Sustainable development of culinary tourism in Vietnam needs a synchronous strategy

Building a national culinary brand

To build a strong national culinary brand, a consistent and synchronous promotional strategy is needed. Building the image and brand of Vietnamese cuisine needs to be done through international media channels, major culinary events and cooperation with famous people (KOLs).

First of all, according to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan - Director of the Institute for Tourism Development Research: " We need to clearly identify the advantages of Vietnamese cuisine. What is unique and different that our competitors do not have to promote, such as the dishes that we have just been honored by Michelin, we must be responsible for copyrighting. Organizations and individuals doing cuisine must register the copyright of their dishes and cuisine to ensure that there will be no imitation in the future."

Sharing this view, Chairman of the Hanoi Chefs Association and owner of the Banh Mi Pho chain - Ha Hai Doan said that it is time to unify and standardize Vietnamese dishes. For example, pho needs to have enough basic flavors to recognize it as Vietnamese pho. Or banh mi, bun cha, bun bo Hue, etc. must ensure the most common elements, avoiding confusion with other dishes in other countries.

Masterchef Pham Tuan Hai demonstrates his dish. Photo: Hong Phuong

“In the field of tourism, cuisine plays an important role. Along with the landscape, cuisine is of interest, people want to know what to eat today, where. Cuisine in each country has its own color. We must do something so that tourists who have not yet come to Vietnam know what our color is. When they come to Vietnam, tourists will realize that the cuisine has its own color in each province and city. When the general color of the country attracts people to come, and the unique color of each locality is attractive enough, tourists will stay longer, and they will even come back many times” - Mr. Ha Hai Doan commented.

Having worked as a tour guide for nearly 20 years and having guided thousands of international visitors, Mr. Nguyen Viet Kien commented: “ To develop culinary tourism, it is necessary to build a Vietnamese culinary brand. It is necessary to take some typical dishes and then build a separate brand from there such as pho, nem… In addition, it is necessary to pay attention to food safety issues, there should be clear information about cuisine in English, including street food”.

Leveraging technology and digital platforms

As society becomes more developed, the use of technology and digital platforms to promote culinary tourism is very important. Websites, mobile applications and social networks can play a key role in introducing and promoting Vietnamese cuisine to global tourists.

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Nam - Technology and Digital Marketing expert said: “ Technology and modern digital platforms are powerful tools in promoting culinary tourism. For example, developing mobile applications such as Foody.vn, HaNoiGrapevine.com or Tripadvisor.com with booking, review and experience sharing features can help tourists easily access and experience Vietnamese cuisine. Social media marketing strategies such as organizing culinary competitions on Instagram or Facebook also need to be fully exploited to attract the attention of the global community”.

The traditional nem thinh dish is made more sophisticated and attractive by skilled chefs. Photo: Hong Phuong

Although she is an older person, artist Nguyen Thi Anh Tuyet strongly supports the initiative to launch a culinary app: “ I just attended the opening ceremony of the culinary app in Hoan Kiem district. I think this is a very good and meaningful idea, with the potential to be very effective. It is like the first “shot” that enlightens Vietnamese cuisine.”

In the national strategic project, Mr. La Quoc Khanh said that the Vietnam Culinary Tourism Association is also building a Vietnamese Culinary Encyclopedia and a connecting community. This project is considered Vietnam's first "Super App" in this field, with the goal of building a comprehensive platform that connects knowledge, community and business on an international scale.

Developing unique culinary tourism products

In order for Vietnam to attract tourists, enhance the value and competitiveness of culinary tourism, developing unique culinary tourism products is an important strategy. By building regional culinary tours, traditional craft village tours combined with cuisine, tourists can not only enjoy traditional dishes but also better understand the history, culture and people of that place. For example, exploring the traditional craft villages of making fish sauce in Phu Quoc, making sour sausage in Thanh Hoa, making vermicelli in Bun Phu Do village (Hanoi)...

Having many years of experience as a chef, winning many culinary awards as well as being knowledgeable about culinary tourism, Masterchef Pham Tuan Hai believes that it is time for us to promote the development of unique and special culinary tourism products: “Tourists today are different from before, they no longer want to play the role of passive guests. They like to directly participate in activities and experiences at destinations. If now each restaurant has an experience, an experience style, then that will definitely be what customers really want, will find interesting and come back more. For example, my restaurant has many customers who really like to make curry. They like to do it themselves, from grinding, grinding and cooking in their own way. They feel comfortable and come back more often”.

We need more good chefs to elevate Vietnamese cuisine.

In the process of promoting Vietnamese cuisine to the world, the role of chefs is very important in promotion and marketing. As chefs, they know more than anyone else the secrets in preparing and elevating Vietnamese cuisine. Chefs have the opportunity and conditions to introduce dishes to tourists or potential tourists around the world through events such as Vietnamese culinary culture events abroad, fairs, or directly at the place where they are serving...

“ When affirming that Vietnamese cuisine is on the world map, the first thing I have to think of is the chefs. In the past 5 years, the kitchen clubs, kitchen associations and kitchen branches have been very active and enthusiastic. They combine, exchange with each other and create many Vietnamese records. They bring their experience to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the world every day” - Masterchef Pham Tuan Hai said.

In fact, Vietnam has many delicious dishes, but to bring them to the world, it needs good chefs to elevate their value. For example, in many hotels, chefs can bring simple dishes from everyday life but by processing them, make them more delicious and attractive. “ I am especially impressed with the Indochine Hotel. They have made everyday Vietnamese dishes more luxurious. It is still banana flower salad or lotus root salad, but the chef's choice of ingredients, processing and decoration makes the dishes more attractive and sophisticated, ” said Mr. Trinh Cao Khai - Principal of Hanoi College of Tourism.

Therefore, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa - a teacher at a tourism and culinary training center in Hanoi, human resource training is an important factor in improving service quality. For example, training programs can include in-depth courses on serving traditional dishes, knowledge of ingredients and typical cooking techniques. Through training, the staff is always updated with new knowledge and skills.

Public-private partnership models can help create synergy and efficiency in culinary tourism development. The government can provide the legal framework and financial support, while businesses play an active role in product implementation and promotion.

Right Plan

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phat-trien-ben-vung-du-lich-am-thuc-o-viet-nam-can-chien-luoc-dong-bo-post309785.html