In the global tourism landscape, where cuisine is increasingly emerging as a distinctive “language” for countries to shape their image and attract visitors, Vietnam—with its rich and distinctive culinary heritage—has a strong opportunity to transform gastronomy into a national asset.

Five-coloured sticky rice encapsulates the essence of the land and skies of Muong Lo in Lao Cai province.

Shaping national tourism products

According to the World Food Travel Association (WFTA), more than 80% of international travellers consider local cuisine a primary motivation for travel, with food and beverage spending accounting for around 30% of total tourism expenditure. This underscores the role of cuisine not only as a complementary experience but also as a key driver of travel demand.

In recent years, Vietnamese cuisine has gained growing international recognition. At the World Culinary Awards, Vietnam was named Asia's Best Culinary Destination 2025 while Hanoi was honoured as Asia's Best Emerging Culinary City 2025. Ho Chi Minh City ranked fourth among the world's top 20 culinary capitals in 2025 as selected by UK-based Time Out magazine.

Also last year, iconic Vietnamese dishes such as banh mi (baguette), nem ran (fried spring roll), bun bo Hue (Hue beef noodle), and Vietnamese coffee were listed among the world’s most appealing foods by leading platforms and travel magazines including Taste Atlas, CNN Travel and Condé Nast Traveller.

Tourism businesses note that cuisine represents a distinctive competitive advantage for Vietnam. Food tours are increasingly designed as standalone tourism products, with each dish linked to cultural narratives and layered storytelling.

Beyond ingredients and cooking techniques, visitors are introduced to ways of enjoying food and local knowledge. As a result, cuisine becomes not only a sensory experience but also a gateway to history, customs and indigenous wisdom.

Dishes such as pho bo (beef noodle), bun cha (rice vermicelli with grilled pork and fresh herbs), nem ran (fried spring rolls) and banh xeo (sizzling rice pancake) have moved beyond everyday meals to become cultural icons admired worldwide.

Experts, however, note that the real challenge lies not in uniqueness, but in how effectively Vietnamese cuisine is developed into a standardised and well-invested national tourism product.

Several localities have taken proactive steps. In 2022, the Department of Tourism of northern Hai Phong city launched a digital food map “Hai Phong Foodtour”, distributed free at transport hubs and public venues to guide visitors on dishes, locations and optimal tasting times.

In the northern tourism hub of Quang Ninh, cuisine has been integrated into public spaces and cultural, sports and festival events to stimulate tourism demand.

Across the country, large-scale culinary events such as the Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival, the Hue Vegetarian Food Festival, the Nam Dinh Pho Festival and the Southern Traditional Cake Festival have attracted growing numbers of visitors.

These models demonstrate that when cuisine is properly positioned in development strategies, it can become a “reason to travel”, rather than merely an ancillary service.

Building foundations for integration

If culinary diversity is a resource, human capital is the decisive factor in quality and competitiveness. The Vietnam Tourism Association (VITA) has for years pursued a strategy to standardise the culinary workforce. In 2025, it intensified efforts to elevate cuisine as a distinctive tourism product.

National-scale events such as the Vietnam Banh Mi Festival 2025 and the first Vietnamese Rice Noodle Festival not only drew large crowds but also strengthened Vietnam’s culinary brand presence in international media.

Notably, Vietnamese chefs competing in international contests in 2025 won many gold and silver medals, further promoting Vietnam’s position on the global culinary map.

While countries such as Japan, France and the Republic of Korea have long-established professional title systems for chefs, Vietnam is taking initial but foundational steps. VITA has introduced a national recognition system for culinary artisans in cooking, baking, beverage preparation and fruit-and-vegetable carving.

VITA Chairman Vu The Binh noted that the artisan title serves a dual mission – preserving culinary heritage while standardising the profession in line with international benchmarks.

Candidates are evaluated not only on technical skills but also on cultural knowledge, culinary history, ingredients and food safety standards, ensuring the title aligns with globally recognised certifications.

From a business perspective, a representative of Vietravel stressed the need to refine policies, develop unified branding criteria, strengthen public – private partnerships and invest in human resources through closer cooperation between schools, businesses and artisans.

As experiential tourism grows, cuisine emerges as a lasting travel memory. To build a national culinary brand, Vietnam must align heritage, the food and beverage industry, and artisan standardisation—laying the groundwork for greater global presence and the elevation of Vietnamese cuisine as a tourism icon.

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