Vietnamese chefs win high prizes at 2024 Penang Culinary Competition

Tran Thi Hien Minh, vice president of the Saigon Professional Chefs Association, said that 40 Vietnamese chefs had won many prestigious awards at the competition including 18 golds, 26 silvers, and 24 bronzes.

The record number of prizes therefore affirms that Vietnamese chefs are not inferior to those from other countries, Minh said, noting that local cuisine has become increasingly favoured by many diners at home and abroad.

Nguyen Thi Khanh, president of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, emphasised that the event has further contributed to introducing Vietnamese cuisine to international friends whilst strengthening exchanges with chefs from various countries around the world.

Most notably, Vietnamese dishes that have been shaped into brilliant lotus flowers, the national flower of Vietnam, were highly appreciated by international judges in this competition

Khanh revealed that up to now, Ho Chi Minh City is the only locality that has regularly dispatched chefs to compete in international events.

These contests have provided an excellent opportunity for local chefs to connect Vietnamese cuisine with the quintessence of the world, thereby further introducing local cuisine to international tourists.

This year's competition gathered together a total of 1,200 contestants from more than 20 countries around the globe.