Hue City, the ancient capital with a rich history and culture, has just been officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as two typical cultural heritages of the locality in the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage. These are the New Rice Festival of the Co Tu people and the folk knowledge of Hue beef noodle soup, vivid evidence of the diversity and richness of the cultural identity of the ancient capital.
Along with the traditional festival, the folk knowledge of Hue beef noodle soup was also officially recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage, belonging to the category of folk knowledge. Decision No. 2203/QD-BVHTTDL signed by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism affirmed the outstanding historical, cultural, artistic and economic value of the typical dish bearing the identity of the ancient capital.
Folk knowledge about Hue beef noodle soup is a national intangible heritage, a type of folk knowledge.
Bun bo Hue is not only a famous dish domestically and internationally, but also the crystallization of hundreds of years of folk knowledge, passed down through many generations. This dish is closely associated with religious life, community activities and long-standing traditional craft villages such as Van Cu vermicelli village, O Sa vermicelli village. Through each strand of vermicelli, each slice of meat, each drop of rich broth, Bun bo Hue deeply reflects the soul, sophisticated lifestyle and unique culinary culture of Hue people.
This recognizes the cultural, historical and culinary value of Hue's signature dish - dubbed "the best soup in the world."
The appeal of Bun Bo Hue has gone beyond national borders. In 2014, the late famous chef Anthony Bourdain praised on the American television channel CNN that this was "the best soup I have ever tasted". Then, in 2016, Bun Bo Hue was included in the list of Top 100 valuable Asian dishes by the Asia Record Organization. Most recently, in 2023, the international culinary website Taste Atlas ranked Hue 28th in the 100 cities with the best food in the world, in which Bun Bo Hue was considered "the delicious Hue dishes that must be tried when coming here".
This registration is the foundation for Hue to promote the preservation and promotion of culinary values, aiming to become a UNESCO Creative City in the field of cuisine.
Through the ups and downs of history, the folk knowledge of preparing Bun Bo Hue has been preserved and promoted by the community, especially by the efforts of talented culinary artisans such as folk artisan Mai Thi Tra, people's artisan Hoang Thi Nhu Huy, people's artisan Ton Nu Thi Ha and excellent artisan Phan Ton Gia Hien. With their exquisite craftsmanship and love of cuisine, they have preserved the secrets of cooking Bun Bo, from choosing fresh ingredients, how to stew the broth to the right taste, seasoning to beautifully presenting the dish, contributing to affirming the class and soul of this specialty.
The registration of these two national intangible cultural heritages not only affirms the profound cultural values of Hue but also creates an important legal foundation and motivation for Hue City to continue to promote the conservation, promotion and development of heritage values in the cultural industry development strategy. This will contribute significantly to the development of tourism, local economy and culture.
This is an opportunity to promote the cuisine of the ancient capital to friends around.
In particular, this is also a meaningful stepping stone in the roadmap to turn Hue into a UNESCO Creative City in the field of cuisine, a strategic goal that the city is aiming for.
Mr. Phan Thanh Hai shared with the press: "The Department of Culture and Sports of Hue City will coordinate with departments, branches, artisans and the community to continue to carry out activities to teach, honor and promote heritage, contributing to spreading the value of the heritage of folk knowledge about Bun Bo Hue to the public at home and abroad, so that this dish is not only the pride of Hue people but also a symbol of Vietnamese culture in the international arena".
With two newly inscribed national intangible cultural heritages, Hue not only consolidates its position as a cultural center of Vietnam but also opens up bright prospects for the tourism industry and the sustainable development of traditional values in the future.
