The locals and tourists visit the space at the festival “Hue – the capital of gastronomy”

Enhancing the destination brand

When talking about Hue cuisine, people immediately think of the land that was once the capital of the country, where a great deal of culinary elites gathered. For this reason, out of more than 2,300 surveyed dishes, Hue owns up to 1,700, accounting for two-thirds of the whole country’s dishes.

Therefore, the promotion of the quintessence values of Hue culinary culture is crucial. It is not only the preservation of the ancestors’ heritage, but also an opportunity for the culture and tourism sectors to develop, promoting the development of the local economy.

Once Hue culinary culture develops and gains its position on the international stage, it will become the most effective communication and promotion channel, promoting the province's food consumption channels to the nationwide market and to many regions around the world.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Thanh, Chairman of the Provincial Culinary Culture Association also said that the establishment of the association was a turning point, connecting artisans and experts in culinary culture, and enterprises specializing in the culinary sector. Accordingly, clear orientations and strategies in promoting and honoring Hue cuisine will be available.

“Initially, we will connect and open training courses for culinary enthusiasts, preserving Hue’s traditional delicacies,” said Mr. Thanh; and, he also shared that the trainers would be veteran culinary artisans of Hue.

When being asked about the association’s establishment, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc, Deputy Director in charge of the Provincial Department of Tourism, said that the association was considered a forum and a playground, which was more academic, professional, and standardized, for businessmen, enterprises, managers, and researchers relating to the culinary sector, as well as culinary artisans and professional chefs working in the province. According to Mr. Phuc, this contributes to enhancing the position of Hue cuisine in particular and of the Central region in general, which is worthy of the national position and promoting it to the world.

Culinary culture standards will be determined soon

Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association Nguyen Quoc Ky affirmed that the responsibility of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association and the Thua Thien Hue Provincial Culinary Culture Association was to unite all classes, gradually honor and develop the country's culinary cultural heritage. This work aims to promote the tourism development in Vietnam, and develop Vietnam's economy, especially the night economy. Particularly for Hue, where many favorable factors converge, the development of culinary culture is even more crucial and needs to be implemented.

Regarding the strategies to contribute to preserving and promoting the values ​​of Hue culinary culture, Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc said that the association needed to realize several goals; among them, the association needs to focus on the coordination between functional agencies and units to organize research, survey, and collect activities of traditional culinary dishes, promote the values of culinary culture, exchange experiences in order to strengthen the protection and promotion of the values ​​of culinary culture of the province.

At the same time, the consultation for authorities at all levels is needed to develop strategies for the development of local culinary culture, as well as standards and normative for businesses, production and food processing establishments.

“The association needs to research and actively coordinate with functional agencies, departments and sectors to develop and issue regulations and determine standards of culinary culture, developing the province's culinary culture. It is necessary to coordinate with the tourism sector to foster the introduction and promotion of cuisine associated with domestic and international tourism via the association's events and domestic and international tourism fairs and events," said Mr. Phuc; and, he also believed that the association would be a "bridge" to bring the province's unique "delicious and healthy" dishes to international tourists and friends.

Story and photo: Nhat Minh