4th Michelin Guide Vietnam features 193 establishments, still overlooks 'banh mi'

The selection featured a mix of established favorites and newly recognized venues across multiple categories.

Among them, 11 restaurants received one Michelin star (including two new additions), 72 were awarded Bib Gourmand status (11 new), 110 were listed as Michelin Selected (nine new), and three restaurants joined the Michelin Green Star community (one new).

The new additions include seven restaurants from Hanoi (one Michelin-starred, three Bib Gourmand, three Michelin Selected), 11 from Ho Chi Minh City (one Michelin-starred, five Bib Gourmand, five Michelin Selected), and four from Da Nang (three Bib Gourmand and one Michelin Selected).

This marks the first time in Michelin Guide Vietnam’s four-year journey that the number of Michelin-starred restaurants has reached double digits.

According to the organizers, this signals that Vietnam’s culinary scene is entering a new level, and behind this achievement is a generation of culinary talent with ambition and an identity more clearly defined than ever before.

A confident, standout food destination

Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guide, said in a video message at the ceremony that over the past four years, the guide has seen Vietnam evolve from an exciting culinary scene into a confident and standout food destination.

He said the most impressive aspect of this year is the talent and passion behind each restaurant, noting that a new generation of Vietnamese chefs is taking the lead.

Many young chefs trained abroad have returned home to create dishes with a strong personal imprint, rooted in local ingredients, local memories, and local pride.

This year’s announcement coincides with the global culinary community marking the 100th anniversary of the Michelin Star.

Poullennec said as the milestone is celebrated, Vietnam serves as a reminder that local food stories are still being written, with some of the most exciting chapters unfolding there.

Within the Michelin Guide system, the Michelin Green Star is a prestigious award recognizing pioneering restaurants that successfully combine culinary excellence with a strong commitment to environmental responsibility.

The award highlights restaurants that lead in sustainability through waste management, energy efficiency, and responsible sourcing of ingredients.

Lamai Garden and Nén Danang continue to retain their position, while this season welcomes Tales by Chapter, recognized for its strict zero-waste philosophy and seasonal, mostly plant-based menu sourced from a partner eco-farm in Da Lat and the restaurant’s rooftop garden.

Special awards from the Michelin Guide also honoured chef Phuoc Hau Tran of The Monkey Gallery Dining (Young Chef Award), Bich Ngoc Mai of ONVIT (Sommelier Award), and Thanh Van Nguyen of Tales by Chapter (Service Award).

Looking at this year’s awards as a whole, besides the fine dining restaurants, local spots selling noodle dishes such as pho, bun bo, banh canh, bun cha, bun rieu, and mi Quang, as well as banh cuon (steamed rice rolls), and shellfish dishes, continue to dominate the selections.

Other categories such as banh xeo (Vietnamese sizzling crepes and com ga (chicken rice) are also represented.

However, no banh mi establishments were named.

While banh mi -- a type of Vietnamese baguette filled with cold meats, pâté, and vegetables -- is one of Vietnam’s most iconic dishes favored by international visitors, it has remained absent from the Michelin Guide for four consecutive editions.