‘Michelin effect’ motivates Vietnamese restaurants

A day after Michelin announced the awards, reservations at Long Trieu (or The Royal Pavilion) restaurant “exploded.” The one-star restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, which was upgraded from Michelin Selected last year, was fully booked through the weekend, with reservations up at least 30 percent compared to normal days, a restaurant representative said.

My Hanh Seafood, a Michelin Selected Da Nang restaurant, also announced on its fanpage that it was “fully booked” after the first night of receiving the award. The effect recognized by Michelin makes guests “fill the entire restaurant”.

These are two of 164 restaurants in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang in the Michelin Guide 2024. Of these, 7 restaurants have one Michelin star, 58 restaurants have Bib Gourmand (good food, reasonable prices) and 99 restaurants have Michelin Selected (Michelin selected). The Michelin Green Star, which emphasizes sustainability and the environment, was awarded for the first time in Vietnam to a restaurant in Da Nang. The number of restaurants has increased in all categories, no restaurant has lost its title or star, but there have been no 2 or 3 Michelin stars.

According to Mr. Ha Van Sieu, Deputy Director of the Department of Tourism, more and more Vietnamese restaurants and eating establishments are certified by the Michelin Guide, helping the national tourism brand shine brighter and position itself firmly in the tourism market. world calendar. The Vietnam National Tourism Administration has developed a strategy in which cuisine and heritage tourism will be two strong brands. Culinary culture is a strategic step exploited by the industry to position the competitiveness of Vietnamese tourism.

Mr. Le Truong Hien Hoa, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism, said that the city having 3 representatives awarded a Michelin star is good news for the tourism industry, creating a good opportunity to widely promote Saigon cuisine to the world. This recognition is also a motivation for restaurants and eateries to improve and upgrade their service style, ensure food hygiene and safety, be creative in processing methods and create a unique space to bring many unique experiences to diners.

This year is the first time Michelin has expanded its scope to Da Nang. “Choosing Da Nang to evaluate and award stars is the right, accurate and quality direction of Michelin,” said Mr. Sieu.

Director of the Da Nang Department of Tourism Truong Thi Hong Hanh said this is a “golden opportunity” to help the tourism industry promote and spread the unique values ​​of Da Nang and Vietnamese cuisine to the world. Ms. Hanh hopes that after the award ceremony, restaurants that have not been honored will make efforts to research and perfect their services so that Da Nang can have new names next year.

According to a report by iPOS.vn, a software company specializing in restaurant & food services (F&B), Vietnam is on the rise with a market value in 2024, expected to reach 655 trillion VND, an increase 10.92% compared to 2023.

Dr. Pham Huong Trang, lecturer in Tourism and Hospitality Management at RMIT University Vietnam, said that the “Michelin effect” after two visits to Vietnam contributed significantly to this growth, enhancing the reputation of Vietnamese cuisine globally and helping restaurants attract more customers.

Experts in the hotel and restaurant industry say that compared to other countries in the region such as Singapore, Thailand or Malaysia, Michelin in Vietnam is in a new stage, with much room to exploit. Maintaining last year’s list, increasing the number of restaurants in categories, adding destinations in Da Nang as recognition, motivating restaurants to continuously upgrade services and dishes to meet diners’ expectations. sophisticated guests.

Mr. Nhu Cuong, owner of Madame Lam restaurant in Thao Dien, which has maintained the Michelin Selected status for two consecutive years, said there is an “underground race” among restaurants on the Michelin Selected list to get the prestigious star. Mr. Cuong and his restaurant team have put a lot of effort and dedication into improving the quality.

Chef Wong Fu Keung of Long Trieu restaurant said that during the time he held the title of “Michelin-recommended restaurant”, he and his kitchen team had to sit down to unify the cooking methods, continuously hold training classes on culinary knowledge and set the motto of using seasonal ingredients to serve customers. He said these criteria were to maintain the title, do well to be promoted and above all to satisfy diners.

This is the second year Michelin has awarded stars in Vietnam. Restaurants are rated each year. Michelin star restaurants are independently evaluated by anonymous appraisers, according to worldwide standards, based on 5 criteria: food quality, cooking talent, flavor harmony, and personality of the chef. The kitchen shows through the food, the consistency of the dish over time and across the menu.

Michelin ranks restaurants using a “star” system. One star is for a restaurant that “has delicious food, worth stopping to enjoy.” Two stars is for a restaurant that “has excellent food, worth returning to.” Three stars (the highest) is for a place where “the food is excellent, worth planning a trip to enjoy.”

Achieving one Michelin star is the desire of many Vietnamese restaurants, but to reach two or three Michelin stars, the F&B industry in Vietnam still faces many challenges. RMIT Senior Head of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Dr Jackie Ong, said a long-standing major challenge for the F&B industry is maintaining high standards across all businesses, from street eateries to high-end restaurants. This is related to the requirement to ensure food safety and hygiene, especially in popular culinary establishments. At the same time, establishments must maintain consistent service quality, taste, and food appearance; The chef must have his own personality expressed through his dishes.

“The F&B industry must balance between modernization and preserving its identity and innovation to meet international expectations without losing the essence of traditional Vietnamese cuisine,” said Dr. Jackie Ong.

Tourism is a sector that is recovering after Covid with the number of domestic and international tourists continuously increasing. In the first half of this year, international visitors to Vietnam increased by 72% compared to the same period, according to the General Statistics Office. This result is contributed by cuisine. Data from the Payoo payment platform shows that since the beginning of the year, the rate of using international cards issued abroad via the platform has increased 2.6 times in quantity and 2.5 times in value compared to the same period last year, mainly focusing on the dining and shopping sectors. Of which, spending on dining by international cards issued abroad in Vietnam accounts for 40%, 3 times higher than spending on fashion and cosmetics.

International recognition and spread of Vietnamese cuisine contributes to promoting culinary tourism. Michelin said the trend of famous foreign chefs opening restaurants in Vietnam is increasing. “Vietnam has truly become an attractive destination on the world culinary map in the eyes of tourists and diners,” said International Director of Michelin Guides Gwendal Poullennec.

For Mr. Nhu Cuong, owner of Madame Lam restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, “receiving a Michelin star, in addition to helping the restaurant earn more revenue, is also an affirmation of international-class cuisine.”