Vietnamese dishes introduced in the town of Argelès-sur-Mer, France.

Vietnamese cuisine surprised hundreds of French people at an event in the town of Argelès-sur-Mer last week. Themed “Journey to Vietnamese World Heritage”, the event featured Vietnamese gastronomy shows, a conference and exhibition on UNESCO-recognised heritage sites across Vietnam, an introduction to fruit and vegetable carving,  the art of drinking tea, and exchanges between Vietnamese and French chefs. Vietnamese dishes were introduced and discussed from the standpoint of balancing ingredients.

In recent years Vietnamese cultural programs have been organized in many countries and warmly praised by foreigners.  Stefan Orsos, Director of Food Event, one of the organizers of the “Vietnam Experience” street food festival in the Czech Republic last month, said: “Vietnamese dishes are popular with Czech people. It’s possibly the top foreign food in our country. We hope the festival will make Vietnamese food more familiar to local people.”

International food festivals held in Vietnam have attracted many foreign visitors. Da Nang city, recently named by international travel agencies one of the world’s favorite tourist destinations, promotes its cuisine as a major attraction.

Nguyen Xuan Binh, Deputy Director of Da Nang’s  Tourism Department, said: “We’ve invited international master chefs to work with local chefs to diversify Da Nang’s culinary art. Beside local specialties, we want to cater to the tastes of tourists from many countries.”

Vietnamese cuisine has become an important component of the cultural diplomacy conveying Vietnam’s image to the world.