Four Vietnamese restaurants receive Michelin stars for the first time
Of the 103 selected restaurants, the “one MICHELIN star” rating was awarded to 3 restaurants in Hanoi and 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, thanks to their delicious cooking quality and outstanding culinary experience, worthy of visitors to stop and enjoy when coming to Vietnam. On the evening of June 6, Michelin Guide announced the list of the first restaurants to receive Michelin stars in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, including: Anan Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City; Gia, Hibana by Koki and Tam Vi, all in Hanoi.
Anan Saigon is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant. Chef Peter Cuong Franklin of Anan Saigon applies modern cooking techniques to his street food recipes to create delicious flavors, which has earned the restaurant a MICHELIN Star.
Gia (Hanoi) is a contemporary Vietnamese restaurant by Chef Sam Tran. The restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star for its seasonally changing menu, inspired by Vietnam's culinary heritage.
4 Vietnamese restaurants receive Michelin stars for the first time
Hibana by Koki (Hanoi) offers a visual treat with its 14-seat dining counter in the basement of Capella Hotel, where Chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi performs a meticulous and skillful teppanyaki preparation, creating dishes with rich and delicious flavors. The dishes on the menu have a luxurious feel, made from premium ingredients imported directly from Japan on a twice-weekly schedule, including abalone, spiny lobster, sea urchin, Yaeyama Kyori beef and Hokkaido hairy crab.
Tam Vi (Hanoi) is a classic teahouse-style restaurant, typical of Northern Vietnam with a collection of antique Chinese furniture and wooden couplets. The restaurant mainly serves home-cooked meals from Northern Vietnam, but diners can also choose some dishes from Central or Southern Vietnam.
The Michelin Guide is currently considered the world's most prestigious culinary guide, ranking restaurants through a "star" system. One star is for a restaurant "with delicious food, worth stopping to enjoy". Two stars is for "a restaurant with excellent food, worth returning to". Three stars (the highest) is for "a place with excellent food, worth planning to visit to enjoy".
The late master chef Joël Robuchon once told Food & Wine magazine: “With one Michelin star, you get about 20% more business. With two stars, about 40% more, and with three stars, about 100% more.” The presence of the Michelin Guide and its star rating also helps the workforce at Michelin-starred restaurants increase by up to 80%. Statistics and expectations at culinary establishments around the world have proven that the Michelin Guide and the list of starred culinary establishments are a “boost” for not only the development of cuisine but also the economy and tourism of countries.
Anh Vu fish cake, Cham Yen Ninh chicken noodle soup, Obama vermicelli with grilled pork... are included in Michelin's categories
In addition to the four Michelin-starred restaurants, 103 restaurants in Vietnam were listed according to three categories: Michelin Selected (Michelin recommended); Michelin Guide Special Awards (special awards) and Bib Gourmand (delicious eateries at affordable prices).
The 70 Michelin Selected restaurants include 32 in Hanoi and 38 in Ho Chi Minh City. Anh Vu fish cake, Huong Lien vermicelli with grilled pork (Obama vermicelli with grilled pork), Cham Yen Ninh chicken noodle soup, Au Trieu beef noodle soup, Prime Kitchen, Vietnam House... are on this list.
The Bib Gourmand list includes 29 restaurants, including 13 restaurants in Hanoi and 16 restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, including some representatives such as 1946 Cua Bac, Bun Cha Ta, Cha Ca Thang Long, Chao Ban, Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su, Pho Chao, Pho Minh, Xoi Com,...
The owner of the Cham Yen Ninh chicken pho restaurant (Hanoi) said that being named in the Michelin Selected list is a great honor for the restaurant. Ms. Cham plans to organize a zero-dong sale to thank customers for supporting and loving the restaurant.
Ms. Ngo Thi Phi Nga, owner of Au Trieu Beef Pho (right) and owner of Pho Chao. These are 2 of 29 restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category.
Ms. Ngo Thi Phi Nga, owner of Pho Bo Au Trieu - one of 29 restaurants in the Bib Gourmand category, sees this as an opportunity to promote the restaurant's image to a large number of domestic and international tourists, thereby introducing Vietnamese cuisine.
Mr. Ahmad Faiez Mohamed Pisal, Managing Director of Michelin Vietnam, said that the restaurants listed in this Michelin list will not only be known as the best restaurants in the city, region but also in the world. Through anonymous visits and rigorous evaluation, the appraisers ensure that only the best and most unique culinary experiences are recognized and worthy of being honored in the first Michelin list in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
103 restaurants/eateries were honored with 4 award categories, including 4 prestigious Michelin-starred restaurants, 70 Michelin Selected restaurants/eateries, 29 Bib Gourmand restaurants, 3 Michelin Guide Special Award winners
Ms. Nguyen Vu Quynh Anh - General Director of Sun Hospitality Group affirmed: "We understand that this historic milestone has just been established and the next journey, for Vietnam to have more Michelin awards in the future, will require a lot of effort. But with the presence of Michelin Guide, the efforts of chefs and those working in the culinary industry across Vietnam, we believe that very soon, Vietnam will be a classy culinary destination that every international tourist needs to visit once in their life."
In addition, Michelin representatives emphasized that there are 5 criteria to evaluate restaurants, including product quality, cooking skills, flavor harmony, the chef's personality expressed through the dishes, and the consistency of the dishes over time and across the entire menu.
