Van Thanh Resort’s annual “My Homeland Festival” takes visitors on a virtual tour of rural Vietnam in all its gastronomic and anthropological glory.

In the early days of the New Year, the riverside park will transform itself into a collection of replicas – traditional trade villages, rural markets and folk music amphitheaters – each one featuring the sights and sounds of a particular region.

Staff will dress up in the traditional clothes of several ethnic minority communities and women will showcase life in the countryside by carrying baskets on their heads and bamboo shoulder poles.

The sounds of the countryside will also be abound as staff members will also act as criers selling their wares throughout the villages.

Van Thanh is the perfect place for such a festival as it’s quiet, secluded and very green, with splendid views across the Saigon River.

Visitors will have chance to enjoy delicacies from the Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre, Tra Vinh, Dong Thap as well as the southern coastal province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau. These are treats rarely found in Ho Chi Minh City.

Moreover, specialists will demonstrate the cooking of centuries-old Vietnamese snacks. Guests can also observe as distillers make traditional Vietnamese rice wine.

Folk art is also a part of the festival. Visitors can enjoy the songs of yesterday with performances by hat cheo (a form of satirical musical theater) artists, hat tuong (classical drama) companies, and don ca tai tu Nam Bo (southern amateur music) troupes.

In addition, a Khmer band from Soc Trang Province, a performance by a bamboo-instrument group from Buon Don District in the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak, a Cham dance and Paranung music troupe from Ninh Thuan Province and gong players from the mountainous province of Gia Lai will entertain crowds with traditional music from each region.

Artisans’ will also demonstrate the age-old crafts of mat making, basket weaving, lantern making, ceramics shaping, brocade weaving, noodle making, and tofu and soy milk cooking. The features of the gourmet demonstrations will be the banh trang (griddle cake) Trang Bang and com dep Tra Vinh (green rice from Tra Vinh Province) displays.

And children will not be bored as they’ll be able to play with plenty of traditional toys made from all-natural materials such as coconut leaves, bamboo and clay.

The festival will take place from 16:00-21:00 from March 5-7 at Van Thanh Resort, 48/10 Dien Bien Phu Street, Ward 22, Binh Thanh District. Tel: (08) 3 512 3025, (08) 3 512 3027, email: vanthanh.resort@gmail.com.

Reported by Nguyet Anh