Vietnamese cuisine that has made a name for itself among international friends
In late 2022, the World Culinary Awards listed Vietnam as the “Best Culinary Destination in Asia in 2022”, beating out other well-known names in the region including China, Malaysia, Singapore, Republic of Korea and Thailand. As part of the World Travel Awards, this prestigious annual award aims to honor and reward excellence in the culinary industry.
In addition, many famous travel and culinary magazines have published articles praising Vietnamese cuisine and its food destinations.
Most recently in late January 2023, US travel magazine Travel and Leisure listed Vietnam as the top culinary destination in Asia, especially for street food, in their To Do List Destinations for Asia 2023. The magazine also recommended the best places for tourists to explore Vietnamese cuisine, such as Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City. Must-try dishes include pho, banh mi (baguette), and banh cuon (steamed rice rolls). He stated that if there is a culinary culture with an irresistible, rich and delicious palate, it is definitely Vietnamese cuisine. Besides beautiful natural landscapes, historical and cultural sites, Vietnam is also known for its unique, attractive and delicious cuisine.
Canada’s famous travel magazine The Travel also announced the top 10 countries with the most attractive culinary cultures in the world, and Vietnam was ranked fifth among the readers’ choice. Apart from Pho, tourists are offered other dishes to try, such as nem ran (fried fritters), banh mi, com rang (fried rice), and com tam (broken rice).
Steamed rice rolls (Photo: tuoitre.vn)
Australian travel magazine Traveler has suggested that the Vietnamese banh cuon is one of the top 10 delicious dishes tourists should enjoy in 2023. He described how each layer of banh cuon was thinly spread out from rice flour, steamed and rolled. often with wooden ear mushrooms and minced meat with various fillings. Banh cuon is served with fragrant dried shallots, various herbs, and a dipping sauce unique to each region. The magazine confirmed that Vietnamese cuisine is truly amazing, from pho, noodles to grilled meats, salads and crispy golden pancakes.
Famous world cuisine website TasteAtlas announced its 2023 culinary awards and its Asian cuisine rankings, with Vietnam in sixth place. The website also listed Vietnam’s five most typical dishes and top five, including banh mi, pho, cha gio (burst spring rolls), bo kho (beef stew), and bun bo Hue (Hue-style beef noodles). Specialty culinary products such as iced coffee, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Vietnamese coffee, egg coffee and cha lua (pork roll). In early December 2022, TasteAtlas announced that Vietnamese cuisine was ranked 20th among the top 100 in the world.
Two of the three common Vietnamese words in the Oxford English Dictionary are related to food. These are “pho” and “banh mi”. This not only makes the Vietnamese people proud, but also makes the world love Vietnamese culture, especially its cuisine.
Many heads of state from around the world have chosen Vietnamese cuisine as part of their visits to Vietnam. Former US President Barack Obama chose to try “bun cha” (Vietnamese grilled pork and rice noodles) during his 2016 visit. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau enjoyed Vietnamese street coffee when he visited Ho Chi Minh City in 2017. Former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tastes banh mi from a street vendor in Da Nang during the APEC Summit in 2017.
Nguyen Trung Khanh, Director General of Vietnam’s National Tourism Administration (VNAT), affiliated with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, believes that Vietnamese cuisine is starting to make a name for itself on the world culinary map. This is a huge potential to attract tourists, especially foreigners.
According to VNAT, it is no coincidence that Vietnamese cuisine is regarded as the epitome of the nation’s culture and is highly praised by international friends. This is because Vietnamese cuisine is diverse in ingredients and delicate in its preparation. Each region has its own flavor, and trying them once will make visitors remember them forever.
Vietnamese culinary culture is rich, diverse and sophisticated, so it’s no surprise that Vietnamese food is highly appreciated by international diners. Among them, pho is considered a “culinary ambassador”, contributing to honoring Vietnamese culture among international friends.
Considered an indispensable part of Vietnamese cuisine recently, pho has been included in the list of the world’s 100 most delicious and famous dishes by the famous food website TasteAtlas. VNA