On Sept. 14, the annual Vietnamese Cultural Fest, brought by the Vietnamese Cultural and Science Association, returned for the second year after its four year hiatus to the NRG Center to give Houston a “taste of Vietnam.”

This year, the festival welcomed 10,000 people along with over 300 volunteers and sponsors, including Coca-Cola, surrounded by the folktale theme “Dragon and Fairy.”

The main and most anticipated event was the Miss Teen Viet Pageant which returned for its second year at the festival. In the pageant, 19 contestants, including junior Emma Tran, competed to win $3000 worth of scholarship money.

“I joined the pageant with the intent of making new friends, as well as getting more in touch with my culture and heritage,” Tran said. “I also thought it’d just be a fun experience overall, win or lose.”

The contestants performed a group dance and showcased their own áo dài’s as they strutted across the stage. Semi-finalists and the winner of the people’s choice vote moved on to an interview competition, battling for a spot on the podium. Other awards in the pageant included the Miss Photogenic and Miss Congeniality awards.

“Honestly, going on stage wasn’t really out of the ordinary, since I’ve been performing since I was young and since I’m in theater,” Tran said. “It was super fun and definitely a new experience because last year I was part of the audience at the festival rather than being on stage. I’d say my favorite part was definitely seeing my friends and family who came to support me, and afterwards I was able to spend time with them as well.”

From bánh mì to bún bô huế, the festival offered a variety of foods from different regions of Vietnam. A multitude of food stands provided the Vietnamese cuisine, including popular restaurant chain Kim Son.

The festival also held food eating competitions, with the most popular being the phở eating contest. For every contest, the top three winners received a cash prize. Sophomore Kayla Tran, representing Bellaire’s Vietnamese Student Association, was the third place winner of the blind boba tasting contest, winning $50.

“I was grateful to win the tie-breaking game that placed me on the podium, but I also felt a bit disappointed because I felt like I could’ve placed 1st or 2nd if I hadn’t changed my right answer to the wrong one at the last second,” Kayla Tran said.

Visitors at the festival had the opportunity to watch different Vietnamese performances, including the dragon dance by Lee’s Golden Dragon, a dance performance from students of Rice University’s Vietnamese Student Association, performances from Vovinam and a lion dance by Lend a Hand.

Other competitions and activities consisted of Vietnamese trivia (đố vui để học), a traditional dress contest, Vietnamese gambling (bầu cua tôm cá), the bánh mì eating contest and so much more. Those who participated in games, like sophomore Alex Sioco, could earn tickets to win prizes.

“The games were pretty fun and I liked winning prizes from tickets,” Sioco said. “My friends and I won a bouncy horse, which was pretty cool.”

Because there were so many games, competitions and events, the festival also had many volunteers, four of them being students from Bellaire. Kayla Tran was one of those students, running the Vietnamese traditional gambling stand.

“I volunteered to earn hours and meet new people. I also wanted to experience the behind-the-scenes of the festival, since last year I only attended,” Kayla Tran said. “I learned about all the preparation that goes into organizing the festival, and I really appreciate all the effort put into making it a great experience for everyone.”

This year although the festival expected around 15,000 attendees, the attendance fell short at 10,000. Despite this, Sioco said that the festival’s mood was still celebratory and fun.

“I was surprised at how many people there were,” Sioco said. “It was my first time seeing a pageant, and there were so many foods that I’d never seen before.”

Sioco also didn’t expect to learn as much about Vietnamese culture as he did.

“I learned more about Vietnamese clothing such as the áo dài and Vietnamese street food and drinks,” Sioco said. “I also thought that the language sounded interesting because it sounds completely different from Mandarin, which I am used to hearing from my family.”

Emma Tran discovered more about her culture from the festival as well, learning about Vietnamese food lore.

“I got to learn more about my culture and the importance and significance of certain traditions and tales since the theme was based on a folktale,” she said.

Overall, the festival brought Vietnamese culture to Houston, and, according to VSCA’s website, “promoted the beauty of Vietnamese culture that welcomes people of all backgrounds and ages in Houston and its surroundings.”

The festival explored, and will continue to explore, the three regions of Vietnam by including events, games, and cuisine from the North, Central, and South regions. The Vietnamese Cultural and Science Association plans to bring back the festival around the same time next year.