Vietnamese Night Market: A Celebration of Culture and Food In West Hartford (via Hartford Courant)

Photo courtesy of Hartford Courant: At Vietnamese Night Market, among the dishes sold are pho, banh mi, stir fry, shrimp-taro pancakes, fried quail and chicken, grilled meats, pork patties, coconut snails, spring rolls, duck eggs, soups, baked goods, desserts, beer, wine and sugar cane juice fresh pressed while you wait.

Hartford Courant reports on a bi-monthly Vietnamese pop-up going down in West Hartford through October.

It was a chilly night Saturday but groups of friends gathered around food booths at St. Mark the Evangelist in West Hartford as a combination of delicious scents wafted through the air: grilled meats, baked goods and of course, pho. A live band played pop music from Vietnam and other parts of the world — like “Jamaica Farewell” — translated into Vietnamese.

It was the opening of the Vietnamese Night Market, held bimonthly during the warmer months at the church. The open-air event is a celebration of cooking and community, offering a variety of food options, all of them homemade by parishioners and with proceeds benefiting the church.

“The market is so fun and exciting. Everyone loves it,” Ánh Đôn Lê, a member of the parish council, said. “It brings Vietnamese people together and lets us introduce our culture to others.”

Vietnamese Night Market starts at 6 p.m. on May 21, June 4 and 18, July 2 and 16, Aug. 6 and 20, Sept. 3 and 17 and Oct. 1 and 15 at St. Mark the Evangelist Church, 467 Quaker Lane South in West Hartford.

The parish website is at facebook.com/gxandrewdunglac.

Read the complete article at The Hartford Courant.