On the evening of October 24, the opening ceremony of the 2025 Belgian Culture and Food Festival—B.Fest 2025—took place at the Hai Phong City Political and Administrative Center.
Speaking at the opening of B.Fest 2025, Nguyen Minh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong City People’s Committee, affirmed that the Belgian Culture and Food Festival in Hai Phong had entered its fifth season. The event is meaningful not only to residents and the Belgian community living and working in the city, but also attracts large numbers of visitors from near and far through its cheerful, bustling atmosphere imbued with the character of the Kingdom of Belgium during Hai Phong’s most beautiful autumn days.
The Belgian Culture and Food Festival—B.Fest is a contemporary cultural landmark, perfectly combining the spirit of a European festival with the openness and dynamism of the people of the port city.
Nguyen Minh Hung, Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong City People’s Committee, speaks at the opening ceremony.
“Hai Phong City highly appreciates the thorough investment and careful preparations of DEEP C Industrial Park Management Co., Ltd., the unit entrusted by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Belgium in Vietnam to organize the festival, as well as the active coordination of departments, agencies and related units in the city,” the Vice Chairman of the Hai Phong City People’s Committee emphasized.
B.Fest 2025 brings a festival space bursting with energy. Over the three festival days, a “miniature Europe” will appear with music, food and a wide range of entertainment activities.
The Belgian Culture and Food Festival—B.Fest has become a distinctive highlight, enriching Hai Phong City’s cultural life.
This year, B.Fest adds a series of creative recycling activities using beer bottles and caps to the festival discovery journey, highlighting its “Green” spirit. Visitors can paint beer bottles, arrange caps into artworks or make decorative accessories from caps themselves. This is a highly creative move by the organizers, combining an enjoyable experience with environmental protection and meaningful messages.
One of the most impressive features of B.Fest 2025 is its stage. This year’s festival brings together performers expected to keep audiences on their feet, including singer Duong Hoang Yen with her powerful, emotional voice, singer Anh Tu with energetic hits, and DJ Funktastix, DJ Alexa and Dat Ozy, who will immerse audiences in a lively, multifaceted musical space. The performers promise to turn the stage into a spectacular music feast. The B.Fest stage will also allow audiences to become part of the program through a series of minigames revealed on D-day.
B.Fest is meaningful not only to residents and the Belgian community living and working in the city, but also attracts large numbers of visitors from near and far.
The bartender show will feature beer-mixing performances combined with artistic juggling. Street circus performers will present stilt-walking acts around the event grounds, surprising audiences. A photo corner decorated with a distinctive Belgian character will make visitors feel as if they are traveling around Europe without a passport. Other stage games will bring the spirit of a Belgian street festival, where everyone can participate, laugh freely and join an endless wave of fun. Artistic performances combining Vietnamese and Belgian cultures will create unique cultural-exchange shows.
If the stage is the heart, the experiential activities are B.Fest’s soul. Whether they are beer fans, culture lovers or simply people who enjoy gathering with friends, everyone will find something joyful in the festival’s small corners.
Opening ceremony of the Belgian Culture and Food Festival—B.Fest 2025.
At the craft-beer experience area, visitors can discover 20 renowned beers from Belgium, known as the “cradle of the world’s brewing art.” From ales rich in malt and caramel aromas to light, refreshing lagers, every beer is carefully selected to appeal to customers with discerning tastes. Each sip and layer of flavor tells a story of Belgian passion, meticulousness and creativity.
An especially distinctive new feature of B.Fest 2025 is a smart wristband payment system. Visitors can freely pay for food, drinks, souvenirs and activities around the grounds without cash. It is a convenient, safe and modern payment model that clearly demonstrates the organizers’ effort to elevate the international-standard festival experience in Vietnam.
Karl Van den Bossche, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Vietnam, speaks at the opening ceremony.
At the festival, Karl Van den Bossche, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Vietnam, shared: “Beginning as a small festival in 2019, the event has grown into a vibrant tradition connecting cultures, communities and, of course, wonderful beers. Over the years, DEEP C has not only been the largest Belgian industrial investor in Vietnam. As it says, ‘We do not just build factories—we build the future.’ We Belgians are proud to cooperate in building the future you want.”
“The Kingdom of Belgium and Hai Phong City have many things in common. But did you know that we both have UNESCO-recognized heritage? Belgian beer has been recognized as ‘Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.’ For its part, Hai Phong is also very proud that the Cat Ba Archipelago has been recognized as a World Natural Heritage site. Together, we will bring everyone the best experiences. Belgium also has more than 1,000 different beers—enough to try a new one every day for three years. At this year’s B.Fest, we are proud to introduce more than 30 Belgian beers, authentic cuisine and performances by domestic and international artists. Here is my challenge to you: ‘Try them all!’ We will continue cooperating on green infrastructure and renewable energy, and the greatest strength lies in cultural connection,” Ambassador Karl Van den Bossche emphasized.
Bruno Jaspaert, General Director of the DEEP C Industrial Park Complex, affirmed that B.Fest 2025 plays an important role in promoting Hai Phong as a modern and friendly tourist destination. From famous Belgian beer and energetic performances to creative interactive activities, everything contributes to a space where international culture meets local identity. After five editions, B.Fest has become and continues to become an indispensable part of the cultural life of the people of the port city. Every year, thousands of visitors come to Hai Phong not only to enjoy good beer but also to experience the vibrant, youthful and inspiring atmosphere of a city rising strongly.
Bruno Jaspaert, General Director of the DEEP C Industrial Park Complex.
From an event with a European character, B.Fest has moved beyond the role of an annual festival and is gradually becoming a new cultural and tourism symbol of Hai Phong, helping promote economic development, attract tourists and spread a positive way of life in the community.
In its construction and development, Hai Phong City has always valued culture and residents’ spiritual lives, because culture is the driving force and source of sustainable development. In this flow, the Belgian Culture and Food Festival—B.Fest has become a distinctive highlight, enriching the city’s cultural life. It is also a vivid symbol of the friendly cooperation between the Kingdom of Belgium and Vietnam, as well as between Belgian enterprises and Hai Phong City over the years.
Source: Dau Tu Newspaper