The Appeal of Highland Cuisine

Along with beautiful natural landscapes and fresh air, one of the distinctive imprints contributing to the appeal of community-based tourism in the province’s highland communes is cuisine. Through the skillful hands and rich, vivid imaginations of the locals, many unique dishes have contributed to creating a distinctive allure for the destinations.

Highland cuisine being introduced to tourists during the Chua Ke Festival (Muong Hoa commune).

To escape the scorching heat of June days, we chose the highland commune of Van Son as our destination for a weekend retreat. These days, tourists are flocking to Van Son in quite large numbers. Coming to Van Son, visitors can experience bathing in the cool waters at the foot of Thung Waterfall, camping at Pang Field, or hunting clouds on Mom Xoi (Sticky Rice Tray) Hill. And in particular, they can savor dishes deeply imbued with the identity of the local highland Muong ethnic people. Proudly introducing Van Son’s highland cuisine, Mr. Bui Van Tho from Bac Thung hamlet, Van Son commune, shared that his family currently operates a food and beverage service spot at Pang Field with a capacity of 150 guests. Arriving in Van Son, tourists will enjoy rustic yet equally delicious and appealing dishes. The dishes here loved and selected by many tourists are steamed or grilled hill chicken, chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots, steamed green-necked duck, mountain snails, water buffalo skin soup cooked with bon leaves, grilled meat wrapped in grapefruit leaves, steamed wild vegetables (rau đồ), and five-color sticky rice... The factor making these dishes delicious is the source of fresh, live food purchased directly from local villagers, who raise and grow them cleanly and reliably without using industrial feed.

Phu Tho is not only famous for its charming, majestic natural landscapes but also attracts tourists with its characteristic dishes deeply stamped with highland forest imprints. From Van Son down to Mai Ha, Mai Chau, Pa Co, Muong Hoa, Da Bac, and Cao Son... highland ethnic cuisine stands as an important highlight that creates the appeal for community-based tourism here.

Traditional cuisine associated with the indigenous culture of ethnic communities such as the Muong, Thai, Tay, Hmong, and Dao... reflects not only their lives, customs, and habits but also demonstrates sophistication and skill in the way they process and combine natural ingredients. Whatever season brings, the dishes are always fresh and rich in lingering flavors with forest vegetables, stream fish, black pork, and hill chicken...

Characteristic dishes of Van Son highland cuisine.

The cuisine of ethnic minority groups in Phu Tho’s highland communes is appealing because it is not only “delicious” but also unique, authentic, and always accompanied by a story. From raw materials sourced directly from the mountains and forests to preparation methods suited to the climate and daily lifestyle habits, each dish reflects the living experiences of the community across many generations. Highland cuisine is precisely the clearest “touchpoint” with indigenous culture. Through a meal, tourists do not just taste the flavors but can also see daily life, sense the community character, and feel the rhythm of life across an entire land.

Cuisine is one of the crucial factors contributing to positioning tourism brands, reflecting the cultural identity of the local community. Therefore, building a strategy to promote highland cuisine to attract tourists from near and far is necessary for Phu Tho at present.

To make highland cuisine widely known to tourists, localities have focused on introducing and promoting their cuisine through festivals, periodic market fairs, and recently, utilizing social media platforms to carry the appeal of highland cuisine far and wide.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong Van, a tourist from Hanoi, shared: "One of the experiences that cannot be missed when coming to Phu Tho’s highland tourist spots is discovering and savoring the local people’s cuisine. We especially love the feast served on leaves featuring natural ingredients from the forests, mountains, and home gardens, with preparation methods that, though simple and rustic, bring a delicious, authentic flavor very suited to tourists' palates. Truly, one of the most attractive points of Phu Tho highland tourism is the cuisine."

Reality has shown that highland cuisine can become an advantage for Phu Tho highland tourism. When dishes preserve their true essence and quality, tourists will stay longer, spend more, and want to return. Consequently, local people gain additional on-site income, more jobs, and more motivation to maintain their hearth fires, preserve indigenous knowledge, and nurture identity as a living asset of the community.

If beautiful scenery brings tourists to the highlands, then the dishes are one of the things that keep them longer and urge them to return. In a context where tourism increasingly prioritizes indigenous experiences and distinctiveness, cuisine thus becomes an important highlight, contributing to positioning the identity for each destination.

Duong Lieu