Food and travel review profession

In recent years, many young people living in Khanh Hoa have taken advantage of social media to introduce and review local restaurants and entertainment venues. What started as a hobby has gradually become a part of their work, with notable names including Phuong Do, Pham Quoc Cuong, and Uncle Hung Rau... Their activities have contributed to promoting tourism and cuisine of Khanh Hoa to visitors from near and far.

Mr. Huynh Duy Hung (Hung Huynh) introduces Nha Trang fish cake.

"Where to go? What to eat?" is a question every tourist asks themselves before a trip. It's also a question for everyone when they want to enjoy food, entertainment, and recreational activities. When searching for information, many people habitually browse social media to see reviews and comments before choosing a destination. This has also given rise to the profession of food and travel review. In Khanh Hoa now, many young people specialize in introducing and promoting tourist attractions, restaurants, and dishes to tourists and locals alike. The authenticity and vivid images of these reviews have attracted viewers and received a lot of interaction.

One of the pioneers in food and travel reviews in Khanh Hoa is Phuong Do, the owner of the Facebook page Nha Trang Review and the website nhatrangreview.info. A graduate of the Faculty of Economics , Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City (now the University of Economics and Law), Phuong Do worked as an office employee but was passionate about travel. Every weekend, she would "pack her bags and go." This passion for travel led her to the profession of travel review. "I started writing travel reviews based on personal experiences in 2015. At that time, the concept of travel reviews was quite new, and no one in Nha Trang was doing it yet. Initially, I wrote to share information and directions to new tourist spots/sightseeing destinations with my friends. Gradually, I bought a domain name to create the website nhatrangreview.info – a specialized site introducing places to eat, have fun, and stay in Nha Trang," she shared. When the trend of travel reviews on social media exploded, recognizing Facebook's wide reach, she opened a Facebook page called Nha Trang Review to introduce tourism in Nha Trang - Khanh Hoa, and it now has over 62,000 followers. In 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, she quit her job and almost became a professional reviewer. Her reviews of tourist attractions and restaurants are always highly appreciated for their meticulous, detailed, honest, and emotional writing style. For her, this job allows her to travel and share her experiences.

Pham Quoc Cuong has been involved in food and travel reviews for several years now. Although he works in graphic design, Cuong is better known as a travel blogger (someone passionate about travel and sharing travel experiences). On his personal page, he often shares beautiful photos, suggests ideal photo spots, and recommends delicious food from places he's visited, including famous tourist destinations in Hue. His reviews receive considerable interaction from the online community. Cuong's strength in travel and food reviews lies in his visuals. The short videos and images he posts on Facebook and Instagram always make readers and viewers want to visit those locations to take their own photos, a prime example being the photos he took in Hue that went viral on social media in 2020.

Besides Facebook, TikTok is a social network with a significant influence in promoting tourism and cuisine. One of the people who frequently reviews food in Nha Trang is Huynh Duy Hung - the owner of the Facebook page Hung Huynh, and TikToker Chu Hung Rau. As a food businessman and TikTok instructor, his way of introducing food is very professional and captivating to viewers. His posts introducing Nha Trang dishes such as bun rieu (crab noodle soup), banh cuon (steamed rice rolls), and Nha Trang fish cakes on TikTok have tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of views. Many tourists have followed his posts to find restaurants in Nha Trang to experience the local cuisine.

Phuong Do experiences the culinary services at a hotel in Nha Trang.

Although not yet household names, the reviewers currently working in Khanh Hoa have contributed to promoting local tourism and cuisine. According to Phuong Do, Hung Huynh, and Pham Quoc Cuong, to maintain passion for tourism and food review, one must first truly love the profession. Many believe that the review job is simply going to restaurants, enjoying delicious food, taking a few photos, and shooting videos to post on social media. However, delving deeper into the profession reveals numerous difficulties and challenges. They must constantly improve their knowledge, not only about food and tourism but also about language, writing style, and filming techniques to produce the best possible images and videos. One thing they always uphold is avoiding negative actions to gain views and likes, such as constantly criticizing the food and drinks of restaurants with exaggerated language and expressions. “When writing reviews, objectivity is key. Overly complimentary reviews can easily become advertising, potentially making readers feel cheated after a disappointing experience. Conversely, criticizing or offering personal opinions becomes a 'scandal,' no longer a review. If you like a destination or restaurant, share it so more people know about it; if you don't like it, keep that experience to yourself, because beauty or ugliness, taste or taste, are subjective,” Phương Đỗ expressed.

Comment (0)

Fun

Intercontinental Hotel Hanoi

Sunset