HÀ NỘI — The Vietnam Culinary and Cultural Association (VCCA) is selecting about 100 Vietnamese dishes across the country to create a digital food map.

Vice President of the VCCA Lã Quốc Khanh said that the selection of 100 Vietnamese dishes has been the first step in a broader plan.

"At the end of the first phase, we will build a list of 100 dishes typical for each of the country's North, Central and South regions," Khanh told Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper.

In late March, the association conducted surveys in five northern provinces and cities of Nam Định, Ha Nam, Thai Nguyen, Phu Thọ and Ha Noi, with the participation of food artisans such as Phan Gia Ton Hiền, Hồ Đắc Thiếu Anh, Nguyễn Thị Hiền and Le Thị Thiết.

The association plans to build a list comprising 1,000 dishes next year to create a mapped database of Vietnamese food.

“Besides collecting and discovering typical delicacies, information must be associated with that local area. The artisans will also have explanations about the history, culture, and cooking method,” Khanh said.

According to the official, people who enjoy it will have the opportunity to vote for the dishes that they consider typical of the region.

The digital food map is projected to be completed by 2024 with the building of a Vietnamese cuisine museum in Huế ancient capital city.

President of the Viet Nam Chef Association Nguyễn Thường Quan said that services and food safety standards were also required in the building of such a list.

The project aims to promote Vietnamese cuisine and attract visitors to Viet Nam, as gastronomy may serve as a core value of the country’s tourism, said Dr Nguyễn Thu Thủy from the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Viet Nam National University.

“In my opinion, the cuisine is the core value to attract tourists to our country. Vietnamese cuisine is delicious, but until now, it has not yet been strongly promoted in mass media so that it can become a core value of tourism. As suggested decades ago by the father of modern marketing, Philip Kotler, we can become a 'kitchen of the world.'” — VNS