Vietnamese "bun cha" (Source: VNA) HCM City (VNA) – The culinaryfestival “Essence of Vietnamese food” will take place in Ho Chi Minh City fromApril 6-8, introducing special dishes from across the nation, as part ofactivities to develop food tourism.
According to Vice President of the Vietnam TourismAssociation (VTA) Vu The Binh, the tourism sector is developing numerous uniqueproducts to lure visitors, with food a product featuring Vietnam’s cultural identity.
Many Vietnamese dishes have become popular worldwide,showing that Vietnamese food can become a distinguished tourism product, Binhsaid.
Meanwhile, Vice President of theVietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology Vuong Xuan Tinhsuggested at a recent workshop to develop traditional cuisine that the countryrevise its master plan on Vietnam tourismdevelopment to 2020 with a vision 2030 and prepare for a new strategythat involves developing food tourism.
He also highlighted the need for efforts fromall sectors, particularly the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism;Agriculture and Rural Development; Planning and Investment; and Industry andTrade to make food a tourism product of Vietnam.
Meanwhile, Vice President of theVietnam Association of Ethnology and Anthropology Vuong Xuan Tinhsuggested at a recent workshop to develop traditional cuisine that the countryrevise its master plan on Vietnam tourismdevelopment to 2020 with a vision 2030 and prepare for a new strategythat involves developing food tourism.
He also highlighted the need for efforts fromall sectors, particularly the Ministries of Culture, Sports and Tourism;Agriculture and Rural Development; Planning and Investment; and Industry andTrade to make food a tourism product of Vietnam.
Vietnamese signature food of "Nem" (Spring rolls)(Source: VNA) The VTA recently established the Vietnam ChefAssociation (VICA) to connect, support and provide training for Vietnamesechefs, contributing to creating a brand for Vietnamese food.
The VICA will develop standards and norms forVietnamese dishes, and criteria for ranking Vietnamese chefs, according to Tinh.
Some Vietnamesedishes have made their name worldwide, such as Pho (rice noodle with beef orchicken soup), Bun cha (grilled pork with rice vermicelli) and Nem (friedspring roll).
US President Barack Obama ate at aHanoi-based Bun cha restaurant during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, helpingpromote Vietnamese food internationally.
Bowls of "Pho" (Noodle soup with beef) (Source: VNA) In 2015,Vietnam’s nem ran (fried spring rolls) was listed among top 10 dishesin the world by the US Cable News Network (CNN).
In recentyears, more research and workshops have been conducted on foodtourism. Books, websites and tourism packages featuring Vietnamese food havealso been launched.
According tostatistics of the Viet Nam Cuisine Culture Association, Vietnam has more than3,000 dishes. There are some 30,000 restaurants and culinary zones nationwide,and between 15,000 – 20,000 Vietnamese restaurants overseas.
Five-coloured "xoi" steamed sticky rice (Source: VNA) According tothe World Travelers Association, more than 25 percent of tourists aremotivated by food. The second Global Report on Food Tourism showed that 87percent of surveyed organisations identify food tourism among their key factorsfor tourism development, while 82 percent said food tourism is a significantmotivation for tourism development and local economic development.-VNA
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