On November 23, the Vietnam International Food Festival was held in Hanoi. Ambassador He Wei attended the event together with Madam Ngo Phuong Ly, spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam; Ha Thi Nga, Vice Chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Madam Le Nguyet Anh, spouse of Foreign Minister Lê Hoài Trung; as well as diplomatic envoys from various countries to Vietnam.

In his remarks, Ambassador He noted that cuisine, as an important cultural symbol, embodies the historical heritage, values, and cultural essence of different nations, and has become a natural bond for exchanges among peoples of all countries. He expressed the hope that all parties would take cuisine as a medium and culture as a bridge to enhance mutual understanding and friendship. Ambassador He also extended his deep sympathies to Vietnam for the recent typhoons and flooding, and announced that the Chinese government would provide cash assistance to Vietnam to help the country overcome the difficulties at an early date and restore production and living order.

The Vietnam International Food Festival is a charitable event initiated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, with proceeds used to support livelihood-related causes and disaster relief efforts in the country. Recently, many parts of Vietnam have been hit by severe typhoons and flooding, which have so far resulted in 102 people dead or missing.