Vietnam named best culinary destination

Vietnam has been labelled best culinary destination in Asia for 2023 by New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

"If there’s one cultural cuisine that bursts with umami goodness, it’s Vietnamese cuisine. The country, apart from its beautiful landscapes, is known for its food," the travel magazine wrote.

"Everywhere you go, you’ll be met with local, regional delicacies that will bowl you over, as you soak in new, exciting experiences and visit stunning destinations," it added.

In August, Vietnam was named among the six best destinations for foodies by Scotland's popular flight booking platform SkyScanner, with "a perfect bowl of pho (noodle soup) for less than £1 and a local beer to wash it down with for about 50p".

"If you’ve ever tucked into a steaming bowl of pho, you’ll understand why foodie travellers fall in love with Vietnam. The food is irresistible - we’re talking pillowy banh mi stuffed rolls and soft, fresh summer rolls filled with shrimp and mint leaves," the flight booking platform wrote.

"After you’ve raided the street food stalls of Hanoi, take an hour-long domestic flight to the lesser-known foodie capital of Hội An, where Chinese, French and Japanese influences combine to create a unique take on Vietnamese cuisine," it commented.

Pho is a bowl of flat, soft rice noodles dipped in a fragrant beef or chicken broth flavoured with condiments. Banh mi is a light baguette grilled over coals and filled with meat, pate, crunchy pickled vegetables and fresh herbs, with a smear of mayonnaise and a spicy chili condiment.

In July, Vietnamese cuisine was named among the world's top 10 best by The Travel readers, with pho, cha gio (spring rolls), and banh mi highlighted as the country's most outstanding dishes.

"In fact, the wide variety of food in the country will leave visitors perplexed. Like many Asian countries, noodle soups are popular in Vietnam, it is a great place to begin a food exploration. This Vietnamese noodle soup is called pho and it consists of herbs, chicken, or beef," Thetravel.com, one of the world's leading travel sites, wrote.

"After tasting the country’s national dish, one can proceed to try some snacks such as spring rolls and baguettes. There are different types of rice dishes to also try out and while some consist of chicken, others consist of beef or pork," it added.

In June, bun cha (grilled pork with rice noodles), one of the most well-known Vietnamese dishes, is featured in the Platinum Jubilee Cookbook to mark the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on February 6, 1952.

Bun cha is a very common dish that is thought to be originated from Hanoi. It can be easily found in Vietnam’s busy capital city from elegant restaurants to simple street vendors in narrow streets. Along with pho, bun cha also stands for Hanoi’s stunning cuisine culture which is the perfect combination of rice products, meat, veggie, spices, and local special dipping sauce.

Back in 2016, during a short visit to Vietnam, U.S. President Barack Obama enjoyed bun cha for dinner on his first night in the Vietnamese capital, after revealing in the morning that he also wants to sip the flagship Vietnamese ice milk coffee, ca phe sua da.

The other destinations in the Travel + Leisure list are: Singapore - Best City, Indonesia - Best Beach Destination, Goa - Best Beach Destination, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi - Best Wedding Destination, Bangkok - Best Shopping Destination, Maldives - Most Romantic Destination, Malaysia - Best Digital Nomad Destination, Japan - Best Cultural Destination, Qatar - Best Family Vacation Destination, Dubai - Best Adventure Destination, Bhutan - Best Emerging Destination, Uttarakhand - Best Emerging Destination, Cambodia - Destination To Get A Taste Of Royalty, Bali - Best Destination To get Close To Nature, Sri Lanka - Best Wildlife Destination and Ishigaki Island, Okinawa, Japan - Best stargazing destination.