On the company's website Michelin guide.michelin.com last month, an announcement by Michelin Guide International Director Gwendal Poullennec said: “Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guide, says: “We are absolutely delighted to continue the MICHELIN Guide’s journey in Vietnam. After a bright beginning earlier last year in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the addition of Da Nang to the MICHELIN Guide’s family is another proof of the vibrancy and quality of Vietnam’s culinary scene, as well as of the richness and authenticity of its local food culture. Our Inspectors are currently on the field to realize a restaurant selection we will be proud to share in June not only with local gourmets but also international food lovers and travelers”. Joining Ha noi and Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang becomes the third Vietnamese destination to be scouted by the MICHELIN Guide Inspectors. The restaurant selection for Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang will be revealed in June 2024!

The Dragon Bridge and Ba Na Hills are known attractions in Da Nang. (© Shutterstock)

In June 2023, Michelin Guide recommended 103 restaurants/eateries in (48 in Ha Noi and 55 in Ho Chi Minh City). Among them, 4 were recognised with one MICHELIN Star for their high-quality cooking (3 in Ha Noi and 1 in Ho Chi Minh City), and 29 establishments – the inspectors’ best value-for-money - received a Bib Gourmand for offering good food at moderate prices.

According to the Michelin Guide, Da Nang is not only a famous tourist destination recognised around the world but also a "paradise for food lovers, a proud ambassador of Central Viet Nam’s cuisine”. Da Nang impressed the Michelin Guide inspectors with the quality and variety of local specialties such as Quang noodles, fish ball vermicelli, and ‘banh xeo’ (crispy Vietnamese pancakes).

Seafood restaurants, all proposing an abundance of very fresh or live marine creatures, as well as street food delicacies are not to be missed, and the MICHELIN Inspectors have been taking pleasure sitting by the side of the road to enjoy them.

In addition to familiar specialties and street eateries, Da Nang also offers diners a sophisticated and diverse cuisine, demonstrated through the culinary skills of local and international chefs.

Similar to previous destinations, Michelin Guide evaluates restaurants in Da Nang according to the evaluation method applied worldwide according to consistent criteria: quality of ingredients used, cooking skills, hospitality, harmony of flavours, the chef's personality expressed through the dishes and the consistency of the dishes over time as well as on the entire menu. Michelin Guide is the world's most prestigious culinary ranking organization. Restaurants and eateries recognised with a ‘Michelin Star’ are given a special rating, becoming a reliable standard to evaluate the quality of the restaurant and the skill of the chef.

In order to maintain and develop cuisine into a unique tourism product, stimulate spending and attract tourists and investors, the city has been implementing many synchronous solutions, both encouraging culinary businesses to enhance their service quality and apply many appropriate mechanisms and policies to develop cuisine into a unique tourism product.

Every year, the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre coordinates with relevant units to organise culinary festivals and competitions for chefs, producing food content posted on YouTube, TikTok and other social popular platforms to promote the diversity and uniqueness of Da Nang cuisine, contributing to building the brand and image of Da Nang tourist destination. The Da Nang People's Committee has issued many plans to develop cuisine into a unique tourism product.

The project orients Da Nang tourism development to 2030, with a vision towards 2045, identifying culinary tourism products as part of the main tourism product group, needing the upgrading of the service quality of the existing products and at the same time developing new, innovative products.

In particular, focus will be placed on building and developing Da Nang’s signature food, the central region’s cuisine and Vietnamese delicacies into unique tourism products. The elements of "standard taste", "eye-catching” “delicious" and "regional characteristics" in each product should be taken into account.

Currently, there are more than 300 chefs working at restaurants, hotels, and eateries in Da Nang. Most chefs participate in activities at the Da Nang Professional Chef Club. The club aims to support chefs to access training, participate in skill competitions and develop cuisine into an advantage to attract more tourist arrivals to Da Nang.

Reporting by HOANG NHUNG - Translating by A.THU