Addressing the event, VCCA President Nguyen Quoc Ky said that the introduction of the association aims to maintain and honour the value of cuisine in Vietnam, developing a culture amongst society and educating Vietnamese youngsters on Vietnamese gastronomy.
Through its activities, the association hopes to promote Vietnamese cuisine across the world, making it a positive factor that can contribute to the country’s economic development, he said.
On June 12, 2017, the Ministry of Home Affairs issued a decision on the formation of the VCCA. The association’s first congress was held on October 11, 2017, electing a 35-member executive committee and standing board for the 2017-2022 tenure and adapting its charter. Nguyen Quoc Ky, General Director of Vietravel, became the first president of the association.
On July 5, 2018, the Ministry of Home Affairs approved the association’s charter. So far, the association has 300 members from various localities nationwide and working in different areas including education, training, business, tourism, and food processing.
In the 2018-2020 period, the association will focus on collecting and researching the traditional and modern forms of Vietnamese cuisine; coordinating with other agencies to define criteria for Vietnamese gastronomy development; and introducing Vietnamese cuisine to the world.
It will also organise festivals to honour and maintain the popularity of Vietnamese foods, along with training courses on traditional cuisine, while building a Vietnamese gastronomy museum and connecting individuals and organisations engaged in gastronomic culture for cooperation in maintaining this aspect of national cultural identity.
On the occasion, the association signed a cooperation agreement with the Departments of Tourism of Ho Chi Minh City and central Thua Thien-Hue province on developing Vietnam gastronomic culture.
