The list of the first 103 Michelin-selected restaurants, the Michelin Guide restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, was announced on the evening of June 6, causing mixed opinions.
The list of 70 Michelin Selected restaurants/restaurants (Restaurant recommended by Michelin Guide) is controversial
In addition to congratulation and praise, on many forums, many netizens believe that the above assessment is unfair. Many people think that the experts selected by Michelin to evaluate that diners from abroad will not be able to fully understand and grasp all Vietnamese culinary restaurants.
In fact, in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, there are many more delicious and old restaurants that are not mentioned. Meanwhile, Michelin also chooses too many pho restaurants but ignores the famous Vietnamese banh mi.
Netizens also have many names on the list that also have a normal taste, not very attractive. In the nomination list, there are many strange restaurants in terms of street food, which are very famous in Vietnam.
Crab and eggplant soup at Ngon Garden, a restaurant honored by Michelin in the list of 70 Michelin-recommended restaurants/diners
With the attention of the community as well as social networks, Mr. Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guide said that he was very pleased to receive this interest.
According to Mr. Gwendal Poullennec, the controversy and discussion around the Michelin list will contribute to the elevation of Vietnamese cuisine in particular and international cuisine in general.
Talking more about the controversial results, Mr. Gwendal said that Michelin Guide has an independent review process, separate from restaurants. The appraisers work completely anonymously so that no factors influence the results. Each restaurant will have many appraisers to evaluate, however, each appraiser only visits the restaurant once, not returning to ensure the set process.
Prime Minister Luxemboug enjoys Vietnamese cuisine at Ngon Restaurant, a restaurant honored by Michelin in the list of 70 Michelin-recommended restaurants/restaurants
“The end result is the result of a group of appraisers, not from an individual. We guarantee that a Michelin star in Ho Chi Minh City, Tokyo or Paris is of the same quality,” said Mr. Gwendal.
The Michelin Guide representative said that the team of appraisers comes from 20 countries and this award has been present in more than 40 countries and territories. Despite international standards, Michelin still upholds the unique identity of each country. And so far, not only Vietnam, the first Michelin visit to any country has faced challenges.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quynh, General Secretary of the Vietnam Chef Association, admitted to receiving some mixed opinions from people in the profession. Those are also understandable emotions, because food as well as beauty, depends on each person's feelings. What is delicious for one person may not be suitable for another.
However, according to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quynh, Michelin has its own criteria for independent evaluation in the way that they have done for hundreds of years in other countries. It is no coincidence that up to now, the cuisine of many countries still respects the value of Michelin's evaluation.
Beautiful appetizers made by chef Sam Tran from GIA restaurant
Ms. Pham Bich Hanh, owner of the restaurant chain Quan Ngon and Ngon Garden, believes that time will be the best answer for quality assessments.
With Ngon Restaurant and Ngon Garden on the list of 70 recommended restaurants/restaurants, Ms. Pham Bich Hanh emphasized that Michelin's title is a great motivation for restaurants to strive and improve their services. . This is an honor but also a responsibility of the units to affirm the name and brand.
