Da Nang (VNA) – Cuisine is a major attraction for visitors to Da Nang, with traditional dishes offering not only distinctive flavours but also rich stories that reflect the region's culture, people, and heritage. The city is now developing a digital culinary ecosystem through e-commerce platforms and online services, creating new opportunities to showcase local cuisine, boost tourism, and support the local economy.
Building a digital food map
The digital Food Map, integrated into a mobile application and featuring more than 200 representative food vendors at the recent Da Nang Food Tour 2026 Festival, has helped connect visitors with a network of reputable food and beverage businesses across the city.
With just a few taps on their smartphones, visitors can explore Da Nang's diverse culinary offerings.
Nguyen Thi Minh Huyen, a visitor from Hanoi visiting Da Nang for the first time, said she was impressed by local specialities such as pork rice paper rolls, grilled pork rolls and Quang noodles. She noted that these dishes on GrabFood made it easier for visitors to discover and enjoy local cuisine, providing an innovative way to integrate food experiences into sightseeing itineraries.
Meanwhile, the “Con Market digital transformation” initiative has recently been launched. Grab, in coordination with the Con Market Management Board, is helping vendors establish stores on GrabFood and GrabMart, manage orders, adopt cashless payments and participate in online promotional campaigns.
Beyond online sales, the programme also focuses on equipping household businesses with digital skills, including product listing, pricing and selecting appropriate packaging sizes.
Huynh Thi Xuan Mai, a food vendor at Con Market, said bringing Da Nang's specialities onto digital platforms would help them reach a wider audience beyond the traditional market. Customers can order several dishes in a single transaction, while discount codes and in-app promotions help bring local delicacies closer to visitors.
According to Ma Tuan Trong, Managing Director of Grab Vietnam, the initiative will enable market vendors and household businesses to adopt technology more quickly and expand their sales channels, giving Da Nang's signature products and dishes greater exposure among residents and tourists while promoting the destination and supporting the local economy.
To stimulate consumption, various promotional programmes featuring OCOP products and local specialities will be rolled out on Grab's platforms. Following the initial phase, Da Nang authorities and Grab will assess business performance, sales volumes and consumer feedback to refine the model, with a view to expanding it to other areas with high concentrations of household businesses.
Enhancing visitors' culinary experiences
According to the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre, the city's tourism sector is developing a multi-platform digital tourism ecosystem to support promotion, provide information and assist visitors.
The Da Nang Tourism Digital Food Map, developed in coordination with ShopeeFood, enables visitors to search for, explore and access local culinary experiences through digital platforms. Combining technology with traditional cuisine reflects the city's adaptation to changing consumer trends, helping promote the Quang region's culinary heritage and position Da Nang as a smart destination with a distinctive cultural identity.
To link food businesses with tourism promotion and local cultural experiences, Da Nang is also pursuing cooperation with Foody JSC (ShopeeFood) to accelerate digital transformation, improve the competitiveness of household businesses and promote culinary tourism.
Nguyen Thi Anh Thi, Vice Chairwoman of the Da Nang People's Committee, stressed that digital food promotion should go hand in hand with destination branding and the preservation of local culture.
She assigned the Municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to study and develop criteria for selecting representative food establishments, while carefully verifying information, brand stories and promotional content related to local culture and heritage before they are included on the digital map and relevant applications.
The map should also be integrated with the city's smart tourism applications, tourism stimulus programmes and event and festival series, while efforts should be made to elevate the Da Nang Food Tour Festival to international standards, she said.
Transparency is another key feature of the digital map. QR code systems will provide detailed information on the origins and provenance of agricultural products and regional specialities, enabling visitors to make informed choices and increasing the credibility of food businesses.
Do Thi Quynh Tram, Deputy Director of the municipal Department of Industry and Trade, said the department would work with local authorities to select 10 representative traditional markets for the “Da Nang Food Market” model.
The initiative will focus on digitising market stalls, introducing cashless payments and strengthening food safety controls. The department will also connect OCOP products and local specialities with ShopeeFood's food supply chain and study the development of a “Da Nang Food Pass” to promote the city's culinary offerings to visitors.
The combination of cultural heritage and digital technology is giving the city's tourism industry a new dimension, reflecting a long-term strategy to provide visitors with safe, convenient, modern and sustainable experiences.
Maintaining and expanding initiatives such as the digital Food Map will help promote local culinary values and further strengthen Da Nang's position on the global tourism map./.
