Direction for the Development of Culinary Tourism

Booking.com surveyed nearly 28,000 tourists from 33 countries and territories about travel trends in 2024. Exploring cuisine stands as one of the seven trends chosen by many travelers. Specifically, 61% of respondents wish to learn about the origins of dishes at various destinations and 81% express interest in trying local cuisine. Additionally, 73% of Vietnamese tourists enjoy discovering 'must-try' dishes when visiting a new place.

In reality, Vietnamese cuisine offers diverse experiences for travelers to explore. Travel + Leisure magazine (USA) voted Vietnam as the destination with the most appealing cuisine in Asia in 2023, stating, “Vietnamese cuisine undoubtedly represents a culinary culture with fresh, flavorful dishes. This country is renowned for its breathtaking landscapes and rich culinary heritage. Wherever you go, you'll encounter delicious local dishes right on the sidewalks, leaving you enchanted and immersed in new and exciting experiences”. The Travel (Canada) also announced a list of the top 10 countries with the most enticing cuisine worldwide, with Vietnam proudly positioned fifth in the reader-voted list. Furthermore, Traveller (Australia) suggested Vietnam's 'banh cuon' (steamed rice rolls) as one of the top 10 enticing dishes for travelers to savor in 2023. TasteAtlas, a world culinary map, listed the top 95 most enticing cuisines globally in 2023, with Vietnam ranked 20th.

Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, stated: “Cuisine plays a significant role in shaping the emotions of tourists at each destination. Therefore, cuisine not only contributes to boosting tourism and socio-economic development but also contributes to building Vietnam's image and position globally”. Consequently, culinary tourism has been identified as one of the crucial product lines in Vietnam's Tourism Development Strategy until 2030. Various efforts are being made to promote the development of Vietnam's culinary brand. Specifically, the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism has approved the project “Variations of Thousand Ingredients, Cooking Million Vietnamese Dishes”. The Vietnamese Culinary Culture Association (VCCA) has also implemented the project “Building and Developing Vietnamese Culinary Culture into a National Brand, Phase 2022-2024” with the goal of researching, preserving, and developing Vietnamese culinary culture. The project conducts surveys and collects data on Vietnamese culinary culture to build a collection of “1,000 typical Vietnamese dishes”. Subsequently, this data will be transformed into an “Online Culinary Map of Vietnam” and an “Online Culinary Museum of Vietnam”. The project's products are expected to contribute to promoting Vietnam's tourism brand globally through culinary culture

Developing Culinary Tourism in Can Tho.

In Can Tho, cuisine is one of the products that tourism entities pay attention to. Among them, the brand of the Southern Folk Cake Festival has been formed through 10 events. The festival not only preserves and maintains the old cakes and rural soul but also attracts many tourists to Can Tho. Thereby contributing to introducing and promoting many specialties of the locality.

Tourists enjoying ‘ga nau au’ (chicken stewed with water caltrops) at Lung Tram Eco Park.

A special point in tourism activities in Can Tho is that at each destination, homestays pay great attention to creating distinctive local dishes to attract tourists. Ms. Lam Thi Khuya, owner of the 9 Hong Fruit Garden, said: “Customers know me for traditional folk cakes, among which the most popular are glutinous rice cake filled with duck meat and rice noodle soup with duck meat. When doing tourism, I want to promote the distinctive flavors and cuisine of Phong Dien, Can Tho to tourists. Therefore, many dishes I still keep the old, rustic methods such as clay-baked chicken, and stewed chicken with Ha Chau berries... Tourists who are familiar with the food here return very often”. In fact, in addition to ecotourism, Phong Dien district is also known for many specialties such as mangosteen salad, chicken stewed with water caltrops, banh hoi mat vong (Hammock-shaped fine rice vermicelli)... Ms. Dang Minh Ngoc, manager of Lung Tram Eco Park, said: “Each ecotourism destination will have different ways of expression. Here we focus on creating a space for local cultural experiences in a truly rural style. For example, tourists can get inside the pond to harvest water caltrops and then cook dishes from it. In addition to the signature chicken stewed with water caltrops, we have more dishes using water caltrops such as water caltrops porridge, duck simmered in caltrops...” Tourist Dinh Van Nhat said: “This is the first time I've eaten chicken stewed with water caltrops. The flavor is unique and intriguing, with the soft, rich water caltrops combined with farm-raised chicken meat, the dish is very perfect”.

In Can Tho, there are many dishes passed down through locals and tourists, such as banh xeo Bay Toi (Bay Toi Vietnamese pancake), pizza hu tieu Sau Hoai (rice noodle pizza Sau Hoai), banh cong co Ut (Vietnamese Fried Shrimp Cake of co Ut), nem nuong Cai Rang (Cai Rang grilled spring rolls), banh hoi mặt vong Ut Dzach (Ut Dzach Hammock shaped fine rice vermicelli), crab hotpot of Ven song... Food tours have been developed and attract many international tourists. Ms. Cao Thien Ly, Director of Business Development of Mekong Delta Co.op Company, shared: “Food tours are one of the products that international tourists really like. In Can Tho, we take tourists to explore cuisine like locals, so the destinations are often places where local people or students gather. We take tourists by motorbike or on foot in the evenings to visit familiar eateries in the lives of Can Tho people so that tourists can experience the distinctive cuisine here”. In addition to food tours, workshops, cooking classes, or folk cake-making classes are also focused on by many travel and accommodation units to introduce local culture to tourists. Ms. Huynh Thi Bich Tuyen, owner of Mekong Silt Ecologe, said: “Here, tourists experience harvesting vegetables themselves, cooking a Vietnamese meal, or making traditional folk cakes. International tourists really like these kinds of experiences”.

Can Tho's cuisine is assessed to have great potential to develop into a tourism product that attracts tourists. This place not only has many delicious dishes but also brings together many artisans and chefs, many of whom and their dishes have been honored. For example, Can Tho has fish hotpot with cork fruit and braised riverbarb fish included in the 121 typical Vietnamese dishes, or chefs Pham Buu Viet (Ninh Kieu), Phan Thi Hong Nhi (O Mon)... who once won the Golden Spoon Cooking Competition. The Can Tho Culinary Association has also been launched under the Can Tho City Tourism Association. The association has 60 members including chefs, businesses, and culinary researchers, and creates a creative space with many unique dishes. Specifically, activities with the theme "Seasons of Flowers - Seasons of Deliciousness" introduced 12 dishes made from flowers, demonstrating the unique creativity from the local specialties and cultural characteristics of the Mekong Delta region.

With these foundations, it is hoped that Can Tho will soon have an orientation to develop cuisine into a distinctive tourism product, thereby contributing to diversifying Can Tho's tourism product system.