International Culinary Culture Festival 2026: Highlights of culinary showcases
WVR - Taking place over two days, November 21-22, the International Culinary Culture Festival 2026 stands out with a series of culinary showcases, bringing together artisans from craft villages, professional chefs, and representatives of various culinary cultures worldwide.
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| The International Culinary Culture Festival 2026 will feature many distinctive showcases, introducing the techniques of preparing traditional Vietnamese dishes. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
This information was announced by the Organizing Committee at a press meeting introducing the Festival, held on the morning of November 5 in Hanoi.
Through live cooking demonstrations, the public will have the opportunity to explore preparation techniques, traditional craft secrets, and the cultural stories behind these unique dishes.
The program also creates opportunities for artisans and chefs, both domestic and international, to exchange and introduce the unique aspects of each culinary culture.
Recreating the essence of Vietnamese cuisine
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| Ms. Le Thi Thiet, Vice President of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, President of the Ninh Binh Culinary Culture Association, speaks at the press meeting introducing the International Culinary Culture Festival 2026, on November 5 in Hanoi. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Ms. Le Thi Thiet, Vice President of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, President of the Ninh Binh Culinary Culture Association, shared that one of the highlights of the series of activities is the “Pho Heritage” showcase, coordinated by the partner Pho Story.
Here, craft village artisans will directly introduce the preparation process and nutritional value of pho, thereby highlighting the harmony between flavors and the cultural values enriched over time.
Notably, Pho Story plans to prepare a heritage pho pot, serving 1,000 free bowls of pho during the two-day program.
Following the pho cooking demonstration, banh mi will also have its own showcase space with the participation of three teams, including artisans from the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, the Vietnam Banh Mi Club, and young chefs in Hanoi.
The highlight is the competition between the teams, offering an opportunity to explore the diversity of fillings and the combination of accompanying ingredients characteristic of each region's cuisine. The units also plan to offer 500 free banh mi portions to visitors.
Additionally, traditional culinary techniques will be recreated through activities such as wrapping banh chung, pounding banh giay, and preparing spring rolls.
Particularly, the program features a showcase of three-region salad with garlic chili fish sauce, introducing the art of seasoning to create harmony in Vietnamese dishes. According to Ms. Le Thi Thiet, garlic chili fish sauce was recently ranked third in an international condiment ranking.
Moreover, the 3D cake and jelly showcase brings a new dimension, combining preparation techniques with creativity in food presentation.
Overall, the series of showcases opens opportunities for the public to explore the depth of culinary culture, appreciate the essence of traditional crafts, and the identity embedded in each dish.
Bridging cultural exchanges
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| Chefs from embassies and international representatives participate in showcases, introducing signature dishes of various countries at the Festival. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
This year's festival gathers a team of elite Vietnamese culinary artisans, professional chefs, a MasterChef awardee from Malaysia in 2026, along with young talents from within the country.
Additionally, the program features participation from notable traditional culinary craft villages, including the Uoc Le pork paste village, Phu Thuong sticky rice village (Hanoi), and Van Cu pho village (Ninh Binh).
Through live showcases, artisans introduce preparation techniques, the selection and combination of ingredients and spices, while sharing cultural stories that define the uniqueness of each dish.
Regarding cultural exchanges, embassies and foreign entities will introduce their country's signature dishes, with direct participation from international chefs in the preparation process.
| Scheduled to take place over two days, November 21-22, at the Diplomatic Corps Area (298 Kim Ma, Ngoc Ha Ward, Hanoi), the International Culinary Culture Festival 2026 offers a vibrant cultural exchange space. With the theme “Cultural Crossroads” (Beyond Flavours), the program aims to honour the cultural identity of nations while affirming the role of cuisine as a bridge connecting friendship, promoting exchanges, and international cooperation. |
