Top chefs from central Việt Nam participate in the annual Đà Nẵng Professional Chefs Challenge at Furama Resort Đà Nẵng. The event offers an exchange among cuisine and tourism for sustainable development in central region. VNS Photo Công Thành

ĐÀ NẴNG – Chefs from 16 teams representing hotels, resorts and restaurants across central Việt Nam have begun the annual Đà Nẵng Professional Chefs Challenge, blending culinary skill with tourism promotion and fostering connections among travel agencies and tour operators in the region.

The event, collaboratively organised by the Đà Nẵng Culinary Culture Association, Furama Resort Đà Nẵng and the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council (USAPEEC), aims to provide a platform for chefs to exchange unique local cuisine from Huế, Quảng Trị, Đà Nẵng and Quảng Nam with international visitors.

Chairman of the Đà Nẵng Hotel Association, Nguyễn Đức Quỳnh, said the competition, held for the second time in the city, has become a rendezvous for master chefs promoting and preserving traditional local cuisine within sustainable tourism development.

He added that the festival would accelerate cooperation and spark new ideas to support the country’s tourism development in the future.

The event also featured Chef Norbert Ehrbar, a member of the World Master Chefs Association; Chef Doãn Văn Tuấn, Deputy Chairman of the Đà Nẵng Culinary Culture Association and head chef of the Furama-Ariyana Danang International Tourism Complex; and top master chefs Nguyễn Danh Hinh and Lê Xuân Tâm, who served on the competition’s jury board.

A demonstration of egg dish displays at the annual Đà Nẵng Professional Chefs Challenge. Top chefs in central Việt Nam show off their talents and skills in the annual competition in Đà Nẵng as a tourism promotion event. Photo courtesy of Furama Resort Đà Nẵng

The Director of Đà Nẵng City’s Tourism Promotion Centre said the central hub plans to launch one to two international direct routes connecting to Chu Lai Airport in 2026, aiming to boost key markets including Korea, Japan, Singapore and the Philippines.

The festival also showcased farm produce supplied by the farmers’ association of Tr’hy commune, a Cơ Tu ethnic community.

Local fish sauce from the 500-year-old Nam Ô village has been used by chefs at Furama Resort Đà Nẵng as part of a local craft promotion programme.

The Đà Nẵng Hotel Association also donated VNĐ50 million to support workers and labourers in the hospitality industry in easing flood damage. — VNA/VNS