Four restaurants in Hanoi and HCMC have received Vietnam’s first-ever Michelin stars, the renowned French food guide has announced.
4 Restaurants Awarded One MICHELIN Star
Amongst the 103 restaurants in the selection, one MICHELIN Star is awarded to 3 restaurants in Hanoi, and 1 restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, for offering high-quality cooking and outstanding culinary experience that is worth a stop when traveling to Vietnam.
Anan Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), a Vietnamese contemporary restaurant, whose Chef Peter Cuong Franklin applies modern cooking techniques to street food recipes to create enticing flavors, earned one MICHELIN Star recognition. Whether you order the fresh tuna tartare, a roasted duck-mozzarella-herb mini pizza, shrimp and pork tacos, or bone marrow wagyu beef pho, every dish is a masterclass of well-balanced flavors and textures.
Gia (Hanoi) is a Vietnamese contemporary restaurant, run by Chef Sam Tran, receiving one MICHELIN Star recognition for its menu that changes with the seasons and is inspired by Vietnamese culinary heritage. Deceptively complex, the beautifully crafted dishes showcase well-judged combinations of subtle flavours, with acidity and texture playing prominent roles.
Hibana by Koki (Hanoi) presents a theatrical experience at a 14-seat counter in the basement of Capella Hotel, with Chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi skillfully and precisely cooked teppanyaki dishes rich in complex flavour. The menu features a distinctly decadent edge, epitomized by the premium ingredients flown in twice a week from Japan, such as abalone, spiny lobster, sea urchin, Yaeyama Kyori beef and Hokkaido hairy crab.
Tam Vi (Hanoi) a vintage tea house that feels distinctly northern Vietnamese with its nostalgic collection of Chinese furniture and hand-written signs. They serve northern Vietnamese dishes with some central and southern options. The Vietnamese ham with periwinkle Cha Oc (snails) comes with fresh herbs, vegetables and rice vermicelli with fish sauce. The crab soup with Canh Cua Mung Toi (malabar spinach) has a subtle crab flavour in a clear broth.
Besides the four restaurants that received the Michelin Guide’s high honor, a total of 103 restaurants in Hanoi and HCMC made other lists published by the guide: Michelin Selected, Michelin Guide Special Awards, and the Bib Gourmand.
Seventy local restaurants were named in the Michelin Selected group, with 32 in Hanoi and 38 in HCMC. Some prominent names include Cha Ca Anh Vu, Bun Cha Huong Lien, A Ban Mountain Dew and Pho Ga Cham.
The Bib Gourmand group included 29 restaurants in Vietnam, with 13 in Hanoi and 16 in HCMC. Prominent names included 1946 Cua Bac, Bun Cha Ta, Cha Ca Thang Long and Chao Ban.
Three Michelin Guide Special Awards were also handed out in Vietnam, with the Sommelier Award given to Yu Yamamoto, the Service Award given to chef Nguyen Thi Nu of Vietnam House, and the Young Chef Award given to chef Sam Tran of Gia.
MICHELIN Guide Hanoi & HCMC 2023 At A Glance
TOTAL ESTABLISHMENTS 103
- Total one MICHELIN Star 4
- Total Bib Gourmand 29
- Total MICHELIN Selected 70
HANOI 48
- One MICHELIN Star 3
- Bib Gourmand 13
- MICHELIN Selected 32
HO CHI MINH CITY 55
- One MICHELIN Star 1
- Bib Gourmand 16
- MICHELIN Selected 38
The Michelin Guides
The Michelin tire company released its first Michelin Guide in 1900. At the time, it was a simple map with recommendations for hotels and Michelin tire change locations made for travelers on road trips. After a few decades, the Guide evolved to include restaurant listings. More than a century later, the Michelin Guide now highlights and uplifts the finest international food establishments, guiding foodies to the world’s best restaurants and culinary destinations.
The Michelin Guide awards a restaurant one to three stars based on the culinary experience it offers. An anonymous Michelin inspector follows a five-point criteria system as they assess restaurants. Restaurants are judged on elements of the food itself such as ingredient quality, cooking techniques, and flavor harmony. The restaurants’ ability to maintain quality over time and across a variety of menu dishes also plays a role. The most interesting criteria, however, is whether or not the chef’s personality is accurately reflected in the food.
The Future Of Vietnamese Food And Tourism
A ranking from the Michelin Guide is one of the world’s most prestigious culinary awards. The recognition of any number of stars has a huge influence on a restaurant’s reputation, as well as the entire region where the restaurant runs. Many travelers choose establishments and destinations based on their Michelin Star rating, even choosing to repeat and extend their stays at Michelin-awarded locations. It’s a big boost to the local economy as well as to the individual restaurant.
The arrival of the Michelin Guide to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will bring well-deserved international attention to Vietnamese cuisine. It will push the acclaim of the country’s food scene beyond its current boundaries. Local Vietnamese cuisine should be celebrated on an international stage. Such attention will in turn push Vietnamese chefs to practice their gastronomic art with even greater passion, creativity, technique, and the dedication that has run through the very soul of the country and its culture.
Source: Vietnam Travel, Michelin Guide, VnExpress.
