Hanoi (VNA) – Michelin announced Hanoiand Ho Chi Minh City as the latest destinations joining the international selectionof the MICHELIN Guide at a ceremony in the capital city on December 1.

For the first time in the Guide's history, theMICHELIN inspectors will evaluate quality restaurants in Vietnam's two largestcities. They will present their first selection of restaurants in June 2023.

Ahmad Faiez Mohamed Pisal, Managing Director ofMichelin Vietnam, said at the launching ceremony of MICHELIN Guide Vietnam thatthe Southeast Asian nation has been known to the world for its history and interestingculinary traditions.

Locals in Hanoi and HCM City have taken street foodsas a lifestyle, he said, praising owners of culinary establishments, whetherlocal or foreign, as talents.  

As the country’s capital, Hanoi has centuries-oldarchitecture and a rich food heritage due to its links to the sea andhistorical trade connections. The city’s cultural charms and culinarytraditions are everywhere – on the streets and in small shops – and gourmetscan enjoy in Hanoi an abundance of Vietnamese dishes, using fresh localingredients and aromatic herbs made from traditional recipes and techniques, accordingto the website of MICHELIN Guide.

HCM City, Vietnam’s economic hub dotted withhigh-rise buildings, is shaping to be another Asian destination for dining.Local chefs, many of whom have gained experience in kitchens abroad, are veryoften adding their own interpretations to Vietnamese cuisine. Mixed withEuropean influences and local traditions, the food scene in HCM City is livelyand vivid with an array of offerings ranging from small shops to high-endrestaurants.

The arrival of the Michelin Guide in Vietnam issupported by the Sun Group – a real estate developer specialising in luxuriousresorts and world-class entertainment complexes. 

In his remarks, Sun Group's Chairman of the Board, DangMinh Truong, said: "Over the past 15 years, to accompany the developmentof Vietnam’s tourism, Sun Group has always strived to bring the world'squintessence to Vietnam. Today, with the Michelin Guide to Vietnam launch, wewant Vietnam to be known as a destination with beautiful nature, magnificentresorts and entertainment complexes and as a world-class culinary destinationwith Michelin-starred restaurants."

"This is also an element to draw morehigh-spending tourists to the country. Besides, it will also help to improvethe gastronomic and service quality, including skills of chefs and restaurantstaffs to meet the international standards so that they can compete with othertop culinary destinations in the world," he added.

The restaurant selection of the MICHELIN Guide Hanoiand HCM City will be independently made by the famous anonymous MICHELINinspectors following the Guide's historical and global methodology.

Only quality of the cuisine offered by restaurantswill be assessed by the inspectors according to MICHELIN Guide's 5international criteria: the personality of the chef represented in the cuisine,the harmony of flavours, the mastery of cooking techniques, the quality of theproducts, and the consistency both over time and across the entire menu.

Vietnamese cuisines have been highly valued inprestigious competitions and by ranking organisations in the world.

Vietnam was honoured as Asia's Leading CulinaryDestination at the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA) 2020. The countryVietnam was ranked 5th among the top 10 countries in the world with the bestfood by readers of the Canadian magazine The Travel last October./.