© Source: VNA
The centre is established by the Vietnam Tourism
Association (VTA) with a view to preserving and bringing into play the
quintessence of each food and drink of the country while popularising the
Vietnamese cuisine, helping to turn tourism into a spearhead industry.
Addressing the ceremony, VTA Vice Chairman Vu The
Binh said Vietnamese dishes have gradually won the heart of Vietnamese and
foreign foodies, as well as famous chefs around the world.
However, the priceless treasure of Vietnamese
cuisine has yet to be optimised to become a unique and competitive tourism
product, he noted.
The VTA hopes that the centre will focus on the
study of some typical dishes and drinks of Vietnam, select the finest foods to
serve tourism activities, and collect information about the country’s dishes
and drinks. It should revive the foods and drinks that have been forgotten,
folk cuisine festivals, and traditional craft villages. It also needs to
promote the professionalisation of gastronomic workers.
The centre will also improve the skills of
Vietnamese cooks, introduce Vietnamese foods and how to cook them to
foreigners, create favourable conditions for Vietnamese chefs to work in other
countries, and honour people who have devoted to the country’s gastronomy, Binh
said.
He added the centre will work closely with travel
companies and localities to launch food tours, tours of ingredient supplying
areas, and cooking classes.
It is making a website in English and Vietnamese
to provide information about Vietnam’s gastronomy. The website is scheduled to
open in August.
Also on April 7, Binh, who is also Chairman of
the Vietnam Society of Travel Agents, and Vice President of the American
Society of Travel Agents Robert Duglin signed the societies’ cooperation
agreement. The deal is hoped to open up new opportunities for Vietnamese
companies to attract US tourists and facilitate Vietnamese people’s travel to
the US.
By VNA