Trump-Kim summit generates appetite for Vietnamese cuisine

Reporters working at the International Media Center (IMC) for the second DPRK-USA Summit in Hanoi were treated to a variety of foods, including traditional Vietnamese dishes such as nem ran (fried rolls), pho (noodles with beef or chicken meat), and bun cha (vermicelli noodles with grilled pork).

Alberto Salazar, a correspondent at the Hanoi bureau of Cuba’s Prensa Latina News Agency, praised the conditions provided by the host country for the media. “I have worked in Vietnam for two years and tried many Vietnamese foods. It was really good for those who come to Vietnam for the first time to have an opportunity to taste Vietnamese food right at the media center,” he added.

“The food is really nice, a variety of foods, all drinks and food are provided for free. The Internet is very fast. I am really impressed,” said a reporter from the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.

Vietnam is known for its rich cuisine and is endowed with an abundance of domestically grown produce and seafood sources. Viettravel General Director and Vietnam Food Association Chairman Nguyen Quoc Ky says Vietnam should promote its cuisine as a tourism draw to develop this important economic sector.

Ky said the association, with the help of artisans, plans a Vietnamese Food Week in France and the US, and the association intends to turn Vietnam into the “kitchen” of the world. The association will work with the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) to develop a plan for promoting Vietnamese cuisine culture in 2019 and 2020.

VNAT Deputy General Director Ngo Hoai Chung said the agency will consider cuisine promotion an important part of tourism development.

To earn a reputation of a world-class kitchen, Vietnam needs to improve its food quality, develop international standard restaurants, train chefs, waiters and waitresses, conduct cuisine research projects, publish cook books and promote its cuisine worldwide through the media.