Leaders and delegates press the button to depart the culinary train from North to South (Photo: TITC)

The “Glorifying Vietnamese Cuisine Culture” Festival - Glory of the Kitchen Profession is organised to honour the culinary profession on International Chefs Day 20th October; At the same time, honouring generations of chefs, artisans, and elite chefs in the profession, encouraging chefs who love their profession and talented female chefs. Besides, the Vietnamese Cuisine Map set a record as "The online map with the largest number of Vietnamese dishes contributed by the community".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association giving her welcome speech (Photo: TITC)

Giving her welcome speech, Ms. Nguyen Thi Khanh, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association said, the festival is an opportunity to recognize and honour artisans and chefs who have made contributions to Vietnamese cuisine on International Chefs Day 20th October. The festival has about 100 booths introducing regional dishes to serve the public. Here, visitors can experience and enjoy regional specialties made by professional chefs and culinary artisans from Ho Chi Minh City and localities.

The highlight of the event is hundreds of chefs competing and embellishing the Vietnamese culinary map with 126 typical dishes from 63 provinces and cities across the country. In the festival grounds, for the first time, a culinary map is displayed with all the unique and special products of regional cuisine across the country. The culinary map is a way to preserve and honour traditional culture, bring Vietnamese cuisine to international standards, contribute to promoting tourism, and make Vietnamese cuisine the paradise of world cuisine.

VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh speaking at the event (Photo: TITC)

Speaking at the event, VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh highly appreciates the efforts of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association and related units organising this meaningful Festival. The festival takes place at a time when Vietnam's tourism industry is focusing on implementing solutions to accelerate recovery and speed up effective and sustainable tourism development and specially to promote attracting international tourists during the peak season at the end of 2023.

Thereby, Vietnam's tourism development strategy until 2030 identifies culinary culture as one of the important product lines contributing to improving competitiveness and national tourism brand. Vietnamese cuisine has proven its appeal and pervasiveness globally, loved and honoured by many international tourists and friends through several prestigious awards and titles. For two consecutive years 2019 and 2020, the World Travel Awards crowned Vietnam as "Asia's Leading Culinary Destination". Last June, the famous brand Michelin held the Michelin Guide Vietnam for the first time with a list of 103 selected restaurants in Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with that, numerous travel magazines and international media agencies regularly praise Vietnam's attractive dishes such as Pho, Banh Mi, Bun Cha, Hue Spicy Beef Noodles, Quang Noodles, Banh Xeo, Banh Cuon, etc.

Overview of the festival (Photo: TITC)

VNAT’s Chairman stressed, in recent times, cuisine has always been a subject that VNAT and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism have focused on introducing in Vietnam tourism promotion programmes and Vietnam Day abroad, as well as in meetings and working with international partners. Communication work to promote culinary tourism is promoted on digital platforms such as websites and social networks. Currently, the Tourism Information Technology Center (TITC) under the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism is coordinating with Maggi - Nestlé Vietnam to implement the project "Variety of raw materials, cooking million Vietnamese dishes", building a map of food recipes of 63 provinces and cities across the country.

The “Glorifying Vietnamese Cuisine Culture 2023” Festival is organised in Ho Chi Minh City - The country's major tourism centre earlier has been crowned as "Asia's Leading Business Travel Destination 2023" and "Asia's Leading Festival and Event Destination 2023". These show the deep concern of Ho Chi Minh City authorities at all levels to develop tourism, as well as the attractiveness, dynamism, and energy of the city's tourism industry. VNAT’s Chairman Nguyen Trung Khanh believes that the festival will be an opportunity to honour the kitchen profession, spread the passion for food in every citizen and become a highlight attracting tourists in Ho Chi Minh City.

VNAT will always support localities, associations, businesses, chefs and artisans across the country in activities to build the value of Vietnamese culinary brands and widely promote them domestically and internationally.

Ms. Le Bui Thi Mai Uyen, Head of Food Industry Nestlé Vietnam speaking at the event (Photo: TITC)

According to Ms. Le Bui Thi Mai Uyen, Head of Food Industry Nestlé Vietnam, The “Glorifying Vietnamese Cuisine Culture” festival is a special occasion to experience the richness of Vietnamese cuisine, honouring talented kitchen artisans and taking pride in a thousand-year-old cultural tradition. Behind each dish is a unique cultural story of each region in Vietnam. Vietnam's unique culture is woven from 63 provinces and cities, in which cuisine plays a role in conveying cultural beauty and Vietnam is becoming a star on the world culinary map day by day.

Entering the digital era, with the goal of preserving and promoting local cuisine, Maggi and TITC (under VNAT) jointly implement the project "Variety of raw materials, cooking million Vietnamese dishes" with the online map holds more than 9,400 recipes contributed by the community and will continue to be enriched in the future.

TITC and Maggi - Nestlé Vietnam receiving the Decision on establishing a Vietnam Record (Photo: TITC)

Also, the Vietnam Record Association announced the Decision on establishing a Vietnam Record and awarded the Book of Records for "The online map with the largest number of Vietnamese dishes contributed by the community" by TITC and Maggi - Nestlé Vietnam.

At the festival, the Organising Board launched the Vietnam culinary map phase 2 with 126 delicious dishes from 63 provinces and cities (phase 1 is 63 dishes). Until now, the Vietnam culinary map has a total of 189 dishes. The Vietnam culinary map has been created by hundreds of chefs and displayed in model at the Reunification Hall to serve visitors.

Within the framework of the festival, the Launching Ceremony of the Vietnam Cake Association and the Launching Ceremony of the Vietnam Sommelier Association also took place; Signing ceremony on culinary training, Signing ceremony between Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association and Nestlé Vietnam Co., Ltd.,; and Khanh Han Group; honouring the World Chefs Association, companions and sponsors…

Leaders and delegates taking souvenir photo next to a model of the Vietnam culinary map (Photo: TITC)

Remarkably, at the event, the train departure ceremony took place on a model of the Vietnam culinary map, travelling from North to South, with dishes from 63 provinces and cities with stops in Ha Giang - the most North of the country, Ha Noi Capital, Vinh, Hue imperial capital, Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Ca Mau - the southernmost place of the country.

The festival took place in 3 days, from 20 to 22 October at the Reunification Hall, No. 135 Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street, Ben Thanh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The event is expected to attract about 50,000 visitors to experience and shop.

A number of photos of the Festival:

Welcome musical performance. Photo: TITC

The Launching of the Vietnam Bakery Association and the Vietnam Sommelier Association. Photo: TITC

Cooperation signing ceremony between Vietnam Tourism Association and units and businesses. Photo: TITC

Booths at the Festival. Photo: TITC

Tourism Information Technology Center