Vietnam Ranks Among Top Four Asia-Pacific Culinary Destinations as Local Specialties Surge

Fresh data from travel booking platform Trip.com Group reveals a rapid surge in culinary travel interest, playing a decisive role in destination choices. From January to August 2026, food-related searches on the platform increased by 45% year-on-year, while culinary keywords rose by 46%. Vietnam secured the fourth spot among the most searched dining destinations across the Asia-Pacific region. Keywords tracking dining in major cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang saw significant global engagement. Food-related searches frequently trigger broader trip planning. Trip.com Group reported that 41% of food-related searches prompted users to explore wider travel services on the platform, a rate significantly higher than the 28% cross-booking rate for general travel searches. This trend indicates that dining experiences are now serving as primary entry points for global travel itineraries. Travelers researching a local specialty, restaurant, or specialty cafe often proceed to book hotel rooms, flights, and local tours. During the eight-month period, several dining categories experienced explosive search growth. Queries for sit-down restaurants rose 68%, buffets expanded 66%, and coffee and tea keywords climbed 67%. Notably, seafood searches spiked by 218%, while regional specialty inquiries surged by over 700%. Vietnamese gastronomy is also building prestige in the premium sector. The curated dining guide Trip.Gourmet now features 347 Vietnamese dining venues, including 39 fine-dining establishments. In the platform’s Global Fine Dining 2027 list, Vietnam secured three platinum rankings: Gia and KOKI in Hanoi, alongside Anan Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City. This ranking evaluated 744 venues across 105 cities in 40 countries and territories, categorizing selections into black diamond, diamond, and platinum tiers. The growing presence of Vietnamese venues on international dining rankings confirms that culinary appeal now stretches beyond iconic street staples like pho, banh mi, and bun cha into refined gastronomic dining. With deep regional variety, vibrant street-food ecosystems, and high-end restaurants, Vietnam holds substantial headroom to package culinary culture into a signature tourism brand. This shift presents tour operators and destinations with ripe opportunities to design market excursions, street-food walks, cooking classes, and local specialty tours, boosting visitor spend and extending stays.