Hoi An, Vietnam’s new food capital

Hoi An has recently been recognized as Vietnam’s new food capital by the World Association of Chef Societies. The ancient town, already best known for peaceful streets and mossy houses, is now a culinary destination of Vietnam.
hoi an, vietnam’s new food capital hinh 0

Locals and visitors to Hoi An are willing to join a long queue in front of the Ms. Phuong bakery to buy a loaf of bread. Ms. Phuong’s bread has been named the best bread in the world by chef Anthony Bourdain, who ate with US President Barack Obama in a Bun Cha (Pork pie noodle) small restaurant in Hanoi in May 2016. 

Tran Thi Thu Trang, a customer at Ms Phuong bakery said, "I have visited Hoi An several times. I like the local cuisines like Quang noodle, and Cao Lau, but I like bread in Ms Phuong bakery the best. Its taste and flavor are special. The bakery is always crowded. Sometimes it takes me half an hour to get a loaf of bread.”

Cao Lau noodle, chicken rice, fried hen, and corn sweet soup are also popular food in Hoi An. The diverse local cuisines attract visitors and also globally-recognized chefs. That might be the reason for Hoi An to host the annual International Food Festival. 

Thomas Gugler, President of the World Association of Chef Societies said more work needs to be done. "I think the nature in Hoi An is fantastic. This helps Hoi An to be recognized internationally and well-known. The infrastructure in public areas should be more shaped up, more clean, and higher standard of food safety. The food here is fantastic", Mr. Thomas Gugler noted. 

Trinh Diem Vy, Director of the Hoi An Food Event Company, learned to cook local traditional dishes when she was young. She has opened a number of restaurants to introduce Hoi An food. In 1996, she was the first person in Hoi An to open a Vietnamese food cooking class which drew many foreigners. During her work, Vy has met many foreign chefs, gained experience from them, and introduced them to Hoi An cuisine. 

Ms. Vy said, “Hoi An food is easy to be accepted by foreigners. Hoi An has pure local food and fusion food thanks to its exchanges with foreigners, its people, climate and location.”

Hoi An was a famous commercial port in the 17th and 18th centuries. Trade exchanges have enriched local culture and the culinary in particular. 

Nguyen Van Son, Vice Chairman of the Hoi An Municipal People’s Committee, outlines a plan to develop cuisine into a special tourism product.

“Hoi An will focus on ensuring the quality of ingredients, which must be clean, fresh and have clear origins. We are preparing to establish the Hoi An Chefs’ Association and connect it with fishermen and farmers in order to reduce intermediary costs, helping farmers to sell their products directly to processors”, said Mr Son. 

The city also plans to upgrade its infrastructure and train its chefs in a professional manner as an effort to ensure Hoi An food tourism remains attraction.

VOV5

Other News

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

Ta Xua named Asia's leading emerging tourism destination 2026

In recent years, Ta Xua, dubbed "the paradise of clouds", has emerged as one of the mountainous destinations attracting strong interest from young travellers, particularly for its spectacular sea of clouds stretching across the mountains in the northwestern region.

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Digital transformation key to preserving, promoting ethnic cultural values

Training local young people in filming, audio recording, digital storytelling, data preservation and responsible use of AI can help build a new generation of cultural custodians. This, in turn, can help transform cultural heritage into a resource for economic development while contributing to the country’s broader development.

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

Indigenous culture becomes tourism asset in northern highlands

With growing recognition of indigenous knowledge, customs and cultural values as unique assets, ethnic communities in the northern mountainous region are shifting from simply providing tourism services to becoming creators and owners of tourism products, confidently telling their own cultural stories

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

UNESCO ready to work with Vietnam to implement International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development initiative: Representative

Jonathan Wallace Baker, UNESCO Representative to Vietnam, noted that the official proclamation of the 2027–2036 period as the "International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development" comes at a particularly important moment. As the international community works to accelerate progress towards the 2030 Agenda while beginning to consider what comes after 2030, the Decade provides a ten-year framework to strengthen the place of culture in development.

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Traditional culture finds new life in contemporary Vietnam

Under Resolution 80-NQ/TW, dated January 7, 2026, November 24 was designated Vietnam Culture Day, to be observed annually. The occasion aims to give the public opportunities to participate in, create and enjoy cultural activities, helping spread positive values and foster pride in Vietnamese culture.

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

Vietnam prioritises MICE tourism as strategic product

For the MICE tourism sector in both Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam, growth can no longer be driven merely by increasing the number of events; instead, the focus must shift to enhancing the value of each event and the competitiveness of each destination.

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Potential of ethnic minority women's football

Women’s football movements in local communities have been quietly growing, but they’ve now built up enough momentum to inspire organisers to launch the first Vietnam Ethnic Minority Women’s Football – VTV Cup in 2026.

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

Phong Nha - Ke Bang named among Vietnam's 11 most beautiful destinations

According to the magazine, boat trips into Phong Nha Cave and strolls through Paradise Cave (both family-friendly) offer a tantalising glimpse of their astonishing scale, but the real adventure lies deeper within the park, where cavers wade through underground rivers and weave among stalagmites.

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism seeks new growth momentum under Resolution 26

Tourism effectiveness should be measured not only by visitor numbers and revenue, but also by spending, length of stay, repeat visits, job quality, visitor satisfaction and environmental carrying capacity, said experts.

Vietnam welcomes nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. (Illustrative photo: VNA)

Vietnam tourism maintains strong growth, expands international markets

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance reported that Vietnam welcomed nearly 2 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from July and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure represented 63.6% of the tourism sector’s full-year target of 25 million arrivals.

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

First ladies of Vietnam, Myanmar visit Van Phuc silk village

Ngo Phuong Ly, the spouse of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam, said the two countries share similarities in silk weaving and can enrich their cultural heritage through exchanges and experience sharing.