Nguyễn Hữu Thiên Ân and his Hỷ Sự Hát Bội masterpiece. Photos courtesy of Thiên Ân

 HÀ NỘI Nguyễn Hữu Thiên Ân, a 26-year-old pastry chef from HCM City, has transformed Việt Nam’s cultural legacy into stunning fondant creations, winning prestigious awards across Asia.

He began his culinary journey eight years ago at the Saigontourist Hospitality College, where he initially studied hot kitchen techniques. However, it was in the school's pastry workshop where he discovered his true calling, particularly with fondant - a malleable sugar paste used for decorating and sculpting cake designs.

After mastering fondant techniques, he realised that Việt Nam boasts a diverse and rich culture, and wanted to incorporate familiar, beautiful elements into fondant cakes as a modern way to preserve and spread traditional values.

This innovative approach stems from Ân's deep appreciation for the country's cultural values, childhood memories, and family bonds. Growing up surrounded by stories of Vietnamese customs and traditions, he felt a personal obligation to preserve and promote these treasures. This sense of duty urged him to tackle increasingly complex cake themes for both domestic and international competitions.

One of his most favourable works, the cake titled Hồi Ức (Memories), earned him a silver medal at the 2024 Battle of the Chefs in Malaysia. The piece featured portraits of a grandmother wearing traditional conical leaf hats, crafted from fondant and surrounded by familiar Vietnamese dishes, such as bitter melon soup and braised pork with eggs. The creation powerfully conveyed messages about family meals and the image of Vietnamese motherhood.

"Hồi Ức” (Memories) earns Thiên Ân a silver medal at the 2024 Battle of the Chefs in Malaysia.

 Another striking masterpiece featuring banh chung, banh tet, braised pork, mứt Tết (Vietnamese sweet dishes served at Lunar New Year), and Đông Hồ paintings secured him the championship title at the 2025 Việt Nam Talented Pastry Chef competition, along with two additional awards for Best Showpiece and Best Dessert.

Ân's most celebrated achievement is his wedding cake Hỷ Sự Hát Bội which fuses the Vietnamese wedding theme (hỷ sự) with hát bội - the country's traditional opera. The creation helped him bag a gold medal in the Wedding Cake category at the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic in May - one of Asia's most significant culinary competitions.

Ân said the cake is a blessing, a promise, a message about love, and also hopes to convey messages about Vietnamese traditional culture and art. With the medal, he contributed to bringing Vietnamese hat boi art to the international stage, inspiring both domestic and international audiences to explore the beauty of Vietnamese traditional culture through a contemporary lens.

His impressive award portfolio also includes the Outstanding Communications Award at the 2023 China Innovation Contest, a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Pastry Young Chefs, and a gold medal for artistic display and a silver medal for the team category at the Asian Pastry Young Chefs contest in China last year.

Thiên Ân has impressive award portfolio..

 In each of his cakes, Ân marries traditional culture with modern pastry artistry, ensuring it honours cultural values. He spends extensive time and dedicates passion to crafting stories about Vietnamese cuisine, people, and culture.

Looking ahead, he plans to continue bringing his cakes to international competitions, affirming Vietnamese cultural and culinary values on the world stage. He is also opening fondant cake-making classes to share his passion with a broader audience. VNA/VNS