Two Michelin-starred restaurants in Vietnam voted among Asia’s best

Anan Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City and Hibana by Koki in Hanoi, which both have one-star ratings from French food guide Michelin, have won in different categories at this year’s World Culinary Awards.

Anan Saigon

Located at 89 Ton That Dam street near Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1, downtown HCMC, Anan Saigon was voted Asia’s best restaurant.

After opening its doors in 2017, the restaurant has quickly gained international fame for serving street food-inspired dishes created by its owner and chef, Peter Cuong Franklin.

Its popularity continued to grow after chef Franklin created the $100 banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) that has French foie gras, truffles, sliced cucumbers, cilantro and mint, and is served with a side of fried sweet potatoes and caviar.

One of the must-try dishes there is the banh xeo taco, which takes a central Vietnamese region-style banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) and folds it into the shape of a Mexican taco with shrimp and pork, Hanoi-style grilled catfish, or beef stew as its filling.

Prices start from VND185,000 ($7.93).

Hibana by Koki

Located inside the Capella Hotel at 11 Le Phung Hieu street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, Hibana by Koki was named Asia’s best hotel restaurant.

The restaurant offers secluded dining spaces including four private dining rooms that can accommodate up to eight guests and five others that can host 16.

Due to limited space, guests are required to make reservations and the cost of a meal ranges from VND5.5 million to VND8.5 million (about $235 to $360).

The restaurant specializes in the art of Teppanyaki, a style of Japanese cuisine that uses an iron griddle to cook, and offers an array of signature dishes, including the Yaeyama Kyori beef soup, spiny lobster, and crispy roast beef.

The World Culinary Awards is the sister event of the World Travel Awards, which was launched in 1993 to acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry. It has been described as the "travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars".

Vietnam’s cuisine reputation has grown in recent times. The Rhythms and Cloud Nine in Hanoi last month were voted on a list of the 25 best fine dining restaurants in Asia by Tripadvisor readers at the 2023 Travellers' Choice 'Best of the Best' Restaurants Awards.

Hum - Healthy Veggies Delights in Ho Chi Minh City was named among the world’s 25 best vegetarian restaurants by readers of Tripadvisor.

Last June, four Vietnamese restaurants - Hibana by Koki, Gia and Tam Vi in Hanoi and Anăn Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City - were recognized with one Michelin Star for the first time for the high-quality cooking and outstanding culinary experience they offer.