Our course is studying the Vietnamese language and culture. Both are strongly influenced by the Chinese neighbor and its language(s) and culture(s). With 4 Chinese students in our group it was fitting to visit the anual Lễ Hội Ẩm Thực Triều Châu (Teochew Food Festival, celebrated from the 16th to the 27th day of the First Lunar Month – March 4 to March 15, 2026) at the Hội Quán Nghĩa An (Nghĩa An Assembly Hall). There is so much to learn about culture and history here!

I could start with the background, since it looks very much like a temple. And a part of this Hội Quán (會館 – community hub) serves as temple, but also as a town hall, a mutual aid society, a commercial network hub, and a place of ancestral worship for immigrants adapting to life in Vietnam.

The specific Chinese group settled here are from Chaozhou (Chinese: 潮州, alternatively Chiuchow, Chaochow or Teochew) in the Teoswa region of east Guangdong, China.

The Food Festival

This festival has it’s own Wikipedia page, but currently only in Vietnamese: Hội quán Nghĩa An. As mentioned above it is held at the end of the first lunar month. It is famous for …

And we tried even more food:

One memorable part is.

Cultural importance

This community hall and the food festival were considered important enough for the Vietnamese culture that it got official recognition and protection. Here is a plate inside the community hall:

The text reads “DI SẢN VĂN HÓA PHI VÂT THỂ QUỐC GIA TẬP QUÁN XÃ HỘI VÀ TÍN NGƯỠNG TẾT NGUYÊN TIÊU CỦA NGƯỜI HOA TP. HCM” which translates to “National Intangible Cultural Heritage: Social Customs and Beliefs of the Lantern Festival (Tết Nguyên Tiêu) of the Chinese Community in Ho Chi Minh City”.

Here is an official list of such recognitions in Vietnam, starting 2012 and now having already 485 entrances: Danh mục Di sản văn hóa phi vật thể quốc gia (List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage).