How Michelin finds 'hidden gems' in Vietnamese cuisine

Michelin's anonymous appraisers travel throughout Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a year to enjoy and evaluate restaurants to "find gems".

On the evening of June 6 in Hanoi, Michelin Guide honored 106 restaurants and individuals for the first time in 4 categories: Michelin Stars, Michelin Selected, Bib Gourmand (good restaurants with affordable prices) and Michelin Guide Special Awards. In the most prestigious "star" category, they found 4 one-star restaurants, on the three-star scale of Mechilin.

Gwendal Poullennec (far left) poses with three representatives from one-star Michelin restaurants: Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi, and Nguyen Thi Nu, winner of the Service Award in the Michelin Guide Special Awards category.

To hold the announcement ceremony, the appraisers have been evaluating the quality of dining establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a year. However, they have observed Vietnamese cuisine for a long time before that. "Your cuisine has reached maturity, stability and quality enough for Michelin Guide to decide to announce the list," Poullennec shared the reason why Michelin came to Vietnam to award stars at a press conference today in Hanoi.

The experts were "very happy to have the opportunity to work in Vietnam", visiting and evaluating many restaurants and establishments in the two cities. Their desire was to find chefs and restaurants - the gems of Vietnamese cuisine.

The judges are people who have studied and experienced in the restaurant and cooking industry and are full-time professionals. They are not only trained in knowledge but also have enough experience to understand Vietnamese cuisine. They are also completely anonymous to ensure fairness, transparency and professionalism.

Many restaurants and eateries in the two cities have different locations. The team of judges must make sure to visit all of them to evaluate. Each restaurant will have multiple judges come to taste the food, at different times.

The judges will eat out about 300 times a year at different restaurants in the morning and at lunch. They try different dishes, enjoy different cooking styles, visit many restaurants from high-end to popular. What they do in Vietnam is also what the Michelin Guide does with other cuisines around the world.

Each appraiser will not visit the same restaurant twice to comply with the Michelin Guide's procedures, helping to ensure the most stable and seamless evaluation process. "To let food enthusiasts around the world read and trust the Michelin Guide's recommendations, we ensure that a one-star restaurant in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris or New York is of the same quality," Poullennec said.

The judges noted the distinct cooking styles between the two cities. Ho Chi Minh City is an open, dynamic city with many creative ways of preparing dishes. Hanoi has a cuisine with a strong identity, using many fresh local ingredients and traditional recipes.

Michelin experts praised the young Vietnamese chefs who have a spirit of innovation in cuisine. They are the ones who will contribute to brightening Vietnamese cuisine. "We encourage young chefs to be more courageous and develop their creativity in preparing dishes," said a representative of Michelin Guide.

Gwendal Poullennec said the 103 restaurants honored on the night of June 6 were just the first list in Vietnam. Each year, the Michelin Guide team continues to bring new lists in line with the development of the local culinary industry.

"We are delighted to receive great interest from the community about the first Michelin Guide list in Vietnam. The views and discussions surrounding the award will help us have a better understanding of Vietnamese cuisine," said Gwendal Poullennec.

Phuong Anh

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