Experiencing culture through cuisine is becoming a popular travel trend. Regional specialties, cooking methods and ingredients bring visitors many unexpected experiences on their journey of discovery.

Many dishes have become special cultural ambassadors, helping tourists better understand the history, customs and lives of local people.

Exploiting this strength to effectively promote culture and develop tourism is the content that VNA reporters mentioned in the series of articles on Developing tourism products from "special messengers."

Lesson 1: Cultural stories from dishes

From the perspective of tourism culture, cuisine is not only limited to simple dishes but also reflects the culture, customs and habits of the people. Therefore, exploiting culinary cultural values to serve the development of tourism economy is a strategic direction, creating attractive products, promoting sustainable tourism development associated with preserving and honoring indigenous culture.

Identity format

For each country and locality, food and drinks are always attractive tourism products. Besides landscape, accommodation services, climate, cuisine plays an important role, creating a distinct mark for each destination.

According to Master Pham Trinh Hong Phi, Van Hien University, each country and region has a unique culinary heritage, which affects the image and perception of tourists about that country.

Exploring culinary heritage and cuisine is one of the important motivations that influence the implementation of travel itineraries. The taste of food during the trip often leaves a lasting memory.

Similarly, two Masters Sui Nghiep Phat and Do Le Phuc Hung Thinh (Hung Vuong University) both commented that enjoying culinary specialties and listening to stories related to the history and customs associated with dishes can be considered a "window" opening up the culture and history of the destination, thereby creating a connection with local culture in the minds of tourists.

Mr. Chu Hong Minh, Chairman of the Vietnam Restaurant Association, emphasized that cuisine is a competitive advantage and an important driving force in building a national brand. A typical dish or a complete culinary experience not only brings satisfaction, but also creates beautiful memories that make tourists want to come back.

Attractive Saigon broken rice dish. (Photo: Vietnam+)

In the context of globalization, each destination needs to tell its own story about people, culture, and identity to create a distinct and sustainable brand.

Citing evidence from Ho Chi Minh City, Dr. Doan Manh Cuong, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, said that the City, with its position as the leading economic, cultural and tourism center in Vietnam, possesses a rich and diverse culinary culture, reflecting the more than 300-year development history of the Southern region.

Culinary culture in the City is not only the art of cooking but also a symbol of cultural exchange, creativity and open-mindedness of the people here.

Exploiting culinary cultural values to develop unique tourism products not only contributes to enhancing tourists' experiences but also promotes sustainable economic development, preserving and promoting local cultural heritage.

Dishes such as vermicelli, pho, banh mi or broken rice not only satisfy culinary needs but also tell stories about the history, people and creativity of the City.

More than just enjoyment

During his trip to the Mekong Delta last September, Mr. Dinh Van Truong, Ha Dong ward, Hanoi said he was very surprised and excited when he first participated in picking water mimosa flowers, catching linh fish in the flood season, then processing and enjoying the specialty linh fish hotpot, fried linh fish in the garden space, listening to the witty folk song "Water without feet, how can it be called standing water. Fish without worship, how can it be called linh fish...."

Crispy fried linh fish - a specialty of the flood season. (Photo: VNA)

According to Vietravel Tourism Joint Stock Company, tours to explore the Mekong Delta are always of interest to tourists thanks to the combination of sightseeing, relics, experiencing agricultural and aquatic life, and enjoying specialties.

Not only stopping at introducing tourists to enjoy food and drinks, the tours and routes also pay attention to connecting and bringing tourists to visit and learn about activities such as harvesting agricultural products, seafood, fruits, chatting with artisans and locals, learning how to choose ingredients, prepare dishes and enjoy dishes in a suitable space, giving tourists many emotions related to culture, history, land and people along with the satisfaction of a delicious dish.

Introducing the museum tour and the journey to discover the history of the formation and development of the wax coconut tree in Tra Vinh (now Vinh Long province), Ms. Lam Ngoc Tu, representative of Cau Ke Wax Coconut Processing Limited Liability Company - the investor and operator of the Wax Coconut Museum in Tam Ngai commune, said that visitors on the "Legend of Wax Coconut" tour often expressed their satisfaction and excitement when they were able to wear traditional costumes of the Khmer people, admire the hundred-year-old wax coconut tree, many precious artifacts and listen to the story of the person who brought the first wax coconut tree to plant in the locality.

In addition, many visitors were especially excited about experiential activities such as peeling wax coconut shells, wrapping candy, making fresh wax coconut water and enjoying wax coconut noodle soup - which won first prize in the "100 dishes from wax coconut" contest within the framework of the 100-year Vietnam Wax Coconut Festival taking place in August 2024.

Referring to the importance of investing in developing culinary tourism products to increase the attractiveness of destinations, Master Vu Thi Nhung (Ho Chi Minh City University of Culture) emphasized that culinary culture is the bridge to identify national identity, through the choice of ingredients, use of spices, processing techniques and eating habits.

According to statistics from the World Tourism Organization, each year about 320 million tourists choose culinary tours for their trips and each guest usually spends an average of 1/3 of the total cost of the trip on culinary-related activities.

Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Nguyen Trung Khanh affirmed that Vietnam has great potential for tourism development, in which cuisine is a prominent value, a crystallization of the culture of the regions. Culinary tourism needs to be focused on development to enhance the competitive advantage and brand of Vietnam's tourism./.

Lesson 2: To make every culinary experience always leave an impression on tourists

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/cau-chuyen-van-hoa-tu-cac-mon-an-post1066318.vnp