Various traditional Vietnamese cakes will be included in upcoming tourism promotion strategies, Nguyen Thi Khanh, chairwoman of the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association, said on Tuesday.

At a ceremony to announce which Vietnamese chefs will compete in the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022, scheduled to take place in Singapore from October 25 to 28, Khanh said traditional cakes using ingredients sourced from across Vietnam could be a major draw for international tourists.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association will also promote Vietnamese cuisine, mainly traditional cakes, at the World Travel Market in London next month.

Aside from traditional cakes, Vietnam’s booth at the event will feature activities that promote the country as a ‘food paradise.’

“Aside from the landscape and cultural values, Vietnamese cuisine can help attract travelers to Vietnam,” Khanh said.

“Localities wishing to promote their cuisines have partnered with the Ho Chi Minh City Tourism Association by setting food records and holding cultural festivals.

“If Vietnamese cuisine can be successfully introduced to the world, Vietnam’s traditional dishes will be raised to a new level.”

Pham Vuong Son, chairman of the Saigon Professional Chefs’ Guild, shared that Vietnamese chefs won two gold medals, two silvers, and one bronze at the FHA Food & Beverage held in Singapore last month.

These award-winning chefs were all under the age of 25 and were lauded by the judges for using ingredients and spices sourced from different region across Vietnam.

According to Son, the judges seemed most curious about the chefs’ use of water caltrops and their unique flavor when combined with butter and milk.

Mac khen (Indian prickly ash) and pepper also captured the judges’ attention.

Vietnamese chefs will introduce cakes made out of lotus seeds, tapioca starch, glutinous rice flour, and rice flour at the FHA Culinary Challenge 2022, according to Tran Thi Hien Minh, vice-chairwoman of the Saigon Professional Chefs’ Guild.

It will be exciting to watch what these local chefs create when combining such ingredients with butter, chocolate, and cheese, she said.