The English version of a TV series on Vietnamese cuisine and tourism, hosted by renowned Chinese American chef Martin Yan, will start airing on Asian Food Channel (AFC) in October.

“Martin Yan-Taste of Vietnam,” a 26-episode series, is set to air on AFC, an international channel specializing in lifestyle – including cuisine and tourism – at 8:00 pm every Thursday, starting October 16.

This is the first locally made TV show to be broadcast on AFC.

Martin Yan said at the Wednesday series launch in Ho Chi Minh City that the English version is different from the Vietnamese original in that it enhances the content about Vietnamese culture and introduces local chefs in greater detail.

“I wish I would be reborn in Vietnam, as I’m infatuated with its landscape, people, and gastronomy,” Yan said.

Launched in Vietnam in mid-2013, the series features Yan traveling to 15 provinces and cities across the country: Hanoi, Lao Cai, and Ninh Binh in the north; Da Nang, Hue, and Nha Trang in the central region; and Ho Chi Minh City, Tien Giang, and Can Tho in the south.

Yan visited and explored particular places of interest, intriguing cuisine, and culture.

The show depicts the famed chef and his companion, Miss Vietnam 2010 runner-up Hoang My, joining local artisans in preparing two to three dishes in each episode lasting between 20 and 24 minutes.

The TV program will also be aired on the U.S.’s 300 KQED, PBS, and APT stations starting tomorrow, September 6.

After almost one year in the making, the show’s sequel, hosted by American chef Robert Danhi, is airing on Ho Chi Minh City television channel HTV7 at 9:00 pm every Friday.

In this 26-episode series, co-produced by Ho Chi Minh City Television and Dien Quan Co., Danhi is featured preparing more than 90 Vietnamese delicacies on the beach, in the forest or in rice paddies, and showcasing the cultural and culinary highlights of the places he has traveled to.

The chef, who is head over heels in love with the Southeast Asian gastronomy, especially that of Vietnam, also made specialties on central Quang Ngai Province’s Ly Son Island, southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province’s Con Dao Island, and in Ca Mau Province in the south.

According to the series producers, the good feedback from foreign partners on “Martin Yan-Taste of Vietnam” has paved the way for its sequel on the international market.

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