Recently, the news that Dong Van Hung (born in 1996) - owner of the Youtube channel "Mother's Cuisine" was in the top 30 Under 30 Asia voted by Forbes has attracted a lot of attention from the online community. He was honored in the field of Media, Marketing & Advertising with his success in introducing Vietnamese countryside cuisine to global audiences through his Youtube channel with more than 1 million subscribers.

On this occasion, Travellive had the opportunity to chat and share with Mr. Dong Van Hung interesting stories about his mother's rustic kitchen as well as the direction of the Youtube channel "Mother's Cuisine" in the near future.

On May 16, Forbes Magazine announced the list of 30 Under 30 Asia in 2024, including 300 talents under 30 years old in many fields in Asia. They are all under 30 years old, working in many different fields and initially creating many positive influences in their activities. As one of four young Vietnamese people on the list of 30 Under 30 Asia in 2024 and the only culinary Youtuber in the Media, Marketing & Advertising category, how do you feel?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: Since the morning I received the news, I was very surprised and happy to be lucky enough to be included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2024 list of Forbes Magazine. I did not think I could be selected as one of the 30 honored people in the field of Media, Marketing & Advertising. I did not believe that I would be reviewed and selected by the organizing committee because there are many outstanding young people under the age of 30 from many different countries.

At the same time, I am also very happy and pleased to be able to contribute to promoting the beauty of the countryside and Vietnamese dishes to the world. I am extremely grateful to the audience for their love for the channel "Mother's Cuisine".

The Youtube channel “Mother’s Cuisine” quickly attracted the attention of the online community and achieved the silver button after only 3 months, the gold button after 3 years of operation. Surely you still remember the impressive journey of building this channel?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: I work in Hanoi and every time I go home, my mother cooks delicious dishes that are associated with my childhood. Suddenly I thought that I would record some videos to save as memories. Then, I posted the videos on Facebook, Youtube and received everyone's interest.

The channel “Mother's Cuisine” was created by me in 2019 with the desire to convey the image of a hard-working mother with meals full of love and the peaceful scenery of the Vietnamese countryside. The main character of the channel is my mother - Duong Thi Cuong (60 years old).

Coming from a peaceful rural area, what difficulties did you and your mother encounter in the early days of building the canal?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: To create the brand "Mother's Cuisine", my mother and I encountered many difficulties. In the beginning, we were both confused, my mother was a bit shy. At that time, I just told her: "You don't have to act, just relax, be natural, and do the things you do every day."

During that time, there were videos that both mother and son had to be filmed over and over again because the filming failed or the food was spoiled. There were times when the power went out while filming, and we had to wait from afternoon until midnight to continue. My mother is also old, and having to film over and over again like that, I was afraid it would affect her health. But in the end, both mother and son were still happy and never wanted to give up.

There were hot days when my mother and I were still working hard in the kitchen cooking and sweating a lot. Because we didn’t dare turn on the fan, afraid that the sound would leak into the video and we wouldn’t be able to capture the natural sound, we usually endured the heat after filming before daring to turn it on.

Gradually, the videos were released regularly, and my mother gradually got used to being in front of the camera. Before creating this Youtube channel, my goal was simply to preserve the memories of the two of us. But surprisingly, these videos were supported by many people. When I saw my products being received so positively, my mother and I were so happy that we talked all night without sleeping.

Behind the impressive million-view videos of the channel “Mother’s Cuisine”, many people are curious about the professional support team that helps him create success. So how does the process of producing a video on Youtube usually take place?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: People often think that the channel team is very large, but in reality, it's just me doing everything from A to Z. My mom and I usually plan the script the night before. I'll ask my mom what to cook tomorrow and prepare for the filming the next morning.

When filming, mistakes are inevitable. For example, sometimes my mother’s food is spoiled if I don’t film it in time. Sometimes I have to film it over and over again, sometimes it takes until evening to finish.

When it comes to editing, it usually takes about two to three days to complete a video. When I finish editing, I usually ask everyone for feedback on what needs to be changed. After everyone gives me feedback, if I find it suitable, I will edit it over and over again until it is perfect.

In your opinion, what is special about a Youtube channel that specializes in preparing rustic, simple dishes that still attract viewers?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: It can be said that "Mother's Cuisine" is one of the video channels with valuable content, bringing many humane messages and inspiration to many people, especially about the quintessence of traditional Vietnamese folk cuisine.

Above all, the important secret to creating delicious dishes is that they come from the heart of the cook, putting all the love and emotion into the dish. And more than that, the channel also saves beautiful memories of mother for children and grandchildren to watch together later.

In the 5-year journey of creating content on Youtube, what outstanding achievements has the channel "Mother's Cuisine" achieved?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: After many efforts and attempts of the family, the channel "Mother's Cuisine" was chosen by Youtube as one of the channels representing Vietnam to attend the world's YouTube Fanfest 2020.

Through its official Twitter account, Youtube shared with fans: “Transport yourself into the idyllic Vietnamese countryside and discover some local recipes on the channel Am Thuc Me Lam”.

In early 2021, the video of my mother and I wrapping banh chung, a traditional Vietnamese cake, posted on the Youtube channel "Mother's Cuisine" was shared and introduced to the world by the Youtube page on Facebook with nearly 100 million followers. This is not only the joy of the mother and daughter but also the pride of the nation. This is also the motivation for my mother and I to create more videos with better values ​​for friends at home and abroad to know.

In addition, Li Ziqi also praised my mother and I's channel "Mother's Cuisine" on her personal Pinterest page with a red checkmark verification. She wrote, "这个频道让我喜欢! 平静的. I like this channel! Full of peace!" which translates into Vietnamese as "This channel makes me love it! Peaceful". I was so surprised and couldn't imagine that this was true, as it was the first channel she praised. It was thanks to her that I was inspired to create "Mother's Cuisine". She is an inspiration not only for me but also for the whole world.

With the current success, what direction do you plan to take for the development of the channel "Mother's Cuisine" in the future?

Youtuber Dong Van Hung: In the future, I hope to create more meaningful video products to send to the community, to promote the beauty of Vietnamese cuisine and homeland to friends at home and abroad.

Thank you Travellive readers for listening to my sharing!