The Asian cuisine festival was held on March 5 in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates. The festival was attended by embassies from 16 countries including Vietnam, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Indonesia, China, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Japan, Nepal, Singapore, Korea, Iran and Azerbaijan.

Thousands of customers visited and enjoyed national dishes, including many local visitors, ambassadors, Chargé d'affaires, diplomats and expatriate communities living and working in Abu Dhabi.

The Embassy of Vietnam attended the festival with a stall splendidly decorated with flags, flowers and panels, photos introducing the country and people of Vietnam and displays of traditional dishes characterizing Vietnam’s gastronomy culture including: spring rolls, noodle soup, vegetable pickles, taro sweetened porridge and spices. Shortly after opening, hundreds of visitors visited the booths and enjoy the cuisines of Vietnam.

"My wife and I are enjoyed the great dishes of Vietnam. I can say that food displayed in Vietnamese booth is the most delicious, " Mr. Lucchese Andrew, an American diplomat commented. Notably, the cuisines of Vietnam praised at the festival were not made by professional chefs but were made and served by embassy staff.

Immediately after the festival, Al-Ahlyia Company of the United Arab Emirates wrote a letter to the Vietnamese Embassy and requested help to recruit some Vietnamese cooks to work for their restaurants.