Hue looks to become ‘food capital’ of Vietnam

Hue city, which has long been known as the only place in Vietnam that has royal dishes, is striving to become the capital of gastronomy in Vietnam.

Authorities of the central province of Thua Thien – Hue have projected to invest more than 12.4 billion VND (542,500 USD), including 3.7 billion VND from the State budget and the remaining from organisations and individuals, to build a brand name for Hue dishes in 2018-2020.

The move is significant as many Hue dishes, which are now available in the market, are inauthentic because they are not prepared in a proper way and with wrong ingredients, causing the false tastes.

More than 1,000 Hue-style dishes are being preserved at present. Hue is best known for elegant royal cuisine, which was served to kings under the Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945).

One distinctive quality of Hue food is the harmonisation of yin and yang in each dish. For example, molluscs are always cooked with chilli, pepper, lemongrass and grapefruit leaves, "hot" spices that balance the "cool" features of the water-based creatures.

Various snack-like items, such as ‘banh beo’ (rice cake with grilled shrimp), ‘banh nam’ (flat steamed rice dumpling), ‘banh bot loc’ (dumplings with shrimp), and ‘banh canh’ (cake soup), to name but a few, are a major part of the Hue cuisine. 

Visitors can find these items at Hue restaurants in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. ‘Bun bo Hue’ (spicy beef noodle soup), a local breakfast dish, is also popular around the country.

Some Hue dishes have been listed as the country’s best foods by Vietnam’s Record Book such as bun bo (beef noodles), com hen (rice with mussels), banh beo (rice cake with grilled shrimp), banh bot loc (dumplings with shrimp), banh khoai (fried rice crepes), ruoc (shrimp paste), me xung (sesame candy), che hat sen (sweet lotus seed pudding), tom chua (pickled shrimp), and thanh tra (a grapefruit variety that was served to the king).

Meticulousness of Hue cuisine comes all the way from ingredients selection to dish decoration, which has always attracted people’s attention when visiting the former capital of Vietnam.

During Hue Festival 2018, restaurants within the city were bustling with both domestic and international diners. Many visitors revealed that cuisine is the magnet pulling them into the ancient city.

Myriad activities were being held throughout the event in order to promote the city’s one-of-a-kind cuisine, including Hue international food festival, royal gala dinner, and vegetarian food court, among others.

In addition to completing a dossier to recognise Hue as a food capital of Vietnam, Thua Thien-Hue province moves to build a culture and food museum in the imperial city

VNA

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.