Vietnam to become new culinary 'capital' by 2030?

The goal of becoming the new culinary capital of the world by 2030 may seem like a big deal to some, but it's clear that Vietnamese cuisine can be better for itself through solutions to elevate it.

The event was shared by culinary experts and restaurant association alliances.

In the context of Vietnamese cuisine being recognized by the world and increasingly affirming its position on the world map, the talk "Culinary culture and mobility in Vietnam" on December 18 focused on discussing opportunities to promote Vietnamese culinary culture, while taking advantage of the current travel and tourism trends to promote Vietnamese culinary culture internationally.

The event, organized by C asean, featured presentations from international culinary experts, restaurant and transport service alliances, chefs and restaurant founders.

Every chef and every employee is a cultural ambassador; the way we talk, serve… all contribute to bringing Vietnamese culture further."

Chef SAM TRAN

Straw ice cream from Nen Danang & Nen Light restaurant

Vietnam becomes new culinary destination

Sharing with Tuoi Tre, Mr. Chu Hong Minh - Chairman of the Restaurant Association of Vietnam (RAV) and the ASEAN Restaurant Association Alliance (ARAA) - said that as the chair country of ARAA in 2024 - 2025, the projects and initiatives of the Vietnam Restaurant Association will focus on culinary competitions, promoting culinary trade between ASEAN countries and the world.

At the same time, training programs are opened to improve operational efficiency for small and medium-sized restaurants and promote culinary tourism in the ASEAN bloc.

Mr. Minh added, "In addition to activities to enhance development cooperation within the ASEAN bloc, Vietnam also has strategic cooperation with leading organizations in the world."

For example, the World Association of Master Chefs (WAMC), the National Restaurant Association (NRA); especially the World Culinary Travel Association (WFTA) with two world-recognized awards in the field of restaurants and culinary tourism, including the Global Culinary Travel Awards for seven types of businesses in the culinary tourism value chain and the Culinary Capitals Award for Vietnam's potential cities.

According to him, this series of activities "aims to make Vietnam one of the new culinary capitals of the world by 2030".

But is this an unrealistic goal? Experts point out the potential of Vietnam in its quest to conquer it.

Over the years, Vietnamese cuisine has developed strongly not only in terms of flavor but also in terms of sustainability, creativity and community connection. In which, chefs, restaurants, organizations and digital platforms play an important role in promoting and preserving Vietnamese culinary culture.

Experts believe that focusing on local ingredients, combining tradition and modernity, will be the foundation for the sustainable development of Vietnamese cuisine in the future.

Besides the outstanding street food, we need to pay more attention to the diverse and rich aspects of Vietnamese culinary culture, so that the "interface" of Vietnamese cuisine becomes more comprehensive.

Mr. CHU HONG MINH

A dish of Gia restaurant inspired by the famous rice rolls of the ancient village located by the river but not rice rolls - Photo: FBNH

Harmony in development

Mr. Ahmad Faiez Mohamed Pisal, General Director of Michelin Vietnam, mentioned the harmony in development. In 2020, Michelin Green Star was born to honor pioneering dining establishments in building sustainable cuisine.

At the second Michelin Awards announcement event in late June 2024, Nen Danang in Da Nang became the first restaurant in Vietnam to receive the Michelin Green Star award.

A representative of Michelin Vietnam said that this is not just a simple award but also shows the raising of awareness and business philosophy on sustainable development for food service establishments in the correlation between behavior and environmental protection awareness. "We are starting to see sustainability as a part of Vietnamese cuisine," he said.

He also emphasized the factors of "happy people", "happy restaurants" and "happy customers". "About 90% of F&B (food and beverage) businesses in Vietnam are medium, small and micro. Focusing on improving productivity is also a matter of concern," he added.

Summer Le, founder and chef of Nén Danang & Nén Light, revealed the restaurant’s sustainability initiatives focus on using traditional ingredients, developing people and preserving the philosophy of honoring traditional Vietnamese cuisine through building meaningful stories behind each dish.

She said some people think that if Vietnamese cuisine only uses local ingredients, it will be difficult to go "far". "It is a challenge, but we see it as an opportunity to be creative", Summer Le said, giving an example of straw ice cream - a product made from dry and rustic bundles of straw.

In addition, the representative of this restaurant also stated that "sustainable food business is an achievable goal even in big cities like Ho Chi Minh City".

Chef Sam Tran - co-founder of Gia restaurant, one of the restaurants receiving 1 Michelin star - shares his experiences to elevate Vietnamese cuisine.

Not only following the culinary philosophy of using all local ingredients and Western cooking techniques to help diners discover more interesting things, the team at Gia also "continuously learns".

Ms. Dang Thuy Trang, external affairs director of Grab Vietnam, shared that consumers are now increasingly searching for new restaurants on online platforms.

Online food ordering platforms are trying to "optimize accessibility, promote restaurants, bring better experiences to users, and collectively contribute to preserving and promoting the richness of Vietnamese cuisine".

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/viet-nam-thanh-kinh-do-am-thuc-moi-vao-nam-2030-20241219231834995.htm