MICHELIN Guide sets its sights on Vietnam’s central region

According to Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of MICHELIN Guide, the world's leading culinary guide will continue its journey to explore Vietnam's rich cuisine this year, with its next destination being Danang, a coastal city in the south-central region of the country.

Danang herring salad. Photo: Quan Ngon Da Thanh

"After a brilliant start in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City early last year, the addition of Danang to the MICHELIN Guide family is further proof of the vibrancy and quality of Vietnam's culinary scene, as well as the richness and authenticity of its local food culture," he said.

According to Poullennec, the  MICHELIN Guide inspectors are currently in the field to carry out a selection of restaurants, the results of which will be published in June.

Known the world over as an acclaimed tourist destination, Danang is also a food lover's paradise. As a proud ambassador of Central Vietnamese cuisine, Danang has impressed MICHELIN Guide inspectors with the quality and variety of local specialties on offer - be it mi quang or quang noodles, bun cha ca (fresh noodles with fish hams) or the famous banh xeo  or 'sizzling pancake' - a crispy, stuffed rice pancake.

Not to be missed are the seafood restaurants, all of which offer an abundance of very fresh or live seafood, as well as street food delicacies, and the MICHELIN inspectors have enjoyed sitting on the side of the road to sample culinary gems such as a bowl of congee with braised duck.

Danang's seafood. Photo: Quan Ngon Da Thanh

In addition to these traditional specialties or eateries, Danang also boasts a vibrant fine dining scene, shaped by local chefs who make the most of local produce, as well as international chefs who have fallen in love with the city and brought their home tastes to it.

According to Dang Minh Truong, Chairman of the Sun Group, sponsor of the MICHELIN Guide in Vietnam, "the presence of the MICHELIN Guide in Danang is expected to make the city shine on the world tourism map and help attract international visitors to the central coastal city of Vietnam".

As in all the destinations it covers, the MICHELIN Guide will recognize its selection of restaurants in Danang using its universal and historical methodology. The local restaurants are assessed anonymously, collectively, and independently by the MICHELIN Guide's inspectors according to five criteria, all of which focus solely on the qualitative aspects of the food: the quality of the ingredients, the mastery of the cooking techniques, the harmony of the flavors, the personality of the cuisine and the consistency over time and across the entire menu. 

Danang is home to many delicious dishes. Photo: Song Anh