Vietnamese cuisine has a distinct identity despite influences from other countries like China and France. It features balanced combinations of ingredients based on the yin and yang principle of traditional Vietnamese medicine. Dishes employ five basic flavors and colors and are suited to different seasons. However, Vietnamese food is not widely known globally yet. Efforts are being made to promote it through events, research, and highlighting regional specialties to international audiences in order to share its variety and cultural significance.

1. A Kitchen Of The World
http://english.thesaigontimes.vn/Home/business/other/18132/
Four years ago in HCM City, the founderofmodern marketing PhilipKotlerbecame
the special speakerfor the international conference “NewMarketingforthe New
Age.” The U.S.speaker once said that the “kitchenof the world” could be a suitable
image for Vietnam,withher bounty of good dishes.
It is a pleasure for Vietnam and her people, because Vietnamese food contains
elements of the fine arts and science. At the first World Food Festival in Vung Tau
Citylastyear, celebrityTV chef MartinYan toldthe Weekly,“Ilove Vietnamese foods
because the recipes are good for health. And in the future, I will introduce these
dishes to the rest of the world.”
Various methods for eating
Professor Tran Van Khe, a correspondent member of the European Academy of
Sciences, Letters and Arts and also a Vietnamese food culture researcher, told the
WeeklythatVietnamese foodfeaturesnotonlywaysforeating,butalsodrinkingand
cooking as well as displaying on the table, all of which contain many factors.
Firstly, Vietnamese eating and cooking style have general and total characteristics,
Khe said.Vietnamese peopleeatwiththe mouth and even with nose and eyes. Dish
decorations are based on simple rules such as employing five colors (white, black,
yellow, green and red), and five flavors (sweet, salty, sour, spicy and bitter or fat).
“The numberfive hasspecial meaninginthe philosophyof Vietnamesepeople.There
are five elements known as wu xing in our life (metal, wood, water, fire and earth);
five senses and five important organs (heart, liver, stomach, lungs and kidneys) of
every person; five main sounds of the scales; and many more,” he added.
Secondly, Vietnamese food follows scientific factors for disease prevention and
treatment. “The combination of food must take into consideration on the balance
betweentwoelements,the yinandthe yang,”Khe said.“Vietnamese dishesare good
for each other not only within foods, but also between diners and foods, and
between food and weather.”
He gave an example that when someone catches a cold, they should eat ginger
porridge because the yangfactorof gingerwill re-establishthe balance of the yinand
the yang, whichare conditionsfora goodhealth.If someone catchessunstroke, they
should eat spring onion porridge. Ancestors have a saying: “River fish should be
eateninsummerwhile seafishforwinter,”whichreflects the unique eating style of
Vietnamese people.
Hai ThuongLan Ong, a famousVietnamese physician of the 18th century, did a great
deal of research to analyze the cold and the hot elements of hundreds of local
vegetables. And these ways of eating have been passed from generation to
generation. In addition, eating styles also present democratic, community-minded
and courteous manners.

2. How to promote Vietnamese cuisine to the world?
AlthoughVietnamese foodhasavarietyof eatingstylesandistasty,not manypeople
around the world know it. The “kitchen of the world” concept expresses that there
are multiple foodchoicesinthe kitchen,andwe caneatwhat we like from the room.
For bún (rice vermicelli) alone, Vietnamese people can create dozens of different
dishes.
In a trip to the U.S. to promote Vietnamese cuisine at the Culinary Institute of
America in 2000, master chef Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van made 16 kinds of sauces from
a bottle of nc mm (fishsauce),amainflavorinVietnamesedishesacrossthe country;
a bottle of vinegar;a bowl of lemonade;alittle onion, garlic, ginger and other spices
to eat with 16 different dishes.
How can Vietnam promote her variety of good dishes? A lack of marketing and
presentationmethodsare reasonswhyVietnamese cuisineisnotpopulararound the
world. According to specialists, the Vietnamese Government has not yet found the
bestwaysto promote theirfoodsoutside Vietnam;theyforgotthe fact that food can
make huge profits.
For instance,Vietnamhasmanykinds of savory teas, but they have not been known
worldwide because theyare notcontainedineye-catching packages which can draw
attention from consumers. It was said that the traditional way to drink tea asked
Vietnamese feudal intellectuals about tea selection, water to make tea, places to
drink, times to drink, ways to drink and companions to drink with.
In additiontowritingbookspromotingdishesof eachregion in Vietnam, Dr. Nguyen
Nha, the founder of the Vietnamese Gastronomic Research Institute, has been
collectinganddoingresearchonVietnamese foodtosubmittoUNESCO,pinninghigh
hopes that the country’s food will be recognized as an intangible heritage of
humanity.The typical feature of Vietnamese cuisine is based on natural ingredients
using rice, cereals, vegetables, fish, fish sauce and fresh food, Nha said.
“In orderto promote Vietnamese food,local chefsare notjustpeople whocookwell,
but also have knowledge about the culinary culture and characteristics of each
region,andunderstand deeplythe originsand meanings of every dish,” master chef
Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van told Du Lich magazine.
EveryregioninVietnamhas its own special features. The north has over 1,000 years
of civilizationandlikessubtle, tasty foods using onion and alpinia (a kind of ginger).
The central regionwasinfluencedbyimperial culture, so when displaying dishes on
the table, each plate has many smaller edibles, and people there mostly use
citronella,garlicandsaffron.The southisa rich regionwhichhasplentyof foods,and
southern people usually cut meat in big-sized slices cooked with light sauce, while
using five-spice powder, chili, citronella, garlic, onion and coconut milk.
“It can be said that the south is a cradle or a basket to collect the essence of the
north and the central region,” Van added.
Own identity

3. Although several Japanese, Korean or Chinese restaurants have mushroomed in
Vietnam lately, Vietnamese cuisine has kept its own specialties.
Vietnamese food is very diverse thanks to its different tastes and flavors. Nicolas
Embleton,aFrenchbusinessmanwhohasbeenlivingandworking in Vietnam for six
years,toldthe WeeklythatVietnamese foodhasinfluencesfromChina,France,India
and other countries as well, but it has something very simple, very tasty, or
something incredibly sophisticated. “Vietnam has a very strong imprint when it
comesto food.All dishes from the north to the south are typical of this country and
cannot be found in other countries,” he said.
Vanstressedthatdespite beingoccupiedbyChinaover1,000 years,Vietnamesefood
was not assimilated by Chinese cuisine which is often fattier. As well, 100 years of
French colonial rule brought some dishes such as breads, pâtés and pastries to
Vietnam.“NotmanyVietnamesepeople like butterornoodlesfriedwithbutter,”she
added.
Chiem Thanh Long, general director of Binh Quoi Tourist Village in HCM City,
admitted that nowadays many Western-style parties like buffet but serving
Vietnamese foodsispopular in Vietnam, especially in big, luxurious hotels, helping
promote Vietnamese food and offer tourists more food options. Since 1998, Binh
Quoi TouristVillage andBongSenHotel have pioneered to launch Vietnamese-style
buffetslike BuffetGánhandKhnhoang Nam b, attracting a large number of tourists,
especially foreign visitors.
“So, if someone asks me ‘Does Vietnam have its own food identity?’ I will answer
‘Definitely.’ One amazing thing about the Vietnamese ‘ways of eating’ is that ‘the
harder it is to eat, the more enjoyable it is’,” Embleton added.