Enhancing the value of Hanoi cuisine

Professor Philip Kotler, the father of modern marketing theory, once said: “Why doesn’t Vietnam become the kitchen of the world?” This recommendation makes experts, tourism professionals, localities with unique cuisines and those who hold culinary culture ponder.

Culinary heritage - tourism potential

For hundreds of years, Hanoi has always been a place where cultural values ​​converge, crystallize, and spread, in which cuisine is one of the types that has been inherited and developed to reach the quintessence. Mentioning Hanoi cuisine is mentioning the typical dishes that create the culinary brand of the capital such as: Nem, Pho, Com Lang Vong, Cha Ca, Bun Oc, Banh Tom Ho Tay, Banh Cuon Thanh Tri, Xoi Phu Thuong, Banh Day Quan Ganh... In particular, the Old Quarter of Hanoi still preserves the gourmet and fashionable habits of the ancient Hanoians, with countless delicious dishes, always sought out by tourists to enjoy.

Many dishes have been honored by foreign travel sites and included in travel guides for visitors to Hanoi. In particular, the famous travel site Tripadvisor announced that Hanoi is one of the world's top 25 culinary destinations in 2022. In 2023, three restaurants in Hanoi were awarded 1 Michelin star (a prestigious award in the world's culinary world), 45 other restaurants were honored and an award was given to an outstanding young chef at the Michelin Guide Ceremony event held in June in Hanoi.

Historian Duong Trung Quoc believes that we have a great heritage, and at the same time a great asset in culinary culture, which is very meaningful, especially in a world with strong tourism development like today. Pho conquered the world because it integrated the historical value of rice civilization, Western beef soup and fish sauce, the culture of Southeast Asia. Pho in Nam Dinh has a different taste, but in Hanoi it has developed into a new taste. Historical circumstances and geographical location can integrate many factors that change cuisine. Therefore, cuisine is a heritage, an art, so it needs to be diversified to exploit the full potential of that asset.

In fact, cuisine is always an attractive flavor for tourists and is an indispensable part of every journey to explore the culture and history of a tourist destination. However, in Hanoi, as well as many other localities across the country, the exploitation of cuisine into a professional and systematic tour has not really been invested in. In the northern region, Hai Phong has initially formed a Food Tour product (culinary tourism) in one day, receiving the attention of tourists, including many visitors from Hanoi. Meanwhile, in Hanoi, the capital's tourism industry is developing a plan to exploit cuisine into a tour to attract visitors.

Enhance value to attract tourists

According to the orientation of tourism development in Hanoi city until 2030, culinary products and services will be diversified, focusing on unique types such as night food streets, culinary craft villages... in addition to the restaurant system, to meet the needs of people and tourists.

The Hanoi Department of Tourism will develop a Food Tour map so that tourists can explore and experience Hanoi cuisine on their own. At the same time, it will disseminate knowledge about ensuring food hygiene and safety, communication skills, and improving the quality of tourist services to enhance the image and quality of tourism in the capital.

The city organizes many activities to exploit and promote culinary cultural values ​​to a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. The space to introduce Hanoi cuisine with the theme "Quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine" takes place annually, gathering professional associations, artisans, businesses, culinary establishments, introducing delicious dishes of Hanoi and the whole country. Many impressions through culinary stories, the program builds the beauty of typical Hanoi dishes and demonstrates the value of Vietnamese cuisine. The annual Hanoi Culinary Culture Festival has honored, preserved, and promoted the traditional cultural and culinary values ​​of Hanoi, effectively building and exploiting the cultural, culinary and tourism brand. The event is an opportunity to promote the image of Hanoi as a unique tourist, cultural and culinary destination to domestic and foreign tourists.

Currently, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association is developing the Project "Building and developing Vietnamese culinary culture into a national brand", including building a "Collection of 1,000 typical Vietnamese culinary dishes" and converting that database into an "Online map of Vietnamese cuisine", "Online museum of Vietnamese cuisine". The products of the project will contribute to creating a stepping stone to bring the Vietnamese brand to the world, through culinary culture, promoting national competitiveness. At that time, Hanoi cuisine as well as other localities across the country will be known to many international friends.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, said: Tourism is a comprehensive economic sector, exploiting the value of other fields to build products to serve customers, including culture. Culinary culture is exploited to enhance its value, which will promote tourism development, attract visitors to Vietnam, and increase the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism in the international arena.

Culinary culture is a potential area in Hanoi for tourism development. However, building a unique tourism product bearing the mark of Hanoi does not stop at planning and policies, but more importantly requires proper and appropriate investment, the participation of not only management agencies, travel businesses but also the people themselves.