Vietnamese culinary festival in Moscow, Russia (File photo)

Cultural diplomacy has always sought creative and interesting ways to introduce Vietnam to the world.

Nguyễn Thường Quân, President of the Vietnamese Chefs Association, says Vietnamese cuisine expresses compassion, sharing, and other Vietnamese values that give foreigners a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness.

“Vietnamese dishes imply communal values. For example, Vietnamese spring rolls can be eaten with other dishes such as noodles and grilled pork at home, at street shops, and in restaurants. They make an inviting meal. Gastronomy experts say Vietnamese cuisine provides well-balanced nutrition. Spring rolls are eaten with fresh vegetables and noodles, which are a starch. The taste is a balanced combination of sour, spicy, salty, and sweet. It’s easy to prepare Vietnamese food from popular materials. Foreign palates are attracted to the familiarity and strangeness of Vietnamese food.”

Promoting Vietnamese cuisine globally requires a promotional strategy. Vietnamese chefs should be proud of their profession and skills and try to add value to traditional cuisine to appeal to connoisseurs.

“Chefs should think about promoting Vietnamese cuisine to the world. We should hone our skills and use technical knowledge to keep up with our customers’ changing tastes. To implement a culinary diplomacy strategy, we need to train chefs to cook and be familiar with foreign languages. They should also learn about the culture of their customers.”

The Culture Diplomacy and UNESCO Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked with localities to promote Vietnam’s image to the world, including culinary priority a priority. Vietnamese chefs have promoted Vietnamese cuisine at culinary festivals here and abroad to great acclaim.