Two young Vietnamese chefs carried 30kg of regional specialties to the UK and secured a silver medal at one of the world’s most prestigious culinary competitions.
Making its debut at the Global Chefs Challenge 2026 final, Vietnam’s team, comprising Trinh Tuan Dung, born in 1999, and commis chef Le Dac Minh Quan, born in 2005, won a silver medal against competitors from around 70 countries and territories.
The two contestants from the Vietnamese team and their supplies for the international competition (Photo: Provided by the subjects).
The Vietnamese team showcased dishes deeply rooted in the country’s culinary traditions, including inspirations from banh xeo and pho, while incorporating a range of regional ingredients sourced from across Vietnam.
Speaking to Dantri/Dtinews, Dung said that while many national teams arrived with state-of-the-art kitchen equipment and large support crews, Vietnam travelled with more than 120kg of luggage consisting mainly of basic cooking tools and ingredients, including 30kg of Vietnamese agricultural products.
He packed foam boxes containing about 30kg of well-known Vietnamese agricultural produce (Photo: Provided by the subjects).
As this was Vietnam’s first appearance in the competition’s grand final, Dung said the team’s goal extended beyond winning a medal.
“We wanted to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to the international stage,” he said.
To achieve that, the team selected ingredients strongly associated with different regions of Vietnam, including Hoa Loc mangoes, Ly Son garlic, Phu Quoc fish sauce, Tan Trieu pomelos, ST25 rice, Binh Phuoc cashew nuts, Dak Lak macadamia nuts and Ben Tre coconut milk.
Despite seeing rival teams supported by 15 to 20 members, the two-person Vietnamese delegation remained determined.
Contestants went through hours of intense competition (Photo: Provided by the subjects).
Dung explained that all finalists received the competition brief in November 2025, giving them several months to prepare and develop their menus. Competitors were required to use mandatory ingredients specified by organisers, including 5kg to 6kg halibut, veal sweetbreads, chocolate, Norwegian tiger prawns, strawberries and Welsh leeks.
Participants then had to combine these ingredients with their own culinary traditions and techniques to create original dishes.
After receiving the brief, Dung worked with his mentor to design a menu that met the competition’s technical requirements while preserving a distinctly Vietnamese identity. The resulting four-course menu, titled “The Essence of Vietnam”, consisted of an appetiser, a fish course, a veal course and a dessert.
The final competition lasted seven consecutive hours, from 6.30 am to 2 pm, with no breaks.
After the first five hours, contestants were required to serve their appetiser. Over the following 40 minutes, they presented the fish, veal and dessert courses in succession. The demanding schedule left little room for error.
For the appetiser, Dung drew inspiration from the southern Vietnamese dish banh xeo. The course featured Hoa Loc mangoes, prawns, herbs and other Vietnamese ingredients alongside the mandatory products provided by organisers.
“My objective was to bring the most distinctive Vietnamese ingredients into the competition,” he said.
The fish course reflected the culinary traditions of Central Vietnam. Using halibut, Dung created several components, including butter-poached fish prepared using French techniques, dill fish soup, lemongrass fish spring rolls and a fish cake baguette.
The veal course was inspired by Vietnam’s iconic pho noodle soup. Dung combined elements from both northern and southern pho traditions into a single dish.
The menu concluded with a dessert celebrating flavours from the Mekong Delta. It featured Tan Trieu pomelo, Dong Thap passion fruit, An Giang palm sugar, Hoa Loc mangoes and Ben Tre coconut milk.
The four-course menu titled “The essence of Vietnam” (Photo: Kieu Oanh Le).
Despite having only two team members, Vietnam completed every dish within the allotted time.
The international judging panel praised the team’s creativity, particularly the pho-inspired course, which successfully combined local ingredients with Western culinary techniques.
The Vietnamese team won silver at this year’s Global Chefs Challenge (Photo: Provided by the subjects).
Results announced on May 19 showed that Vietnam had secured the silver medal, marking the country’s first appearance and first award at the prestigious international competition.
Some premium ingredients were entirely unfamiliar to the Vietnamese chefs (Photo: Provided by the subjects).
“The moment that impressed me most was watching one of the judges taste a dish made with Vietnamese ingredients,” Dung said.
“He paused for several seconds and showed genuine delight. It was clear he appreciated the unique and fresh flavours.”
