The boost from Michelin

The fact that we now have our first Michelin-starred restaurants is a boost on an international level. Michelin-starred restaurants see a surge in customers of 15%-20%, and potentially even several hundred percent, in the first few weeks after being awarded the Michelin star. Around the world , there's a dedicated clientele who follow Michelin-starred restaurants to experience the world's best cuisine. The Michelin list holds immense appeal for diners and represents the highest level of recognition for chefs.

Vietnamese cuisine is making its mark in many countries around the world. More and more Vietnamese restaurants are appearing in the most luxurious cities. The father of modern marketing, Professor Phillip Kotler, once suggested that Vietnam should position itself as the "Kitchen of the World"… And this is a brilliant suggestion. However, we haven't fully exploited this advantage. For centuries, eating has always been an activity that connects people in a very natural way. It's a symbol of togetherness, peace, and unity.

Cuisine is a powerful yet subtle force, perfectly capable of effectively showcasing Vietnam to the world. A fragrant pot of lotus-scented tea from West Lake, a bowl of sweet soup in a quaint alley in Hue, a warm, comforting baguette on a hurried morning in Ho Chi Minh City. People can be revealed through food in many forms, from elaborate to simple, from luxurious to down-to-earth.

If properly utilized, cuisine is a wonderful way to introduce the most intimate aspects of Vietnam to the world. The world's most powerful billionaires, when visiting Vietnam, may eat million-dollar meals, but they still choose to sit at a sidewalk pho restaurant because of the cultural atmosphere that permeates even the seemingly chaotic surroundings. The world's most powerful leaders, when visiting Vietnam, choose to eat dishes that ordinary people have been eating since the subsidy era… They want to savor the history compressed into that single bite of bun cha.

When Michelin ranked the top four Vietnamese restaurants with stars and included 103 more on the shortlist, a lot of controversy erupted… Many people argued that Michelin didn't "understand" Vietnamese cuisine, that the restaurants on the list were "ordinary," and that many other excellent restaurants deserved to be on the list but weren't.

Personally, of course, I'm very disappointed! I'm disappointed that such a rich and beautiful Vietnamese culinary tradition has so few dishes included in the Michelin list. Because some dishes are not just food, but also encompass the atmosphere surrounding them, like eating Vong village sticky rice in the golden autumn sunshine of Thang Long, or savoring a piece of grilled pork skewers under a drizzling rain while gazing at the Trang Tien Bridge… Many dishes are no longer simply food; they have become memories for generations, embodying the beauty of time and becoming symbols of entire regions.

However, when Michelin assigns rankings, we should respect them and their standards. Although there are regrets and disagreements regarding Michelin's list, looking further ahead, the debate demonstrates that people genuinely care and the appeal of cuisine is immense.

Cú hích từ Michelin- Ảnh 5. — The author of this article at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Vietnam.

For me personally, someone who has worked in the tourism industry for a long time, enjoyed many different cuisines, and is now in business in this field, Vietnamese cuisine is diverse and has depth that rivals any cuisine in the world. In particular, Vietnamese cuisine is very healthy; it's not as oily as Chinese food, not as spicy as Thai or Indian food, and not as fatty as European or American food. This is what makes Vietnamese cuisine align with the global trend of healthy consumption.

I believe that since this is the first year, Michelin analysts have only experienced a small part of Vietnamese cuisine. So let's wait until the following years, and we will see more Michelin stars appear, allowing Vietnam to truly establish itself as the "Kitchen of the World".