Balade en France 2024: “Distinctive Flavors – Sports Spirit”

Following the success of the previous three event seasons in 2018, 2020 and 2023, the renowned French culinary festival "Balade en France" will be held in Hanoi early next month.

 Festival of food and sports

The press conference for the 2024 Balade en France Festival was held on  March 27. Photo: French Embassy in Vietnam

Co-organized by the French Embassy in Vietnam and the Hanoi People's Committee, the fourth edition of the largest French gastronomic festival in Vietnam will be held at Thong Nhat Park in Hanoi from April 5 to 7. The opening ceremony of the festival will be held on April 5 at 7 pm.  

Balade en France 2024 will feature around 80 stands selling French food, wine and cosmetics and stands showcasing French tourism and fashion. The number of booths is expected to be one and a half times that of the previous festival.

According to Olivier Brochet, French Ambassador to Vietnam, this year's festival will be held under the theme "Distinctive Flavors - Sports Spirit".

To welcome the Olympic Games that Paris will host this summer, "Balade en France 2024" also features a 300-square-meter "Sports Village" offering a wide range of sports activities, including basketball, golf, badminton, archery and tennis.

The poster of the event

"We encourage the Vietnamese people to practice good health habits by choosing quality food and sports activities," said the Ambassador.

Promoting 'French spirit' through cuisine and street art

The event will feature a French market with more than 80 stalls selling French agricultural and food specialties. There will also be cooking demonstrations by French and Vietnamese chefs. French-Vietnamese dishes with fresh ingredients from France will be prepared by famous chef Nguyen Manh Hung (Hungazit).

The event aims to introduce key French products such as chocolate, bread, cheese, sausage, fruit and wine to local customers. French restaurants in Hanoi, such as La Table Hanoia, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, Saint Honoré Bakery and others, will showcase their best at the festival.

Cakes prepared by the French bakery Saint Honoré.

At the press conference for the event held this morning (April 27), French Ambassador Olivier Brochet shared that both Vietnamese and French cuisine and people have "many similarities".

“The world-famous Vietnamese dish banh mi is said to be derived from the French baguette. Meanwhile, the French dish of beef stew ‘The Pot Au Feu’ is as popular as Vietnamese pho bo. In addition, the Vietnamese and French share a common hobby of eating delicious food," he said.

"Beyond the meaning of a trade fair, the 'Balade en France' festival introduces the 'spirit of enjoying French cuisine' to the Vietnamese public. At the same time, it is a rendezvous for French-Vietnamese cultural, culinary and artistic exchanges," he stressed.

The booth of "Taste France" at the Balade En France 2023. French Embassy in Vietnam

In addition, this year's event will be highlighted by street art performances featuring conductor Dong Quang Vinh and artists from the Suc Song Moi (New Vitality) Symphony Orchestra, Vietnamese singers Thu Thuy, Hua Thanh Tu & Etienne, DJ Jahmadinho and Hoang Dung.

Balade En France - All in One 2024 Streetdance Festival and performances by Francophone schools in Hanoi will also be held during the two and a half day festival.

Balade En France Festival 2024 is free and open to the public.