Orientation for building a National Brand for Cuisine

The World Food Tourism Association (WFTA) reports that 81% of international tourists are interested in learning about local cuisine and spend about a quarter to a third of their travel budget on food and drink-related expenses. Vietnam is considered one of the most attractive culinary destinations globally, having won several culinary tourism categories in the World Travel Awards for five consecutive years (2019-2023). Travel + Leisure, a popular travel website in the USA, also named Vietnam as one of the most appealing culinary destinations in Asia in 2023. Vietnamese cuisine is known for its rich and diverse culture, with dishes such as pho, banh mi, bun cha, and canh chua gradually gaining popularity on the international culinary map. Vietnam's Tourism Development Strategy until 2030 has identified culinary tourism as an essential product line contributing to enhancing the country's competitive advantage and tourism brand. The Vietnam National Tourism Administration aims to offer high-quality culinary tourism products that focus on providing visitors with experiences of discovering cultural identity and community activities at the destination. The administration is also interested in sharing culinary spaces and traditional table manners with visitors, thereby raising the level of the culinary tourism experience.

The Vietnam Culinary Culture Association (VCCA) has launched a project that aims to develop Vietnamese culinary culture into a national brand for the 2022-2024 period. The main goal of this project is to preserve and promote the value of Vietnamese cuisine and to contribute to building the local culinary brand and developing tourism. As part of the project, VCCA has awarded certificates to 121 typical Vietnamese culinary dishes in the first phase, which is a step towards completing a database of 1,000 typical dishes of Vietnam and converting that database into an online Map. The project also includes the creation of an online map of Vietnamese cuisine and an online Museum of Vietnamese cuisine. Various localities are also focusing on promoting and building culinary tourism brands based on these orientations.

Promoting local culinary identity

In Can Tho, culinary experiences are an integral part of tourism itineraries and products. At Son Islet, visitors can indulge in country-style dishes while enjoying activities such as watching flying snakehead fish, fish massage, and more. Each house on the islet has a unique dish to offer, which creates the culinary characteristics of Son Islet. The cuisine served to tourists at Son Islet is primarily homegrown, and the experience is closely associated with it. Guests can participate in rustic activities like picking fruit, catching fish and snails, and preparing dishes, which provides an authentic experience of the local culture.

Bringing local cuisine closer to tourists is an excellent way to promote local culture. Mekong Silt Ecolodge in Phong Dien district offers workshops where guests can learn about traditional Vietnamese dishes and cooking techniques. Sometimes, the workshop includes preparing folk cakes, sour soup, and braised fish. Occasionally, Mekong Silt Ecolodge introduces visitors to new dishes made from local ingredients, such as tamarind flower, azalea flower, butterfly pea flower, and more. By applying these ingredients to tourism, the value of the dish increases, while ensuring it remains purely Vietnamese. This is also a way to introduce and enhance the value of Vietnamese cuisine.

Can Tho have a diverse cuisine with many dishes that are popular among tourists. Some of the famous dishes include crispy pancakes, rice noodle pizza, Fried shrimp cake, hammock-shaped fine rice vermicelli, Cai Rang grilled pork sausage, and field crab hot pot. Can Tho is also known for the annual Southern Folk Cake Festival, which showcases hundreds of types of cakes and helps preserve various types of folk cakes.

To develop culinary tourism, Can Tho authorities established the Can Tho Culinary Association, which is affiliated with the Can Tho City Tourism Association. This association provides a platform for chefs and food lovers to interact, exchange experience, and create delicious dishes based on local resources. Furthermore, Ninh Kieu District People's Committee launched many specialized culinary streets such as Ho Xang Thoi Street, Ho Bung Xang Street, and the upcoming Tran Van Hoai Street. These streets have flexible operating hours, which create conditions for visitors to experience diverse local cuisine.

The development of a local culinary tourism brand is essential as it expresses local cultural identity and is an integral part of tourism.