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Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn Thực) is a traditional New Year’s day taking place in March every year, popularly appearing in the North of Vietnam and China. Not everyone knows what Tết Hàn Thực is? As well as the origin and meaning of this Tet holiday. Today, let’s find out with Duong’s 2 restaurant clearly!

What is the Cold Food Festival?

The Cold Food Festival (Tết Hàn Thực), also known as Qingming Festival or Tomb Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese and northern provinces of Vietnam holiday that falls on either March 3rd (lunar calendar). It is a time for families to pay their respects to their ancestors by visiting their graves, cleaning the tombstones, and offering food and other offerings.

“Tết Hàn Thực” in Vietnam

On “Tết Hàn Thực” all family’s members, even living or working far from home will come home to make “banh troi” and “banh chay” together. “Banh troi” and “banh chay” are two traditional food of Tet Han Thuc in Vietnam. “Banh troi” are spheres made of glutinous rice flour with piece of sugar inside. “Banh chay” are bigger than “banh troi” and have sweet green bean paste inside instead of piece of sugar.

After all have been done, “banh troi” and “banh chay” will be put on a tray on altar to offer ancestor. The householder will burn incense to invite ancestor enjoy “Tết Hàn Thực” with family. When the liturgy of ancestor worship ended, all family will eat “banh troi” and “banh chay” together. “Banh troi” is usually added some coconut fibers and sesame; “banh chay” is associated with sweet broth.

Origin of Cold Food Festival

The origin of the Cold Food Festival dates back to ancient China, where it was believed that eating hot food during this time would bring bad luck. Therefore, people would eat only cold food for three days leading up to the festival. This tradition is still observed by some people today, although it is not as widely practiced as it once was.

The meaning of Cold Food Festival

In addition to visiting graves and offering food, the Cold Food Festival is also a time for people to enjoy the outdoors and partake in various activities such as kite flying, dragon boat racing, and other traditional games. Overall, the “Tết Hàn Thực” is an important cultural event in Vietnam and China and a time for families to come together to honor their ancestors and enjoy each other’s company.

Another important aspect of the Cold Food Festival is the practice of burning joss paper, also known as ghost money. Joss paper is burned as a form of offering to ancestors in the afterlife, and it is believed that the smoke from the burning paper will reach the spirit world and provide comfort to the deceased.

In recent years, there has been a shift towards eco-friendly alternatives to joss paper, such as paper made from rice or bamboo, in order to reduce environmental impact. Some people also choose to donate to charity or volunteer in honor of their ancestors instead of burning offerings.

The “Tết Hàn Thực” is not just limited to Vietnam and China; it is also observed in other countries with significant Chinese populations, such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. However, the way in which the festival is celebrated may vary depending on the region and local customs.

Conclude

Although the legend of that festival in China is to remember Gioi Tu Thoi a loyalty madarin in the dynasty of King Tan Van Cung, the festival in Vietnam is not related to that legend. We are found that day as a day to remember ancestor and for family gathering.

What is cooking class? A few years ago, the phrase cooking class was quite popular in the hospitality industry. So, what is cooking class? Let’s find out in the following article with duong2restaurant.com.

What is cooking class?

Cooking class is a teach cooking class. There are many types of cooking classes, some for professional chef training, some for amateur cooks, the rest for travelers who want to experience cooking local dishes on their travels.

In the context of this article, we do not discuss professional cooking classes, we just want to share with you some reasons and experiences when participating in a cooking class on our travel itinerary.

Cooking class is very fun

Sure, simply enjoy the enjoyable experience. Whether you are traveling alone, with a close friend or family, the classroom always gives you a warm and cozy atmosphere.

Cooking class is a real-time experience

You can watch all the cooking TV shows you want, but it’s not the real experience like in a cooking class where a professional chef teaches you. You can learn and do things in real time.

Working with a professional chef

You can work with a professional chef, have a deep understanding of food and have a cooking background. You will learn more about time management skills, teamwork, material calculation, nutrition and communication skills.

Experience local cuisine and culture

At Cooking class in Hanoi, not only do you learn to cook, but you can also participate in the journey from visiting local markets, learning about culture, tasting street food, buying ingredients and spices for lesson.

Learn the food decor

In addition to learning to cook a dish in the right way, in the right taste, you also learn how to decorate the food nicely and suit your taste.

How long does a cooking class usually take?

Each cooking session usually takes 2-4 hours, depending on the rules of each facility.

Fees for a cooking lesson

The cost of a cooking class ranges from $ 25 to $ 100 per person, depending on the destination and the size of the class.

We have just learned what is cooking class? And learn about some of the reasons and experiences of taking a cooking class while traveling. Hopefully this information and knowledge will help you in your work and in your life. Wish you good health and always have fun!

See what customers rate us on Tripadvisor

Tripadvisor is the world’s number one travel website, where customers share their experiences of destinations. The reviews of tourists are always strictly censored, ensuring honesty and accuracy.

Upon reading the traveler’s reviews about Duong’s 2 Restaurant, the entire staff and restaurant manager feel proud and confident in their development direction, motivate us to provide a more perfect dining experience.

We would like to take this chance to send a big THANK YOU to all of the guests who have left a review for us on Tripadvisor over the past year. Your feedback is our motivation and inspiration to always go the extra miles to ensure memorable and joyful experience for every customer.

1. Relaxed and romantic dining above the vibrant Hanoi streets

If you want to feel luxury amid the beautiful bustling culture filled streets of Hanoi this is the perfect place. The staff are SO lovely and make you instantly feel at home and welcomed in. The food was absolutely delightful with a choice of French or Vietnamese dishes. We sat on the balcony and enjoyed the vibrant streetscape below while sipping on red wine. We have been to a variety of restaurants both high end and casual and we highly recommend Duongs Dining for a fine dining meal in the heart of Hanoi, this is definitely a place to visit.

Cassandra L

Sydney, Australia

2. Best meal in town. Serious

I grow very suspicious with the reviews on TripAdvisor since every place you go in Hanoi ask you to do the review (including this). But let me say something. This restaurant is really good. The food was wonderful. The service was perfect. I was served by Sweety, who speaks perfect english, is very helpful with the dishes and explain everything. Tell you the ingredients and how to eat.

The duck was marvelous. The Vietnamese pancake (forget the name) was wonderful. I had to rethink the other reviews I do, since we cannot use “excellent” for every medium place. This one is really excellent. You Must try.

JoaoVictor15

Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, Brazil

3. Great meal and experience!

Went here for lunch with my parents and all of us enjoyed the dishes we ordered 🙂

The staff was very courteous and considerate too

EmaanH

Mumbai (Bombay), Ấn Độ

4. Fine dining in Vietnam

This restaurant is the best I have experienced in Vietnam. The service received was very, very good and I must complement the chef who prepared our food. This establishment is to be recommended.

Heinrich_Hellmann

Windhoek, Namibia

5. Great restaurant

I had a great dinner with my friend at Duong’s 2 Restaurant. I feel so good about service, food quality and space very romantic.

Especially, i am most impressed by Mr. Viet Anh. His attitude and service are very thoughtful and professional.

I will definitely come back soon.

Huyenphamm

Bahar ic-Caghaq, Malta

6. The best fusion Vietnamese in town

The best fusion Vietnamese in town. We had fabulous foods here with excellent services. This place is highly recommend.

7. Best Food by far in Hanoi

My partner and I had an evening meal here last night and were first presented with a very tasty amuse bouche. We were then brought our starters of which I had the deep fried Hanoi spring rolls and they were excellent, my partner had the Pho with Australian beef which was also amazing. For our mains I had the Australian Beef tenderloin Rossini which was superb, the beef was cooked exactly as requested and the accompaniments were very tasty as was the beef and foie gras. My partner had the French Duck Rossini cooked 2 ways and again the duck was cooked as requested and also the duck thigh confit, both were excellent and again the accompaniments were great. I can’t recommend this restaurant enough! This restaurant is the best we have been to in Hanoi by far !!

Paulufc

Leeds, England

8. So amazing dinner and unforgetable

I found this restaurant on TripAdvisor, looking for a romantic place for our anniversary. Food tasting was full of flavor, decoration are amazing One in hanoi, I had perfect dinner, it was elegant and superb, the young staff is awesome and made us feel so welcome and excellent service, particular thanks to anh and his team. A perfect end to our trip in Vietnam, this is defenitly worth a visit if you have a chance in hanoi. Must try

9. Excellent

The space is great, clean and food is awsome, special thank to mr anh, he so enthusiastically and warmly. Defenitely come back

10. Very nice restaurant serving French and Vietnamese food

It is a very nice restaurant in Hanoi Old Quarter. They serve both French and Vietnamese dishes. And we tried both of them. The cocktail is highly recommended. Duong special cocktail (featured in the photo) tastes very unique and special.

11. You must try in Hanoi ! So excellent

Every dishes is great

Not Disappointed trust me~

We are here to celebrate a friend’s birthday thank you very much staff Sweety

12. Super Restaurant, Great experience in Hanoi

Me and my friend tried this one for the second time ,really enjoy great location,not too far from the Hoan Kiem lake,Thank you see you in the next trip

13. Yummy, Tasty, Unforgetable

A truly superb dinning experience which i had in hanoi. very well cooked with the best presented by waiter anh. The complementary drink and welcome food tasted like solidified heaven. Food very tasty and amazing esspecially pho but they are not too expensive for dining experience food, We supperised with a free of nice cake from res, it was delicious. Highly Recommended

14. Fantastic Dinner, Elegance and class

We came here twice time in our trip and both of them so amazing. The staff, annh was excellent, and treated us with his warm smile and called me by names right from the start. That was pretty impressive. The restaurant was quite enough and beautiful music. Location is great in the crazy section of Hanoi Old Quarter, it could be seen with the tree and multi coloured lantern infront. We paid alots here but not disappointed. If you are able, I would recommend that you try table with balcony to get the street views and more of the surrounding areas.

15. Nice restaurant, excellent service

One of the last experience in hanoi and we could not disappointed. They warm welcomed us by small dishes which so amazing. We were recommended a combinations of spring rolls and french duck two ways, seabass fitle. They are so so good with glass of carbernet sauvinoug. Our staff , young man, anh shared about his passion with the restaurant, he so kindly to give us some suggestions about our trip. So definitely come back and recommend to our friend.

16. An incredible dining experience!

We were lucky enough to be served by Zung & his colleagues who made our dining experience even more special.

The food here is amazing!! We feasted on the spring rolls, had a lesson in making our own rolls with the Vietnamese pancake & were truly impressed with the tuna & seabass mains we ordered.

The food is fresh & the ingredients top shelf with the combination of flavours clearly coming from a chef who knows their stuff, with a highly competent kitchen team.

After sampling our delicious meals we were lucky enough to meet the Chef who was incredibly friendly & should be very proud of the food he puts out.

The passion fruit cake was up there with the best desert we have ever had – if you like passion fruit & enjoy a soufflé you are going to love this!

All in all the food, service & overall dining experience makes this place a must if you are looking for a great place to dine in Hanoi!!

We wish you continued success & can’t wait to come back to dine with you again!

Cat & Pete

17. Vietnamese – Western fusion

Great food, excellent wine list and very attentive and friendly staff. Well done to all the team. In particular a big thank you to Tonic for her service.

18. Amazing food

Good service provided,everyone so nice and friendly. Interesting menu, enjoy our dinner very much. Keep it up!!

19. Top Chef Dinning

The best meal I have had in 7 days in Hanoi. The waitress was Sweetie and she was very good and glad to be waiting on us. Highly recommend the restaurant.

20. An amazing culinary experience !

This restaurant was absolutely incredible. It was much more than what we ever expected. The atmosphere was so soothing and wonderful. The service was so good. We were especially happy with Ms. Sweety and Mr. Jack. They were our servers. Service was absolutely perfect. Everything was explained to the smallest detail. They spoke excellent English. The food was so delicious.We started with the fried spring rolls and then went to mushroom soup and teriyaki soup and finally ended with barbecued pork and shrimp and scallop. We would highly recommend this restaurant. Fine dining at its best. Try to talk to both Ms Sweety and Mr. Jack. They are hard-working students who are doing a great job as waiters/servers at the restaurant. 10 out of 10!