IELTS Speaking 2025 Part 2&3: Describe your favorite food at a traditional festival or special event in your country
Describe your favorite food at a traditional festival or special event in your country
💡 Suggested ideas
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What this type of food is 🍽️
- Bánh chưng (Square sticky rice cake) – Tet holiday 🇻🇳🌿
- Bánh tét (Cylindrical sticky rice cake) – Southern Vietnam 🌾🎋
- Xôi gấc (Red sticky rice) – Weddings, Lunar New Year 🍚❤️
- Thịt kho tàu (Braised pork with eggs) – Tet holiday 🍖🥚
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Where you had it 🏡
- At home with family 👨👩👧👦
- At a temple during a festival 🏮
- At a friend’s house during Tet 🎊
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How to make this type of food 🍳
- Bánh chưng: Sticky rice, mung beans, pork, wrapped in dong leaves and boiled for 8–10 hours 🎋🔥
- Thịt kho tàu: Pork belly, coconut water, eggs, slow-cooked for several hours 🍖🥚
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Why you like it ❤️
- Delicious and rich in flavor 🤤
- Symbolic meaning (family unity, good fortune, etc.) 🍀
- Brings back childhood memories 🏡💭
📝 Useful grammar structures
- Past simple: Last Tet, my family and I made bánh chưng together.
- Present perfect: I have eaten this dish every year since I was a child.
- Passive voice: Bánh chưng is wrapped in dong leaves before being boiled for 10 hours.
- Comparisons: I think bánh chưng is more flavorful than regular sticky rice.
- Conditional sentence (Type 2): If I could eat this every day, I would be the happiest person!
📌 Collocations (with Vietnamese translations)
- Rich in flavor 🤤 (đậm đà hương vị)
- Symbolic meaning 🍀 (ý nghĩa biểu tượng)
- Passed down through generations 🏡📜 (truyền qua nhiều thế hệ)
- Essential part of the celebration 🎉 (phần quan trọng của lễ hội)
- Mouth-watering dish 🤤🍽️ (món ăn hấp dẫn chảy nước miếng)
- Brings back childhood memories 🏡💭 (gợi lại ký ức tuổi thơ)
- Traditional cooking method 🍳 (phương pháp nấu ăn truyền thống)
🗣️ Full spoken sample (about 2 minutes)
One of my absolute favorite traditional foods is bánh chưng, a square sticky rice cake that is an essential part of the celebration 🎉 during Tet, the Vietnamese Lunar New Year. This dish is deeply connected to Vietnamese culture and has been passed down through generations 🏡📜. It symbolizes gratitude and family unity, which is why I love it so much.
I first had bánh chưng when I was a little kid, and since then, it has brought back childhood memories 🏡💭 every time I eat it. Every year, my family gathers at my grandparents’ house a few days before Tet to make these cakes together. The process is quite time-consuming but also very meaningful.
To make bánh chưng, we need sticky rice, mung beans, and pork belly, all wrapped in large green dong leaves 🎋. The cake is carefully tied with bamboo strings and then boiled for about 8 to 10 hours. This traditional cooking method 🍳 requires patience, but the result is totally worth it! The sticky rice absorbs all the flavors, making the cake rich in flavor 🤤 and extremely delicious.
What makes bánh chưng even more special is the experience of making it. Sitting around the fire, chatting with family, and waiting for the cakes to cook is one of the best parts of Tet. If I had to choose only one dish to eat every Tet, I would definitely pick bánh chưng!
Part 3: Discussion Questions
1. Is there any other traditional/special food in your country?
💡 Ideas
- 🍜 Phở – National dish, eaten all year round
- 🍢 Nem rán (Spring rolls) – Popular at family gatherings
- 🍛 Cơm tấm (Broken rice) – Street food loved by many
📌 Collocations
- Signature dish 🍽️ (món ăn đặc trưng)
- National pride 🇻🇳 (niềm tự hào dân tộc)
- Widely enjoyed across the country 🗺️ (được yêu thích rộng rãi trên khắp đất nước)
🗣️ Sample answer
Yes! Vietnam has many delicious traditional dishes. One of the most famous is phở, which is often considered our signature dish 🍽️. It is a type of noodle soup with beef or chicken, cooked in a flavorful broth. It’s not only widely enjoyed across the country 🗺️ but also internationally famous. Many Vietnamese people take great national pride 🇻🇳 in this dish!
2. Is a family having meals together important?
💡 Ideas
- 👨👩👧👦 Strengthens family bonds
- 🍽️ Teaches children table manners and cultural values
- 😊 A great way to share daily experiences
📌 Collocations
- Strengthen family bonds 👨👩👧👦 (củng cố mối quan hệ gia đình)
- Share meaningful conversations 🗣️ (chia sẻ những cuộc trò chuyện ý nghĩa)
- Busy modern lifestyle ⏳ (lối sống hiện đại bận rộn)
🗣️ Sample answer
Yes, I think eating together as a family is very important. It helps strengthen family bonds 👨👩👧👦 and allows family members to share meaningful conversations 🗣️. Unfortunately, due to the busy modern lifestyle ⏳, many families don’t have time to eat together anymore, which is quite sad.
3. Nowadays, many people are trying to grow their own food, why is that happening?
💡 Ideas
- 🌱 Healthier and chemical-free food
- 💰 Saves money in the long run
- 🌍 Supports sustainability and eco-friendly living
📌 Collocations
- Organic food trend 🌱 (xu hướng thực phẩm hữu cơ)
- Avoid harmful chemicals 🚫🧪 (tránh hóa chất độc hại)
- Self-sufficient lifestyle 🏡 (lối sống tự cung tự cấp)
🗣️ Sample answer
Many people are turning to home gardening because of the organic food trend 🌱. Growing their own vegetables allows them to avoid harmful chemicals 🚫🧪 and eat fresher, healthier food. Also, some prefer a self-sufficient lifestyle 🏡, especially after the pandemic, when people became more aware of food security.
4️⃣ Do you think that trend will continue to grow?
💡 Ideas
- 🌱 Yes – More awareness about food safety and organic farming
- 📉 No – Urbanization makes it harder for people to grow their own food
📌 Collocations
- Sustainable lifestyle 🌿 (lối sống bền vững)
- Health-conscious consumers 🍏 (người tiêu dùng quan tâm đến sức khỏe)
- Limited urban space 🏙️ (không gian hạn chế ở đô thị)
🗣️ Sample answer
Yes, I believe this trend will continue to grow because more people are becoming health-conscious consumers 🍏 and prefer a sustainable lifestyle 🌿. However, in big cities, limited urban space 🏙️ might make it difficult for everyone to grow their own food. But with technology, methods like hydroponics and rooftop gardens could become more popular!
5️⃣ Is a family having meals together important?
💡 Ideas
- 👨👩👧👦 Strengthens family bonds and communication
- 🍽️ Encourages healthy eating habits
- 📱 Modern distractions (phones, TV) reduce quality time
📌 Collocations
- Quality family time ⏳ (thời gian chất lượng bên gia đình)
- Strengthen emotional connection ❤️ (củng cố mối liên kết tình cảm)
- Healthy eating habits 🍎 (thói quen ăn uống lành mạnh)
🗣️ Sample answer
Absolutely! Having meals together is a great way to enjoy quality family time ⏳ and strengthen emotional connections ❤️. It also helps children develop healthy eating habits 🍎. Unfortunately, with everyone being so busy, many families don’t eat together as often as before.
6️⃣ Do you think more or fewer families spend time having meals together?
💡 Ideas
- 📉 Fewer families – Due to busy work schedules and school activities
- 📅 Weekends and special occasions – More likely for families to eat together
- 🍽️ Some families still make it a daily habit
📌 Collocations
- Busy modern lifestyle ⏳ (lối sống hiện đại bận rộn)
- Work-life balance ⚖️ (cân bằng giữa công việc và cuộc sống)
- Traditional family values 👨👩👧👦 (giá trị gia đình truyền thống)
🗣️ Sample answer
I think fewer families are eating together nowadays because of the busy modern lifestyle ⏳. Parents have long working hours, and children are busy with school and extracurricular activities. However, some families still try to maintain traditional family values 👨👩👧👦 by having meals together on weekends or special occasions. I think having a good work-life balance ⚖️ can help improve this situation.
7️⃣ Do you think it is good or bad?
💡 Ideas
- 👍 Good – If families are busy but still find other ways to connect
- 👎 Bad – Less family time could lead to weaker relationships
📌 Collocations
- Lack of family interaction 🏠📉 (thiếu sự tương tác trong gia đình)
- Weaken family bonds 💔 (làm suy yếu sự gắn kết gia đình)
- Alternative ways to stay connected 📱👨👩👧 (những cách khác để duy trì kết nối)
🗣️ Sample answer
I think it depends. If families are too busy to eat together but still find alternative ways to stay connected 📱👨👩👧, then it’s not a big problem. However, if eating separately leads to a lack of family interaction 🏠📉, then it could weaken family bonds 💔. Personally, I believe sitting down for a meal together, even if it’s just a few times a week, is really important!
