According to Vice President of the Vietnam Tourism Association (VTA) Vu The Binh, the tourism sector is developing numerous unique products 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, Binh said.
The VTA recently established the Vietnam Chef Association (VICA) to connect, support and provide training for Vietnamese chefs, contributing to creating a brand for Vietnamese food.
The VICA will develop standards and norms for Vietnamese dishes, and criteria for ranking Vietnamese chefs.
Some Vietnamese dishes have made their name worldwide, such as pho (rice noodle with beef or chicken soup), bun cha (grilled pork with rice vermicelli) and nem ran (fried spring rolls).
US President Barack Obama ate at a Hanoi-based bun cha restaurant during his visit to Vietnam in 2016, helping promote Vietnamese food internationally.
In 2015, Vietnam’s nem ran was listed among top 10 dishes in the world by the US Cable News Network (CNN).
According to the World Travelers Association, more than 25% of tourists are motivated by food.
