VietCharm Culture & Dining Show – an emotional feast in the heart of Independence Palace
VietCharm Culture & Dining Show officially launches from the first day of Tet with two lunch and dinner seatings daily at Independence Palace Conference Center, ticket prices 1.6 – 1.8 million dong, with a costume option at 300,000 dong per person (quite similar to imperial court shows in China)
That evening, stepping through the gate at 108 Nguyen Du, the first feeling is not "going to see a show," but rather being invited to a banquet telling the story of Vietnam, right within the familiar yet strange heritage site – Independence Palace. No longer a quiet tourist attraction as always, the Palace suddenly transforms into a living space, where sound, light, the aroma of food, and the audience's laughter intertwine.
In the middle of the square audience hall symbolizing the motherland is a 360-degree rotating circular stage, turning slowly like a small universe, where Vietnamese culture is "presented" in a very modern way. I like the feeling of no clear boundary between the stage and the dining tables – artists walk close to the tables, audiences sometimes stand up and dance, raise their phones, sometimes just sit quietly listening to the zither sounds echoing right beside their ears.
The journey begins with "Lotus Genesis" – contemporary dance set to zither music, in front is a lotus appetizer with crispy lotus root, fresh lotus leaf, and fragrant lotus seed arranged on rustic ceramic. While watching the dancer rotate through thin smoke, while picking up a piece of lotus dipped in sauce, suddenly you see images of lotus fields, village ponds, very old things, yet told in a very new way.
Then the stage changes color, "Au Lac Spirit" drums thunder, light sweeps across armor sets and flags, while servers bring "Imperial Pho" to the table. Clear pho broth, stock simmered for 18 hours, presented fine dining style but the taste is so familiar that just one sip brings back memories of early mornings by the roadside.
Passing through the mountains is "Mountain Sturgeon Fishing" – Northwest sturgeon steamed with herbs, star fruit, with hints of forest fragrance in the air, on stage is the "Pieau Scarf" dance and energetic wooden leg dancing. The sound of feet tapping on bamboo, laughter, cheers pulling audiences out of their seats, some even venture near the stage to film videos, like a miniature village fair set in the heart of Saigon.
In the middle section, the story quiets down with spirit medium chanting, "Thousand Mountains Duet" casts a sacred color over the space, lights shift to darker tones, everyone suddenly speaks less, just sits watching. On the table is "Golden Phoenix Five-Color Tortoise" – crispy-skinned local chicken eaten with five-colored sticky rice and pickled vegetables, both rustic and carefully detailed in every small aspect.
Central Vietnam appears through "String Music of Vietnam," "Court Elegant Music," with "Golden Shrimp Joy Happiness" and "Phoenix Palace Royal Feast" – abalone soup, scallops, cordyceps simmered for 72 hours. If before you only knew Hue elegant music through books or videos, sitting here, hearing the folk instruments resonate through the enclosed space, seeing performers in court costumes walk around your table, the feeling is completely different.
At the end, the stage opens toward the South with "Southern Countryside," ancient folk songs, tales of the Young Master of Bac Lieu, on the table is beef loin grilled with lemongrass and coriander sauce named "Wilderness Opening the Land." People say this is a multi-sensory feast, but perhaps it is more accurate to call it a short journey across Vietnam, taken through ears, eyes, nose, mouth – all senses are occupied.
When the dessert "Lotus Completion Fullness" – longan tea with Thap Muoi lotus seeds, red dates – is brought out, the song "Hello Vietnam" plays like a greeting closing the journey. At that moment, many people picked up their phones to film, but I just wanted to put mine away and sit listening to the whole song, reflecting on how many different pieces of Vietnam I had "encountered" in the past 90 minutes.
Looking from a tourism product perspective, VietCharm is clearly not just a meal costing nearly 2 million dong, but a well-structured culinary-cultural show, with a director, music director, choreographer, and master chef behind it. The two ticket prices of 1.6 and 1.8 million already include 8 dishes, tea ceremony, nearly ten artistic performances, in a heritage space right in the city center – the real "value" lies in that complete experience.
For international visitors, this is like an "eye-opening lesson" about Vietnam, condensed in 90 minutes instead of many days traveling across three regions. For Vietnamese people, especially young people in Saigon, VietCharm gives them a reason to return to Independence Palace in a completely different way – not just to see a monument, but to sit down and eat a meal that tells the story of their own origins.
