Hà Nội phở beef noodle is one of the nation's most iconic dishes. Hà Nội plans to promote its phở through a contest to create cultural IP based on Hà Nội phở. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports

HÀ NỘI — The national cultural heritage, Hà Nội's iconic phở (beef noodle soup) dish, is expected to gain wider popularity following the launch of a new contest on cultural intellectual property (IP).

The city's Department of Culture and Sports, the Hà Nội Press, Radio and Television Agency and Acecook Việt Nam are encouraging people from all walks of life to take part in the contest, entitled Creating Cultural IP from the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Hà Nội's Phở.

Phở is recognised for its cultural value, spanning from history and knowledge to community connection. Hà Nội is currently preparing a dossier to propose its recognition by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 

The contest, according to organisers, aims to discover creative ideas and solutions for developing an identity system, visual identity and cultural intellectual property products based on phở's heritage.

It is also an opportunity to promote its value, raise community awareness and promote the dish in contemporary life.

Eating phở for breakfast has been a typical Vietnamese habit for many decades. — Photo vietnamnet.vn

"Hà Nội's cultural heritage related to cuisine represents a key sector with great potential for development of the cultural industry. The contest aims to establish a new identity and a modern approach to a heritage deeply intertwined with the lives of the capital's residents," said Phạm Tuấn Long, director of the Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports.

"Through this launch, we hope to garner active participation from young people and generate creative ideas to jointly promote and uphold the value of this distinctive cultural heritage."

He said he hopes that young people will come up with creative ideas inspired by phở.

Speaking at the launch, deputy director of the Hà Nội Press, Radio and Television Agency Nguyễn Thành Lợi said: "Phở is one of the iconic cultural symbols of Hà Nội, widely known by local people and international friends.

"The value of phở extends beyond the fame of a dish to the culmination of multiple cultural aspects cultivated over generations."

Cooking traditional Vietnamese phở requires many ingredients, such as beef bones and beef, whole spices and fresh herbs. Photo courtesy of Hà Nội Department of Culture and Sports

From heritage to cultural IP

He went on to say: "Phở is made with recipes passed down for generations, following traditional knowledge involved in ingredient selection, preparation and the preservation of the craft. The art of savouring the dish is also part of our social customs, reflecting Hà Nội's rich cultural identity, deep-rooted social traditions and refined lifestyle.

"Preserving Hà Nội phở is not simply about safeguarding a traditional dish, but also about upholding the cultural values defining the identity of the city."

Lợi noted that heritage comes alive only when the community innovates upon it while respecting its core value. Adding heritage to the UNESCO list ensures that heritage is not merely preserved but also promoted and passed on to future generations. This is the significance of creating cultural IP from heritage, he added.

According to Lợi, creating cultural IP is a process of identifying and developing cultural images and narratives into creative products capable of connecting with the public, particularly the younger generation. At the same time, it opens up new development opportunities across the fields of culture, tourism, education and media.

He said the contest should find the best and most unique ideas to raise community awareness of and responsibility towards cultural heritage.

Acecook Việt Nam representative Morimoto Junichi said that heritage should always be present in people's daily lives, whether at a restaurant or at home. In Việt Nam or abroad, anyone can easily enjoy the heritage of phở, Junichi said.

Contest organisers will receive submissions, including sketches, photos, short videos, digital media products, heritage identity systems and creative ideas through the email address Ippho2026@gmail.com until September 30.

After the launch, many other activities will be carried out to promote the dish, such as an introduction at the 2026 Tokyo Ramen Festa in August and a phở promotion at Việt Nam Heritage Day in November in Hà Nội. — VNS