Vietnam Phở Festival concludes in Singapore with success in culture, trade

20/10/2025 11:25

The Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 officially concluded on Sunday afternoon at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore’s largest community complex, leaving behind deep impressions among local residents, overseas Vietnamese, and business partners, along with strong gains in trade promotion.

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Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper Tran Xuan Toan, head of the organizing committee of the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025, speaks at the closing ceremony in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

“On behalf of the organizers, I would like to thank the people of Singapore, the Vietnamese community here, and all the businesses that participated. This festival is a wonderful opportunity for international friends to better understand Vietnam and its people,” said Tran Xuan Toan, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper and head of the organizing committee, in his closing speech.

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Pham Huy Binh (L), director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, and Tran Xuan Toan (R), head of the organizing committee of the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025, present certificates of appreciation to sponsors in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

The ceremony was attended by Pham Huy Binh, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism; Nguyen Minh Son, deputy secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City chapter of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union; Nguyen Huu Y Yen, chairman of the Members’ Council of Saigontourist Travel Service Company under Vietnam’s Saigontourist Group; and Nguyen Thi Hong Gam, deputy director of sales and marketing of Saigontourist Group.

Held on the main stage of Our Tampines Hub, the closing event drew enthusiastic participation from Singaporeans and Vietnamese expatriates alike.

Over two days from Saturday to Sunday, the festival attracted nearly 40,000 visitors, serving tens of thousands of dishes from traditional pho to other Vietnamese favorites like bun bo Hue (Hue-style spicy beef noodles) and banh mi (Vietnamese baguette sandwich).

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Chefs and 'pho' brand representatives receive certificates of appreciation from Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 organizers in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

On the business front, the festival recorded over 400 meetings and trade exchanges between Vietnamese and Singaporean companies, leading to several deals worth tens of thousands of U.S. dollars, along with multiple memorandums of understanding that promise deeper cooperation in the near future.

“We’ve achieved tangible results, not only in Vietnamese goods being exported to Singapore, but also in Singaporean companies expanding investment and exports to Vietnam,” Toan said.

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The Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 organizing committee expresses gratitude to all partners, chefs, and 'pho' brand owners for their contributions to the event in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Beyond the event venue, the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 received widespread attention across domestic and international media, with thousands of mentions on various platforms.

Toan emphasized that Vietnam and Singapore share many similarities, especially in cuisine, and hoped that this festival would further strengthen the bilateral friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

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Vo Hung Thuat (R), director of the Media Service Center at Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, presents certificates of appreciation to artists, artisans, and emcees supporting the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre

Like its previous editions in Japan and South Korea, the Singapore festival once again 'profited greatly' in terms of affection, cultural exchange, and goodwill from international friends and overseas Vietnamese.

“We deeply appreciate all the partners, chefs, and pho brand owners who contributed to this success. Thank you, Singapore, and we look forward to returning with future Vietnam Phở Festival editions and other Tuoi Tre events,” Toan said.

Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore: Cultural connection, cooperation boost

The Vietnam Phở Festival was organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and Saigontourist Group, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Community Liaison Committee in Singapore.

The event, held under the guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, took place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub in the city-state.

The festival came as Vietnam and Singapore have just upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, underlining the event's timeliness and significance.

With the message 'Pho - Enjoying Together, Growing Together,' the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 aimed not only to invite international friends to enjoy Vietnam's iconic dish—listed by CNN in 2011 among the world's 50 must-try foods—but also to convey Vietnam's aspiration for connection, sharing, and growing together.

Through the festival, pho was presented as a 'cultural ambassador,' a bridge fostering prosperity and sustainability between Vietnam, Singapore, and global friends.

The highlight of the event was offering Singaporeans and visitors the chance to savor authentic Vietnamese pho, freshly prepared by top Vietnamese chefs and culinary artisans at Our Tampines Hub.

Head chefs from five-star hotels under Saigontourist Group, including Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon, and the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club, along with renowned pho brands such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, and Ba Ban Pho, showcased the diversity of pho recipes and styles of enjoyment.

Beyond pho, visitors also enjoyed a range of traditional Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Saigontourist's five-star chefs, creating a vibrant 'culinary symphony.'

Alongside the festival, a large-scale investment forum titled the 'Vietnam-Singapore Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum 2025' was held, highlighting the event's practical significance.

The forum kicked off right after the opening ceremony on the morning of October 18 and was expected to attract around 150 enterprises from both countries.

At the forum, government agencies and businesses discussed new cooperation trends in green processing industries and logistics, tourism and aviation services, the export and import of Vietnamese agricultural products and specialties, as well as digital transformation and e-commerce.

In particular, the Business Matching program (one-on-one business meetings) facilitated direct connections between Vietnamese and Singaporean enterprises, helping them explore practical partnership opportunities.

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Minh Duy - Nghi Vu / Tuoi Tre News

Link nội dung: https://news.tuoitre.vn/vietnam-pho-festival-concludes-in-singapore-with-success-in-culture-trade-103251020111725198.htm