hosted by the Vietnam Malaysia Business Association (VMBIZ) and Malaysian event management powerhouse DANG Production Bhd, the event was a vibrant mix of food, tourism and trade.

Over 40 food booths, primarily run by long-established Vietnamese enterprises in Kuala Lumpur like Vinh City, Viet-Thai-Cambodia Mart, and Mini Nguyen Café, tempted visitors with a diverse range of traditional dishes from all three regions of Vietnam. Popular dishes of the northern region like pho, fried spring rolls, and banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) were on offer, alongside specialties of the central region such as fresh summer rolls, banh xeo (crispy pancake) and banh bot loc (rice dumpling cake). The southern region's cuisine was represented by beef sausage and broken rice.

Among the trade exhibitors, Suca AgriFood and Joho Botanical stood out as the sole representatives from Vietnam. Hailing from Dak Lak province and Ho Chi Minh City, they showcased premium natural herbal beauty products, including macadamia nuts, cashew nuts, black soybeans, skincare, hair care, and body oils, all meeting requirements of Muslim consumers.

The festival also highlighted stunning beaches of Da Nang and Hoi An through Muslim-friendly tour packages, featuring hotels with prayer facilities and Halal-certified food. Meanwhile, mosque tour packages in Malaysia also piqued the interest of young Vietnamese travelers.

As of August 18 afternoon, the organising board recorded over 1,000 visitors to the event.

This achievement was made possible with support from the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture, the ASEAN Retail-Chains and Franchise Federation (ARFF), the Business Association of Overseas Vietnamese, and the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia.