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Vietnamese dishes introduced at the Vietnamese Day in Saudi Arabia 2024 (Photo: nhandan.vn)

Vietnamese culinary dishes make impact around the world

Vietnamese cuisine has emerged as a significant cultural ambassador, promoting the country and its people on the global stage.

Gaining recognition through prestigious international awards, captivating global audiences at festivals, and leaving lasting impressions on world leaders and celebrities, Vietnam’s culinary heritage is now a symbol of national pride.

Recent images of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh strolling Hanoi’s Old Quarter alongside President and CEO of NVIDIA Jensen Huang and savoring Vietnamese street food went viral on both domestic and international media. The semiconductor industry mogul even prepared Hanoi’s signature egg coffee to share with those who were present, showcasing the global allure of Vietnamese flavours.

Vietnam’s culinary appeal has captivated numerous dignitaries. In April 2024, Apple CEO Tim Cook visited two Vietnamese coffee shops in a single day, cited VNA.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese enjoyed Hanoi beer, banh mi, boiled peanuts, and grilled fish during his 2023 visit. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau drank street coffee in Ho Chi Minh City in 2017, while former US President Barack Obama famously dined on Hanoi's bun cha (noodle with grilled pork) in 2016.

Additionally, globally recognised musicians, actors, and singers from the US, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and China have shared their experiences with Vietnamese cuisine, further boosting its visibility on the international stage.

Vietnamese cuisine has shone at numerous cultural and diplomatic events in 2024. Notable among them was the International Culinary Festival in Hanoi, themed “Connecting Through Food,” which featured hundreds of booths from 60 countries and territories. Traditional dishes from Vietnam’s northern highlands to southern coastal regions were skillfully prepared and beautifully presented, drawing thousands of visitors to events such as the Hanoi Cultural Cuisine Festival, the Saigon Street Food Festival, and the Pho Festival in Nam Dinh.

During “Vietnam Day in Saudi Arabia 2024,” Middle Eastern audiences sampled Halal-adapted Vietnamese dishes like herbal beef pho, chicken spring rolls, and lotus-seed-stuffed fried rolls. These creations balanced flavour while telling stories about Vietnamese history, culture, and lifestyle.

Similar successes were seen at the Pho Festival in the RoK and the Pho and Spring Roll Day in Italy, attracting large crowds and paving the way for culinary and tourism collaborations.

Vietnamese cuisine is renowned for its harmonious blend of flavors, natural ingredients, and the philosophy it embodies. It seamlessly combines taste with artful presentation, making each dish a sensory and cultural experience.

International accolades have further cemented Vietnam’s culinary reputation. In 2022, the World Culinary Awards named Vietnam “Asia’s Best Culinary Destination.” In 2024, the same awards crowned Hanoi as the “World’s Leading Culinary City” and “Asia’s Leading Culinary City.” Iconic dishes like pho were also lauded, with CNN listing it among the “20 Best Soups in the World” for 2024.

Early December 2024 marked another milestone when Taste Atlas announced its annual awards, recognising various Vietnamese dishes and regions. Meanwhile, the Michelin Guide began awarding stars to Vietnamese restaurants, affirming the cuisine’s global status and boosting its appeal to international tourists.

Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, emphasised that cuisine serves as a gateway for global audiences to better understand Vietnam, contributing to “soft power” when building the country's image and promoting it to the world.

Vietnam triumphs over Thailand to claim 2024 ASEAN Cup title

Vietnam was crowned the well-deserved champions of the ASEAN Cup final after beating Thailand 3-2 in the second leg, securing their third title with a 5-3 aggregate score at Thailand's home ground, Rajamangala stadium, on the evening of January 5.

A highly emotional and dramatic match unfolded at Thailand's Rajamangala Stadium as the Vietnamese players started strong and took a 1-0 lead, with striker Tuan Hai scoring in the 8th minute through a brilliant move, lifting the ball over the head of the Thai goalkeeper to put Vietnam ahead 3-1 on aggregate.

With a 2-1 advantage from the first leg, the Vietnamese national team approached the second leg in Thailand with great caution. However, Vietnam's advantage lasted only until the 28th minute, when Davis of Thailand scored an impressive long-range strike to equalize 1-1 for Thailand, according to VOV.

Photo: VNN

However, Vietnam continued to face a disadvantage when, in the 32nd minute, naturalized striker Xuan Son made an attempt to dribble the ball and delivered a cross into the penalty area, but no teammates followed the ball. After this effort, Xuan Son suffered a serious injury. The first half ended with a 1-1 scoreline, giving Vietnam a 3-2 aggregate lead.

In the second half, Thailand dominated the game and scored a controversial goal by Supachok in the 64th minute. However, from the 74th minute, Thailand was down to 10 players after Pomphun received his second yellow card.

In the 82nd minute of the match, Tuan Hai delivered a cross that led to Hemviboon's own goal, helping Vietnam's national team equalize at 2-2 and take a 4-3 lead after two legs.

In the final minutes of the match, Thailand pushed hard to find a goal but failed. Not only that, Thailand conceded another goal in the 90+20 minute by Hai Long, resulting in a 2-3 loss and a final score of 3-5, giving Vietnam their third ASEAN Cup title in history.

Right after the conclusion of the second-leg final of the ASEAN Mitsubishi Electric Cup 2024, with the impressive victory belonging to the Vietnam national football team, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent a letter of commendation to the squad.

In the letter, the Government chief warmly congratulated the entire coaching staff and football team on their convincing victory in both the first and second legs of the final, leading Vietnam to officially secure the ASEAN Cup 2024 championship.

On the same day, to promptly encourage and motivate the players and coaching staff, the Hanoi People’s Committee decided to award the Vietnamese football team a bonus of VND2 billion following their triumphant AFF Cup 2024 victory against Thailand.

This decision once again affirms Hanoi city's commitment to spreading the spirit and love for football among its people, as well as its contribution to cultural, social, and sports activities across the country.

This is the third time the Vietnam men's football team has won the ASEAN Cup 2024 (formerly the Tiger Cup, AFF Cup). With this third championship title, the Vietnam team continues to assert its football dominance in Southeast Asia.

Vietnam to establish two financial centers in 2025

The Government plans to establish and put two financial centers into operation in 2025.

The move aims to realize the Politburo's conclusion on building regional and international financial centers in Da Nang City and Ho Chi Minh City, the Government said in a plan released on Saturday.

The Government tasked the Municipal People's Committees of Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang City to work closely with relevant agencies to achieve the above goal.

The Government has decided to establish a steering committee for regional and international financial centers led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, VGP reported.

A corner of the central city of Da Nang.

This is the interdisciplinary body responsible for assisting the Prime Minister and the Government in designing strategic guidelines and in coordinating the implementation of the Politburo's conclusion.

Vietnam has sufficient factors and conditions needed to establish an international financial center in Ho Chi Minh City and a regional financial center in the central city of Da Nang, said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Firstly, Vietnam's GDP size in 2024 is estimated at US$470 billion, ranking 33rd-34th in the world and the GDP per capita is about US$4,600-4,700, the Prime Minister explained.

Building on strong growth momentum over the past years, Vietnam aims for a GDP growth of at least 8 percent in 2025 and strives to achieve a double-digit growth rate in the coming years.

Secondly, strategic breakthroughs are achieving very positive results with a transparent institutional framework, seamless infrastructure, and intelligent governance.

Thirdly, the stock market capitalization has reached nearly VND7.2 trillion (over US$283 billion) this year, an increase of 21.2 percent compared to the end of 2023. The stock market has become the fastest-growing market in the region.

Fourthly, Vietnam has an integrated and open economy, having signed 17 Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) involving 65 leading economies in the world. The nation's total export and import value is projected to reach US$800 billion in 2024, about 1.7 times higher than the total GDP size.

Fifthly, Vietnam has maintained stable political stability, social order and safety, and a peaceful life with an environment of peace, cooperation, and development.

In addition, the country has a strategic position and an important geopolitical location, situated in one of the most dynamic and innovative regions in the world. It also has a time zone that differs from the 21 largest global financial centers, highlighted by the Prime Minister.

The regional and international financial centers would help Vietnam enhance connectivity with the global financial market; attract foreign financial institutions, and create new resources; and leverage opportunities from the movement of international investment flows to speed up socio-economic development.

Vietnam logs in to global semiconductor supply chain

Leading global technology corporations are making strategic moves to shift supply chains, and establish research centers, presenting a tremendous opportunity for the country to strengthen its semiconductor industry by adopting the strategy of "standing on the shoulders of giants."

Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, revealed that Vietnam is home to 174 foreign-invested projects in the semiconductor sector, with a total registered capital of nearly US$11.6 billion.

The Ministry has actively engaged with tech giants such as Qualcomm, Google, Meta, LAM Research, Qorvo, and AlChip, with detailed plans underway to relocate supply chains to Vietnam, establish research and development (R&D) centers, and expand manufacturing operations.

A recent highlight is the landmark cooperation agreement between the Vietnamese government and US tech giant NVIDIA, which has drawn significant global attention. Minister Dung described this partnership as a "critical push" for Vietnam’s technological advancement, paving the way for further high-tech investments, particularly in artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors.

Associate Professor Nguyen Thuong Lang from the Institute of Trade and International Economics at the National Economics University noted Vietnam’s global standing has improved and now major corporations view Vietnam as a destination for high technology, semiconductors and AI.

Lang highlighted that new FDI inflows from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (China), and Singapore accounted for over 60% of Vietnam’s total FDI in 2024. Vietnam’s participation in numerous free trade agreements has been a key catalyst, enabling global manufacturers from Taiwan and Hong Kong to use the country as an efficient base for production and exports to the US and Europe, cited VOV.

Production of electronics components at Youngbag Micromotor Co. Ltd. in Binh Xuyen Industrial Zone in Vinh Phuc province.

Vietnam has become a critical 'outpost' for expanding and shifting FDI, Lang said, adding that the semiconductor industry shows promising signs of growth in the near future. However, he cautioned that Vietnam must address persistent challenges, such as logistical delays and high costs, to maximise the potential of these investments.

At the Vietnam Logistics Forum 2024, Yap Kwong Weng, CEO of Vietnam SuperPort, emphasised ASEAN’s emergence as a manufacturing hub with rising FDI inflows. Vietnam’s strategic location in Southeast Asia, its proximity to China, and an extensive coastline make it an attractive logistics hub. However, the lack of well-connected logistics centers near major ports and airports remains a significant limitation. Therefore, the development of multimodal transport corridors to support sustained growth is needed, Yap said.

Pham Sy Thanh, Director of the Vietnam Center for Economics and Policy Research (VEPR)’s China Economic Research Programme (VCES), held that the semiconductor industry is dominated by a few companies controlling over 85% of the market. The US and Europe lead in intellectual property and chip design, while the US and Japan dominate the supply of essential chemicals and materials.

Vietnam’s burgeoning semiconductor sector benefits from favorable policies from global semiconductor leaders, particularly the US.

This is a pivotal moment for Vietnam to seize the opportunity, Thanh said.

Two cold spells to bring rain and frost to northern Vietnam in early January

Northern Vietnam will face two cold spells in early January, with the second surge bringing significant rain and frost risks from January 8 to 13.

Northern Vietnam is set to face two consecutive cold spells, the first being mild on January 4-5, followed by a stronger one on January 8-9. From January 8 to 13, the region will experience rainy, cold weather, with mountainous areas facing severe frost conditions.

Upcoming cold spells

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, two cold air surges are expected to affect northern Vietnam in the coming days.

The first, arriving on the night of January 4-5, will bring moderate conditions. The second, stronger surge will occur on January 8-9, driven by intensified high-pressure systems and northeast monsoon winds.

In the lead-up to the stronger cold spell, northern and north-central regions, including Hanoi, will see dry weather with early morning fog and cool nights.

Weather forecast for Hanoi

Currently, Hanoi enjoys dry, sunny days with highs of 24-25°C and lows of 13-14°C. However, starting January 8, overcast skies will prevail, accompanied by light rain.

From January 10 to 13, temperatures will drop slightly to lows of 15-16°C and highs of 21-22°C, marking the end of the dry spell. Combined with light rain, the colder temperatures will bring a distinctly chilly feel, cited VNN.

Hanoi's weather is about to turn rainy and cold with overcast skies. Illustrative photo: Hoang Ha.

Regional weather patterns

North and North-Central Vietnam: From January 8 to 13, widespread rain will occur, with mountainous areas at risk of frost and freezing temperatures.

Central Vietnam: Rain will increase from January 9 to 13, with some areas experiencing scattered thunderstorms.

Southern Vietnam, Central Highlands, and Ho Chi Minh City: Sporadic rain and thunderstorms are expected, with a chance of localized wind gusts and lightning. Ho Chi Minh City will remain mostly dry with sunny days and early morning temperatures ranging from 21-24°C.

From January 4 to 6, the East Sea region, including the Paracel and Spratly Islands, will experience strong waves reaching heights of 4-6 meters. Coastal areas from Quang Tri to Binh Thuan will see waves of 3-5 meters, with rough seas persisting until January 7.

Meteorologists predict that cold air surges in January will be stronger than in December 2024, potentially causing extended periods of severe frost in the northern provinces. Mid-January may see frost and ice in high-altitude areas.

Residents are advised to prepare for colder conditions, particularly in mountainous regions, where frost and freezing rain could disrupt daily activities.

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