Vietnamese cuisine reaches the world: Broken rice dish appears on the menu of a major Japanese restaurant chain.

DNVN - More than 1,100 Matsuya stores across Japan have officially added "Vietnamese-style pork rice bowl" to their menus, marking a new step in the journey of Vietnamese cuisine reaching the world.

On August 26th, at the Roppongi store, the Matsuya chain launched a menu featuring Vietnamese broken rice (com tam). This event is considered a significant milestone as it marks the first time Vietnamese cuisine has been available at over 1,000 stores of Japan's leading fast-food chain. Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu attended and introduced the unique characteristics of Vietnamese cuisine to numerous Japanese journalists.

Ms. Aya Aoki, a representative of Matsuya, stated that during their market research for opening stores in Vietnam, the company was captivated by the flavor of Vietnamese broken rice (com tam). In April 2025, Matsuya conducted a trial sale, and thanks to positive customer feedback, the chain decided to widely roll out Vietnamese broken rice at 1,112 stores.

Vietnamese broken rice dish (Photo: Internet)

According to Ta Duc Minh, Vietnam's Trade Counselor in Japan, this is "a turning point in the journey of bringing Vietnamese cuisine to the world ." Notably, the dish is served with traditional Vietnamese fish sauce, marking the first time this condiment has appeared in a major restaurant chain in Japan. To support the launch, 10 tons of fish sauce were imported directly from Vietnam, opening up new opportunities for exporting spices, ingredients, and processed foods to Japan.

Mr. Ta Duc Minh expects this cooperation model to become a foundation for many other Vietnamese products such as rice, coffee, fruits and vegetables, and processed goods to gradually access the Japanese market more deeply, contributing to strengthening bilateral trade relations.

A Japanese diner, Mr. Kiyoshi Muramatsu, shared that upon his first taste of Vietnamese broken rice, he felt "the balance of all the ingredients, characteristic of Vietnamese cuisine, and very refreshing." He believes that Vietnamese cuisine "is very diverse, with a balance between meat and vegetables, so it won't get boring," and expressed his desire to continue exploring more Vietnamese dishes.

According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Japan, in the first six months of 2025, total bilateral trade reached nearly US$24.4 billion, an increase of nearly 10% compared to the same period in 2024. Of this, exports from Vietnam to Japan reached US$12.81 billion, an increase of 11.79%. With a population of over 126 million, Japan continues to be a potential market for Vietnamese agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, processed foods, textiles, footwear, and many other goods.

Nguyen Bach

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/am-thuc-viet-vuon-ra-the-gioi-com-tam-xuat-hien-trong-thuc-don-cua-chuoi-nha-hang-lon-nhat-ban/20250826055802036