Growing up from the fields, steeped in rustic flavors of the countryside - “salty fermented vegetables, sour white eggplant”, yet it was not until my late forties that I first heard of mut ca phao (white eggplant preserves) from Hue. The humble eggplant, so familiar on simple family meals, appears here in an entirely unfamiliar form - a delicately beautiful preserves for the Lunar New Year.

On the morning of December 4, at Hue One Food manufacturing plant (No.1 Nguyen Van Tuyet Street, Thuan An Ward, Hue City), Hue One Food Joint Stock Company held a ceremony to release a 40-foot container, carrying about 19 tons of traditional Hue cakes, for official export to the U.S market.

During a career orientation session at Byron Nelson High School in Texas, USA, my daughter and I had the opportunity to experience an exceptionally well-organized Culinary Arts vocational training model. In the U.S. education system, students are guided toward basic career paths as soon as they enter middle school, preparing them for vocational training in high school if they choose not to pursue a university pathway.

On the afternoon of October 8, Hue College of Tourism coordinated with Cholimex Foods to hold a contest titled “Finding Hue’s Culinary Ambassador - Season 6” with the theme “Hue Cuisine in the Green Flow - Creativity for Sustainable Development”.

From the historical roots of Thuận Hóa - Phú Xuân nearly 720 years ago, Hue has inherited a rich culinary elite resource, offering a competitive edge for the ancient capital tourism. Achieving the status of a centrally governed municipality brings new opportunities for Hue. Alongside its fresh and vibrant developments, Hue is increasingly recognized as a culinary city where quintessence converges.

The distinctive images and flavors of local specialties brought by women’s union (WU) members to contests, or food stores owned by members, are actively introduced and promoted by the Provincial WU and its local branches, contributing to introducing Hue's culinary culture far and wide.

Hue has many outstanding fields to join UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN). This not only promotes local cultural identity to the world but also provides an opportunity to attract tourists and investors to Hue. However, choosing which field to highlight the uniqueness of Hue when participating in UCCN is something that needs careful consideration.

Culinary tourism has become incredibly trendy around the world. Although Hue is proud of its rich and diverse cuisine, there is still much work to be done in order to turn it into a competitive advantage to attract tourists.

Thua Thien Hue is focusing on building itself to join UNESCO's Creative Cities Network, with a focus on promoting cultural resources and creative culture as the foundation for sustainable urban development.

With the desire that tourists can access information and experience Hue cuisine in a visual manner, at the same time providing support and suggestions according to each tourist’s demand and hobby through artificial intelligence tools, students from the Diplomatic Academy have launched a project called “A Food in Hue” with numerous activities to spread Hue cuisine to domestic and international tourists.