HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s capital city Hà Nội has topped the list of the Best Food Destination 2024 voted by readers of the world's largest travel guidance platform TripAdvisor.

Late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdin enjoys 'bún ốc' (rice vermicelli with snails) in Hà Nội. — Photo courtesy of Anthony Bourdin

The city has successfully surpassed several other famous food destinations across the world such as Rome of Italy, Paris of France, and New Delhi of India to win the prize.

Along with plenty of sightseeing spots, the capital is also known for its rich and diverse range of culinary culture. For most of visitors to Hà Nội, their trip can’t be completed without sampling some of its famous dishes, such as phở (noodle soup), bún chả (grilled pork with vermicelli), and bánh mì (baguettes). Other renowned dishes of Hà Nội include egg coffee, chả cá Lã Vọng (charcoaled grilled fish), and bún đậu mắm tôm (vermicelli with fried tofu and shrimp paste).

Egg coffee is a famous drink of Hà Nội. — Photo ivivu.com

In the list, the top 10 Best Food Destinations also includes Rome (Italy) Crete (Greece), Cusco (Peru), Florence (Italy), New Delhi (India), Barcelona (Spain), New Orleans (the US), Lisbon (Portugal), and Phuket (Thailand).

“The Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best title celebrates the highest level of excellence in travel. It’s awarded to those who receive a high volume of above-and-beyond reviews and opinions from the Tripadvisor community over a 12-month period. Out of our 8 million listings, fewer than 1% achieve this milestone,” Tripadvisor wrote on its website.

Hà Nội's food and drinks have been presented in different reality shows of late celebrity chef Anthony Bourdin, who visited Hà Nội four times to film season 2 (Episode 12) of A Cook’s Tour, season 1 (Episode 3) and season 6 (Episode 1) of No Reservations, and season 8 (Episode 1) of Parts Unknown.

The famous chef tasted several famous street food and drink of the city including bún chả, bún ốc rice vermicelli soup with snails), bún sườn chân giò (rice vermicelli soup with pork rib and taro stems), bánh cuốn (steamed rice rolls), and bia hơi (draught beer). — VNS