There were a wide range of exotic foods from countries such as Lebanese and, for the more adventurous, barbecued ostrich and crocodile.

It began with a street festival at 6:30pm on Thursday which saw the entire route along Pham Ngu Lao, Do Quang Dau, and Le Lai streets crowded with thousands of people.

Around 100 musician, dancers and street artists from 18 countries took part, playing drums and enacting the legend of Bach Chung Banh day (Square and Round Glutinous Rice Cake) dating back to the time of the Hung Kings, Vietnam’s founder.

Many children and young women wearing Ao ba ba (loose-fitting collarless blouse) performed traditional dances.

The most interesting part of the street festival was the  “Exchange and Meeting” event featuring 20 dancers from various countries in traditional costumes performing folk dances. It was greeted with thunderous applause by the bystanders on Do Quang Dau street.

The one-hour street festival ended with thousands flocking to the food festival from where the opening ceremony was broadcast live on HCM City’s HTV9 channel.

The food stalls were decked out with decorations and had hospitable attendants wearing traditional costumes to not only attract visitors but also hopefully to win the prize for the best booth.

The Indonesian stall was one of the easiest to find – a visitor just had to follow the sound of the Gellddange drum, indispensable, in a traditional Indonesian ensemble.

Tran Thi Tu Uyen, a visitor, said, “The festival is not only satisfying my appetite but is also helping me to discover other countries’ cultures. Each stall has a different cultural hue”

People queued up at the Byblos stall, a HCM City-based Lebanese restaurant, for its special salad and skewered chicken roll.

“It’s very different. They use a thin slice of a small pizza, then roll it with salad and a little bit of skewered chicken. I cannot describe its flavour but it’s really worth it at just VND25,000,” said Mai Xuan Huong.

“Most of the food costs from VND10,000 upwards,” said another price-conscious visitor.

Trung Nguyen Coffee, where a barista made espresso, attracted large crowds from 7pm to 8pm everyday when there was a traditional Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) music performance.

There was the Global Pizza Contest between chefs from famous city hotels like the Park Hyatt and the Majestic. The panel of judges and other experts also advised visitors on how to use wheat flour and the secret to making a delicious pizza. Visitors were also allowed to taste the delicious pizzas the contestants had created.

“It’s not easy to make a delicious pizza,” a foreign expert told a curious visitor, adding that ingredients play an important part and they must be used in the right way. Otherwise, even expensive ingredients will not make for a good pizza.