Once the sous chef of a five-star hotel in Hue and a multiple award-winning chef, Tran Huy Cuong took an unexpected turn in his career, venturing into entrepreneurship in his 50s. Driven by the desire to “turn simple things into specialties,” he chose the figs as the starting point for his journey to bring Hue’s traditional culinary products to Vietnamese dining tables and beyond.

Hue is famous for its delicious cuisine, and the local authorities are actively promoting the brand name “Hue - The Culinary Capital”. However, the city has yet true food tours (Food Tour) in a proper and structured manner.

Culinary culture not simply is about food but also contains stories about the vibrant life of indigenous people. In the vast Truong Son mountains, the dishes of Ta Oi, Pa Co, Co Tu ethnic groups are rich with the flavors of the forest from available natural ingredients, combined with age-old secrets, creating unique values found nowhere else.

The culinary festival titled “Vietnamese Noodle Heritage - Van Cu Noodle Village” opened on the afternoon of February 18 at Van Cu Hamlet, Nam Thanh Village. This is one of the main activities to respond to the celebration of receiving the national intangible cultural heritage recognition for the “Traditional Craft - Van Cu Noodle-Making Craft”, which is scheduled to be held on February 19.

Drawing from nearly 720 years of Thuan Hoa - Phu Xuan's heritage, Hue boasts a treasure trove of culinary excellence, offering a competitive advantage for tourism in the ancient capital. Becoming a centrally governed municipality brings Hue new opportunities, and alongside its fresh, vibrant identity, people will think of Hue as a culinary city where quintessence converges.

Decision No. 3979/QD-BVHTTDL dated December 10, 2024 of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recognized the “Van Cu noodle-making craft” being in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List under the Traditional Handicraft category. This serves as a foundation for building an intangible cultural heritage profile with a national and international vision for Bun Hue (Hue noodles) culinary heritage in the coming time.

TasteAtlas, a food magazine, has just set the list of 50 most worth-experienced culinary cities all over the world in 2024. Notably, 2 places in Vietnam including Hue and Hanoi were named in this list.

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.

On November 11th, Hue Tourism College collaborated with Vietnam - Japan Friendship Association of Thua Thien Hue Province to host a seminar and exchange event featuring Vietnamese - Japanese traditional New Year culinary culture.

On the afternoon of October 28th, Hue Tourism College, in collaboration with Cholimex Foods, held the fifth season of the “Search for Hue Culinary Ambassadors” competition, themed “Hue cuisine - Convergence of essence,” for the year 2024.

Upon preliminary treatments, the young chefs begin to make steamed fish with the five spicy types of fennels in the style of Hue-Royal and steamed snails with lemongrass leaves.

Coming to Thoi Quan space, you can encounter old features, experience and learn about Hue culinary culture from royal to folk cuisine.