(VOVworld) - The 2015 Southern Cuisine Festival, introducing more than 200 local dishes, opened in Ho Chi Minh City on Friday. Visitors to the festival have a chance to enjoy delicious dishes, drinks and culinary specialties of the southern region, particularly from provinces in the Mekong Delta.
One of the festival’s highlights is the traditional New Year celebration of the Khmer ethnic people, Chol Chnam Thmay, with various unique activities including a traditional costume performance, folk games and water-splashing festival. Hoang Van Ba, Deputy General Director of Phu Tho Tourism Company, the festival organizer, said: "We hope the festival will be a venue that showcases local specialty of each province and city across Vietnam, especially those in the southern region. By organizing festivals like this, we hope to attract more visitors to Ho Chi Minh City."

Various activities held during the festival include a cooking contest, a fruit sculpture contest, a special art performance and a circus performance. The festival aims to preserve and promote the values of Vietnam's traditional culinary culture, specifically that of the southern region. The festival will run until June 1.