3 Oct 2017

Date       22 Sep 2017 

Time      6:00 pm – 

Venue   Red Apron Wine Cellar & Grandma’s Restaurant 

On September 22, the “A Taste of Hanoi” evening party was held at the Asian Tigers Group Hanoi for the third year running as an initiative to welcome new transferees into the city. That tastefully designed evening, full of cultural and culinary events, afforded warm exposure of Hanoi’s rich heritage and the opportunity for establishing connections within the expatriate community to the newcomers.

The classy welcome drink marked the evening’s start, made possible with the partnership of Red Apron, one of the Asian Tigers’ partners. Guests were invited to Red Apron’s underground wine cellar, where some fine wines would be savored. Dimmed lights, rustic decor, gave coziness to the cellar, which just set the right atmosphere for the initial introduction and conversations. People sucked their drinks as they shared stories of the relocation, first impressions of Hanoi, and hoped-for success in their new Vietnamese lives.

After the welcome drink, the group was whisked away in open-air shuttles to one of Hanoi’s finest new Vietnamese fine dining restaurants: Grandma’s. The open-air shuttle itself was an experience, where guests had the ability to take in all the color and noise of the busy streets around them in Hanoi, really immersing them in the culture.

Upon entering Grandma’s, one could feel an ambience that is at the same time urbane yet friendly. It is a restaurant famous for connecting tradition with Vietnamese culture together with modernity. That made the decor, with wooden furniture, folk pictures, and dimmed light, warm and friendly in order to stress the highly rich cultural heritage of Vietnam.

Well, the real treat in the evening at Grandma’s was not only the exquisitely prepared Vietnamese food but also the traditional music concert that accompanied dinner. Guests seated for dinner would be serenaded with the playing of traditional Vietnamese instruments. Such melodious tunes created a serene, enchanting backdrop for the culinary journey that lay before them.

Dinner at Grandma’s was really a gastronomic treat, showing off the very best of Vietnamese high-end gastronomy. From there, a myriad of dishes was prepared, underpinning the richness in flavor and ingredients of Vietnamese cuisine: delicate spring rolls, fragrant pho, tender seafood, beautifully presented desserts at the close of each course—all testifying to gastronomic expertise and creativity on the part of Grandma’s chefs. Such a blend of traditional recipes with modern presentation left guests with an appreciation for Vietnam’s rich culinary heritage.

The evening was filled with laughter and talk, interspersed by ice-clinking glasses. It was quite the opportunity for new transferees to forge friendships and develop a support network from within the expatriate community. In so doing, a sense of comradery developed—most powerfully in the shared experience of discovering cultural and culinary treasures of Hanoi around the table.

From the selection of the venue down to the making of arrangements for transport, food, and entertainment, Asian Tigers Group Hanoi did not leave a single opportunity unexplored to make the evening special. The efforts made Asian Tigers Group Hanoi succeed in leaving the newcomers with the feeling of being warmly welcomed and well-acquainted with the charms of their new home.

The “A Taste of Hanoi” evening party was more than just a welcome event—it was one that celebrated the rich tapestry that Hanoi is and acted as a testimony to Asian Tigers Group’s hospitality. In introducing newcomers to the city through such an eventful orientation, Asian Tigers helped ease their transition and set the stage for a positive expatriate experience in Vietnam.

In a nutshell, the evening party on September 22nd of “A Taste of Hanoi” was indeed a huge success. It combined fine wine, gourmet cuisine, traditional music, and warm hospitality in one unforgettable welcome for new transferees. The event provided an illustration not only of the rich cultural heritage of Hanoi but also of the opportunity to establish new friendships and links within the expatriate community. This was assisted by the attention which Asian Tigers Group Hanoi had paid to the evening’s thoughtful organization and detailed planning. The evening became a limelight for all participants, resounding in their memory and associating it with their belonging to the new city.