Joining the ‘Saigon – Cho Lon Memory’ tour by Fiditour – Vietluxtour a few days ago, Hoang Minh Thuy from District 3 expressed her wonderful surprise when she could learn more about historical sites in HCMC and taste delicious specialties of different ethnics living in the city.
HCMC Tourism Department reported that most round-the-city tours save certain time in the schedule to introduce tourists to special cuisine of various ethnics living here. Together with letting them enjoy recreational activities and watching cultural performances, this is considered a smart way to attract holidaymakers back to the city in the future.
Deputy General Director of Vietravel commented that there is great potential in including HCMC cuisine in the tour, yet it is a pity that this aspect is not properly exploited. Vietravel is continuously trying to discover new locations with excellent food for tourists to taste and feel the uniqueness of HCMC.
Similarly, Binh Quoi Tourist Site is offering a combination between a feat of 100 specialty dishes and Don Ca Tai Tu shows (traditional music gerne of the South) every weekend. Tourists can also choose themed parties like Dung Dinh Café at Binh Quoi 3 site, delicious seafood at Binh Quoi 2 site, or ‘Cuisine from Wasteland Reclaiming Time’ buffet.
Recently, some famous hotels in the downtown such as Rex, Grand Saigon have included specialties of the Southern region in the menus. Well prepared from carefully selected materials, these dishes are expected to awake the sight and smell of diners besides the taste so that they can feel the dishes with all possible senses.
Venn Edward, a tourist from the US, commented that dishes prepared in HCMC have been smartly adapted to still maintain its original flavors but can suit a variety of diners. The more he eats, the more addicted he becomes. Whenever coming back to the city, he always asks his friends and relatives to take him to new food shops to experience more new dishes.
Chairwoman of HCMC Tourism Association Nguyen Thi Khanh stated that HCMC has the advantage of accommodating many ethnics, so it is easy to find all kinds of domestic cuisine here, being successfully adapted to the taste of Saigon people. She proposed that the city should focus more on themed or regional food festivals.
From the perspective of education, Rector of Saigontourist Hospitality College Vo Thi My Van shared that her college frequently holds events to introduce regional culinary quintessence and cooking styles of HCMC to learners, while helping others from all over the world exchange their culinary to local residents.
From the culinary expert perspective, Deputy Director of the Center for Research, Conservation, and Development of Vietnamese Culinary Chiem Thanh Long said that most dishes in Vietnam, and HCMC in particular, pay much attention to the balance between health and beauty, which is a fashion now and in the future. He added that to leave a longer impression in the mind of diners, chefs should share a legend or story behind each traditional dish. This is an excellent method to advertise Vietnamese cuisine to the world.
Deputy Director of HCMC Tourism Department Le Truong Hien Hoa informed that his department has just issued a plan to improve the quality of food services in HCMC in 4 stages to be completed in 2022. The most important content of the plan is the development of a criteria set to evaluate the food service quality in hotels, restaurants in the city, with a qualified mark for those satisfying these criteria.
The department is working with its national and international partners to invite some Michelin-star chefs for food exchange events in the city.
