VietnamSurprise – Eight traditional specialties from the Vietnam’s three regions which typically given as gifts, have been recognized by the Asian Records Organization.
The Northern specialties were Hai Duong green bean cakes – sweet rectangular cakes made with green beans, fat, sugar and grapefruit oil; and Thai Nguyen tea – famous for its honey color and unique taste.
The Central region was represented by Tra Bong cinnamon from the province of Quang Ngai, Ngoc Linh ginseng from the Central Highlands province of Kon Tum and renowned Buon Ma Thuot coffee from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.
Specialities selected from the Southern region where Trang Bang rice paper from Tay Ninh Province, Ben Tre coconut milk crackers and Phu Quoc peppercorns.
According to the Viet Nam Record Book Centre (Vietking), the recognition will help to promote Vietnamese cuisine around the world.
The Asian Record Organ-isation previously recognized 12 Vietnamese dishes as Asian Records: “Phở” (Vietnamese noodle), “Bún Chả” (vermicelli and grilled chopped meat), “Bún Thang” (vermicelli and chicken soup), “Bánh đa cua Hải Phòng” (Hai Phong noodle with crab soup), “Cơm Cháy Ninh Bình” (Ninh Binh rice crust), “”Miến lươn Nghệ An” (Nghe An eel vermicelli), “Bún bò Huế” (Hue beef noodle), “Mì Quảng” (Quang noodles), “Phở khô Gia Lai” (Gia Lai dry noodles), “Bánh Khọt Vũng Tàu” (Vung Tau Khot cake), “Gỏi cuốn Sài Gòn” (Saigon spring rolls) and “Cơm tấm Sài Gòn” (Saigon broken rice). Read more here: “Phở”, “Bún Thang” and “Bún Chả” honored as top Asian cuisines.
However, these recognitions mean nothing without a long-term strategy to promote the products, said Vu The Long, General Secretary of the Viet Nam Association of Gastronomy. “Together with the registration of intellectual property rights, the State should implement suitable protection for those specialty trademarks,” he said. Long added that the specialities could only shine if they had the appropriate space to do so.
To make this point, he cited the example of Ha Noi’s speciality “cha ca La Vong” (La Vong charcoal-grilled fish), which MSNBC mentioned on its list of “10 places to see before you die”.
A few years ago, even though many people visited the restaurant, it retained its “traditional atmosphere and coziness”, Long said. But the venue’s current popularity makes it “impossible to enjoy the food and the atmosphere”.
Cultural marketing specialist Nguyen Dinh Thanh agreed: “The State should set up and intensively implement development strategies for Vietnamese gastronomical trademarks.”
Source: News.com.vn
