How Michelin finds 'hidden gems' in Vietnamese cuisine

Michelin's anonymous reviewers travel across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City for a year to sample and evaluate eateries in search of "gems".

On the evening of June 6th in Hanoi, the Michelin Guide honored 106 restaurants and individuals for the first time in four categories: Michelin Stars, Michelin Selected, Bib Gourmand (delicious and affordable restaurants), and Michelin Guide Special Awards. In the most prestigious "star" category, they found four one-star restaurants, out of Michelin's three-star scale.

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

To prepare for this announcement ceremony, the assessors spent a year evaluating the quality of food establishments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. However, they had been observing Vietnamese cuisine for a long time before that. "Your culinary scene has reached a level of maturity, stability, and quality sufficient for the Michelin Guide to decide to announce this list," Poullennec shared the reason Michelin came to Vietnam to award stars at today's press conference 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 hope is to find chefs and restaurants – the gems of Vietnamese cuisine.

The judges are individuals who have studied and experienced in the restaurant and culinary fields, and are full-time professionals. They are not only trained in culinary knowledge but also have sufficient experience to understand Vietnamese cuisine. They also remain completely anonymous to ensure fairness, transparency, and professionalism.

Many restaurants and eateries in both cities have different locations. The team of evaluators must ensure they visit all of those branches to conduct their assessments. Each restaurant will have multiple evaluators tasting the food at different times.

The reviewers dine out about 300 times a year at different restaurants for breakfast and lunch. They sample different dishes, enjoy different cooking styles, and visit a wide range of restaurants from high-end to casual. What they do in Vietnam is also how the Michelin Guide approaches other cuisines around the world .

Each reviewer will not visit the same restaurant twice in order to comply with the Michelin Guide's procedures, ensuring the most consistent and seamless evaluation process possible. "To ensure that food enthusiasts around the world read and trust the Michelin Guide's recommendations, we guarantee that one-star restaurants in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris, or New York are of the same quality," Poullennec said.

The judges recognized distinct cooking styles between the two cities. Ho Chi Minh City is an open, dynamic city with many creative ways of preparing food. Hanoi, on the other hand, has a culinary tradition deeply rooted in its identity, utilizing many fresh local ingredients and traditional recipes.

Michelin experts praised Vietnam's young chefs for their innovative spirit in cuisine. They are the ones who will contribute to bringing a brighter future to Vietnamese gastronomy. "We encourage young chefs to be more courageous and to unleash their creativity in food preparation," said a representative from Michelin Guide.

Gwendal Poullennec stated that the 103 restaurants honored on the evening of June 6th are only the first list in Vietnam. Each year, the Michelin Guide team continues to produce new lists that reflect the development of the local culinary industry.

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

Phuong Anh

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