Visiting ‘Hue Beef Noodle Soup Day’ as part of the ‘Hue - Culinary Capital 2026’ program, I am reminded of Miss Noodle from folk legend and the late, famous American chef Anthony Bourdain.

On the evening of July 23, at Thuong Bac Park in Phu Xuan Ward, Hue City, Hue - Culinary Capital 2026 program, themed ‘Bun bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup) Day’, officially opened. The program is led by the Department of Tourism, in coordination with relevant units, as part of Hue Festival 2026 series of events.

For the first time, Bun bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup) will be celebrated through a nationwide festival. Featuring more than 80 food stalls, live culinary demonstrations serving hundreds of visitors, a stage production recounting the dish's more than 400-year history, and a variety of interactive experiences, these will turn Thuong Bac Park to become a gathering place for food enthusiasts from July 23rd to 26th.

On the evening of December 18, in Hue City, a ceremony was held to officially receive the national intangible cultural heritage title for folk knowledge related to Bun Bo Hue (Hue Beef Noodle Soup), alongside the opening of the International Culinary Festival “Hue - Culinary Capital”.

Few places boast sweet soups (chè) as colorful as those in Hue. The colors of Hue’s sweet soups are not only visually captivating but also evoke sweet, rich, and tender flavors.

Recently, Hue beef noodles was selected by the culinary website Taste Atlas for the list of "100 best soup dishes in the world," with Pho ranked 6th and Bun Bo ranked 16th.

Along with pho, bun rieu, bun cha ca, banh canh, and others, bun bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup) is one of the delicious Vietnamese dishes featured in the “Top 100 best soups in the world” list, recently announced by the renowned culinary website Taste Atlas.

Many renowned dishes representing various regions have been recognized as National Intangible Cultural Heritage, such as Quảng noodles of Quang Nam province and the craft of making phở of Nam Dinh province. In light of this information, diners are asking where bún bò Hue (beef noodle soup) stands on the culinary map and why it has not been recognized yet.

I was quite surprised to learn that milk sweet soup is a dessert originating from Hue, not a new snack from Saigon - where dairy ingredients are quite popular in delicious dishes for young people.

Three Vietnamese dishes, namely beef stew (bo kho), Hue beef noodle soup, or Hue breakfast noodle soup (bun bo Hue), and broken rice with grilled pork (com tam suon), have been included in the list of “Top 100 breakfasts in the world” by the international food magazine Taste Atlas.