Deputy Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan presented a decision on the assignment, from July 2014 to July 2017, to Bobby Chinn at a recent ceremony held by the ministry and the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK.

Born in 1964 in New Zealand, Bobby Chinn is well-known as chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, who has lived in Viet Nam since 1996.

He is also the presenter of the US’s Discovery Network Travel and Living and Bobby Chinn Cooks Asia.

He opened a high-end restaurant in Hanoi in 2001 and another in Ho Chi Minh City in 2011.

Last year, he moved to London to open his new restaurant “The House of Ho”, which introduced Vietnamese typical dishes to foreign friends during the 2014 “Taste of London” festival in June.

With this honour, Bobby Chinn is expected to help popularise Viet Nam as a safe and hospitable destination for visitors from around the world.