Ho Chi Minh City considers cuisine a product that needs to be developed to turn tourism into a key industry, said La Quoc Khanh, deputy director of the municipal Department of Tourism.

The department will form cuisine streets to serve tourists, improve the cuisine sector’s human resources and intensify participation in both domestic and foreign food-related events, he stated on April 26 at a seminar on cuisine value and tourism.

The city has held a series of events annually and attracted many visitors, including the southern cuisine festival, a festival featuring dishes from countries throughout the world and the southern fruit festival.

Trieu Thi Choi, a leading cuisine professional in Vietnam, said that to develop cuisine tourism, Vietnamese food must become an impressive trademark that is attractive to visitors.

General Director of Vietravel company Nguyen Quoc Ky suggested planning food sites and night markets systematically and dividing food sites into groups, such as Chinese food, or traditional Vietnamese food of the northern, central or southern region.

At the seminar, many participants emphasised the need for good food safety and hygiene, especially street food.

VNA