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| Demonstration of the Vân Cù rice vermicelli-making craft at the “Hue - Culinary Capital 2026” event |
When cuisine becomes the reason for visiting Hue
As night fell, Thuong Bac Park was packed with visitors attending the "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" event in late July 2026. Long queues formed in front of the Hue beef noodle stalls as eager diners waited to buy and enjoy the dish. Though many had visited Hue multiple times and were well-acquainted with its signature beef noodle soup, they were still willing to wait in line this time around.
Amid the bustling crowds, a few guests moved at an unhurried pace. They did not merely drop by a stall, buy a meal, and walk away. Instead, many lingered longer-taking in live culinary performances, watching chefs prepare the food, hearing about local ingredients, striking up conversations with sellers, and uncovering facts they had never known.
I met Nguyen Thi Thai Phuong, a tourist from Hanoi visiting Hue with her child. "Yesterday we tried food at one stall, and today we came back to explore another," Phuong said. "Even with the same recipe, every artisan and chef gives the dish a distinct flavor, and each one is delicious. Perhaps that is why I love Hue's cuisine and enjoy listening to locals share their stories behind the food."
The Mu Roi beef noodle stall was among the first to sell out at the "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" event. Within just about an hour, Mrs. Roi had emptied a large pot of broth. "Mu Roi noodles got lucky and sold out early today," she smiled. In reality, the booth frequently enjoyed such "luck" throughout the festival days. Beyond the broth's flavor, her warm hospitality and willingness to share insights into the craft of Hue beef noodle making kept customers coming back.
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| Bowls of Bún Bò Huế (Hue beef noodle soup) prepared for diners at the "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" event |
Recent events have highlighted interesting shifts in culinary programming. "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" and the 2026 Hue Lotus Festival were two major food-centered events held as part of the broader Festival Hue 2026 framework. Held around Tinh Tam (Serenity) Lake, the Hue Lotus Festival drew approximately 10,000 visitors across three days from June 19 to 21. Meanwhile, spanning a larger venue, the "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" program attracted up to 48,000 visitors over its four-day run from July 23 to 26.
The presence of veteran artisans deeply connected to Hue's culinary heritage enhanced the experience for visitors. Through their explanations of ingredient selection, cooking techniques, and lesser-known details of local cuisine, many tourists were left in awe of the refined sophistication and painstaking effort behind every dish in the ancient capital.
Bringing cuisine to the stage
While culinary tourism has been widely discussed in the past, the sector previously lacked touchpoints to captivate visitors. Today, food-centered live shows and performances are emerging as a fresh approach.
The "Thuc Thuy Show" (Water-Themed Performance) at the 2026 Hue Lotus Festival offered an experiential journey blending stage arts, light displays, music, and lotus-infused dishes. Through this showcase, Hue's cultural and culinary space was reimagined in a creative and modern way.
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| Foreign visitors delighted by the experiences at the "Hue - Culinary Capital 2026" event |
The Hue beef noodle soup show, titled "The Legend of Van Cu and the Huong Ngu Symphony," recreated the cultural and historical story behind the Ancient Capital's famous dish through the language of modern art. Across three acts, the show transported audience members back to a peaceful countryside where humble grains of local rice-crafted by generations of diligent hands-evolved into a pinnacle of Hue's culinary heritage, carrying the flavors of home far and wide.
Nguyen Dang Nhat Quang, Director of Fest Art Content Creation and Event Management Co., Ltd., stated: "Hue has long hosted numerous festivals, but my focus is on creating culinary performance shows and 'packaging' them for regular staging. This approach aims to pair artistic performances with Hue's seasonal culinary heritage."
According to Mr. Quang, organizing each performance is a multi-month process of research and learning from individual artisans and cultural experts to find materials and historical anecdotes, and to refine information in order to create a culinary storytelling show through an engaging artistic language.
Le Tan, Vice President of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, stated that from a cultural perspective, creating successful shows contributes to elevating the "Hue - Culinary Capital" brand and provides an opportunity to promote Hue's cuisine and tourism.
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| Dishes showcased at the booth during the Vegetarian Food Festival at the Hue Festival 2026 |
Food events featuring product displays, introductions, and sales have long been familiar. Breaking out of traditional approaches and elevating cuisine to the stage helps widen the reach of Hue's culinary brand. Through these shows, Hue acquires new products to grow its night-time economy.
From an insider's perspective, Mr. Le Tan affirmed that starting from a bowl of bún bò, the story can extend far beyond the dining table. Visitors enjoy the dish, hear the story of the craft, and then visit the craft village, meet the artisans, or continue onto another experience. When these "puzzle pieces" are connected into a journey, cuisine will no longer be an afterthought of the trip, but a reason for tourists to stay longer in Hue.
Also from these stories, as shows are "packaged," organized periodically, and connected with other experiences, cuisine gains additional opportunities to become a tourism product that can be exploited year-round.
Hue boasts a wealth of tourism resources; the diversity and uniqueness of its cuisine also serve as a resource to develop the smokeless industry.