Residents in Ho Chi Minh City are being treated to a weekend of good food at the Singapore Food Festival that opened in the city on May 26. 

The two-day festival is jointly held by the Singaporean Consulate General in HCM City and the municipal Department of External Affairs to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-Singapore diplomatic ties. 

In her opening remarks, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Catherine Wong lauded the thriving cooperation and friendship between the two countries over the past 45 years. 

Currently, Singapore is the third largest investor in Vietnam and the biggest one in HCM City, she said. 

The ambassador expressed her hope that through the first-ever food festival in HCM City, local residents will get a taste of special Singaporean dishes and explore the country’s “hawker” culture.  

Le Quang Long, Director of the municipal Department of External Affairs, said economic cooperation is always a bright spot of the Vietnam-Singapore relationship. 

In 2017 alone, two-way trade stood at about 17 billion USD, up 8.9 percent year-on-year. Singapore has invested in more than 1,000 projects worth some 10 billion USD in HCM City, he said. 

Besides political and economic ties, cultural and people-to-people exchange have also contributed to tightening the bilateral friendship, he said, voicing his hope that the festival will help enhance the bonds between the two nations.-VNA