In the trend of making cuisine a spearhead in developing tourism in the capital, promoting the development of Hanoi's cultural industry, the preservation and promotion of the culinary heritage of Hanoi's Old Quarter is being carried out urgently.
The essence of Hanoi
With a history of more than a thousand years, Hanoi in general and Hanoi Old Quarter in particular, through many ups and downs, have accumulated the quintessential values of the regions and gradually transformed those cultural values into the unique culture of Hanoi. Hanoi Old Quarter, most of which is located in Hoan Kiem district, can be considered a place where talented craftsmen from all over the country gather, thus forming craft villages and craft streets and gradually creating the appearance of Hanoi - thirty-six streets as it is today.
Thanks to that development process, Hanoi Old Quarter has crystallized a culture representing the capital, of which cuisine is the clearest example. With hundreds of culinary heritages recognized by the community and tourists and nearly 30 culinary heritages proposed after the survey process, Hanoi Old Quarter has a rich culinary background with many different dishes, containing the soul of Hanoi.
According to Professor Hoang Dao Kinh, Hanoi's Old Quarter is called Ke Cho land - a place that was once a famous trading center. Hanoi's Old Quarter cuisine is therefore also a collection of the best from all over the world, refined with the intersection between luxury and popular, sidewalk styles. And even though it is sold on the sidewalk, the Old Quarter cuisine still has its own unique flavor and above all, it is the family stories passed down from many generations.
Born into a family with 7 generations of roots in the Old Quarter, and having a long-standing attachment to Hanoi cuisine, Meritorious Artist Pham Thi Anh Tuyet believes that Hanoians are famous for being gourmets, meticulous in choosing ingredients, and sophisticated in the way they prepare everything from main dishes to desserts. Each season has its own dishes. Traditional dishes, whether cooked for feasts or in normal meals, have "standard" rules so that each dish has its own characteristic flavor.
Currently, in Hoan Kiem district, there are 817 registered food service establishments, including 637 food establishments and 107 hotels with restaurants, meeting the dining needs of local diners and tourists with hundreds of different dishes from traditional to modern, both domestic and foreign. Among them, the number of food stores concentrated in the Old Quarter is the largest. Dishes with the traditional flavors of the old Hanoians are still mentioned the most.
Positioning destinations for tourism development
Nowadays, the cuisine of the old quarter has become a brand to attract tourists. Many famous culinary brands have become addresses that attract tourists to experience when coming to Hanoi, such as: La Vong fish cake, Hong Lam apricot, Xoi Yen, Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su, Nem tai Ba Hong, Pho Bat Dan, bun cha Hang Manh, Kem Trang Tien, Tong Duy Tan cuisine, Pho Khoi, Huyen Anh grilled duck, Banh cuon Ba Hoanh, Bun cha Sinh Tu, Dung Ha frog hotpot, Giang cafe, To Tich mixed fruit, bun dau Hang Khay... Many streets have become culinary streets that attract many domestic and foreign tourists such as: Ta Hien beer street, Ho Hoan Kiem salad street, Tong Duy Tan night food street, Cam Chi alley...
According to research by the World Food Tourism Association (WFTA), up to 81% of international tourists want to learn about local cuisine at their destination. They are willing to spend an average of 25% of their travel expenses on cuisine. In a survey of tourists visiting Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi, the need to "eat and experience cuisine" is the highest (89%) in comparison to the need to "visit historical sites" (74%) and "visit scenic spots" (75%).
To promote culinary strengths in the tourism development strategy in the area, contributing to the development of tourism in the capital, Hoan Kiem district has organized a number of culinary spaces such as: Culinary space at Dong Xuan night market; Culinary space at Tong Duy Tan street - Hang Bong alley... Notably, recently, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem district coordinated with the Center for Research and Promotion of Cultural Heritage values to organize the implementation of the Project "Developing and promoting culinary cultural heritage of Hoan Kiem district to serve tourism development, by 2025, with a vision to 2030". The project introduces 46 culinary heritages included in the list of culinary heritages of Hoan Kiem district, most of which are located in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. In addition, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem district is the first locality in Hanoi to launch the application "Hoan Kiem Cuisine" to promote the quintessence of culinary culture with the expectation of contributing to bringing Hanoi cuisine in general and Old Quarter cuisine in particular closer to tourists.
Chairman of Hoan Kiem District People's Committee Pham Tuan Long said that cuisine is considered one of the effective channels to introduce and promote the culture and image of the country and attract tourists and international friends to Vietnam. Introducing culinary heritages as well as implementing culinary applications will be the bridge to realize this. Dr. Le Thi Minh Ly - Member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, former Deputy Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage said that introducing the list of culinary heritages is not only to promote domestic and international tourists to learn more about traditional dishes, excellent cooking techniques, unique to Hanoi people, but also has the value of raising awareness and responsibility to preserve the quintessential dishes of Hanoi people.
Currently, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District is continuing to implement many activities to promote and develop cuisine into a key tourism product in the area. In the coming time, the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District will continue to build a chain of new culinary spaces in a number of wards in the district, such as: Cau Go Street, Dong Xuan Market and Dong Xuan Alley, Dong Xuan Ward; Gia Ngu Street - Cau Go Alley, Hang Bac Ward; Ha Hoi Street, Tran Hung Dao Ward; Au Trieu - Tho Xuong Street - Huyen Alley, Hang Trong Ward, etc.
Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nang-tam-gia-tri-am-thuc-pho-co-ha-noi-697988.html
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