Vietnamese-Australian chef named Vietnam Airlines’ food ambassador

CANBERRA — Vietnamese-Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen will join hands with national carrier Vietnam Airlines to bring Vietnamese cuisine to the world.

The partnership was facilitated under an agreement inked between Australia and Viet Nam in Canberra, Australia, on March 14.

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister, Chairman of the Office of the Government Mai Tien Dung, who is accompanying Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc in his official visit to Australia.

Under the three-year agreement, Nguyen will be in charge of improving the quality of meals served on Vietnam Airlines’ flights and introducing eight new regional specialties for the business class. He will give feedback on the airline’s current 50 business-class menus in 2018.

The food expert will also popularise Vietnamese cuisine among the international community via cultural and trade exchange programmes in various countries.

At the event, Le Hong Ha, Executive Vice President of Vietnam Airlines, said the cooperation with Nguyen aimed to elevate the art of Vietnamese cuisine. He said the partnership was significant as both the countries were celebrating the 45th anniversary of their diplomatic ties this year.

He expressed hope that Vietnam Airlines and Nguyen would contribute to bolstering cultural cooperation and other connections between the two countries.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines uses new-generation Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and has 17 flights per week to Australia, offering an international four-star standard service on the route, Ha said.

Nguyen, on his part, wishes to give tourists in the five continents a taste of Vietnamese cuisine. He thanked Vietnam Airlines for giving him the opportunity to have a closer connection with his homeland.

Professional services have earned Vietnam Airlines the four-star airline title by Skytrax for the second consecutive year. It is one of the most punctual airlines in the world, with an on-time performance index of above 90 per cent. The carrier was recognised as the “World’s Leading Airline-Premium Economy Class” and the “World’s Leading Cultural Airline” at the World Travel Awards in 2017.

Inviting the Vietnamese-Australian chef as its food ambassador is part of Vietnam Airlines’ strategy to improve service quality and customer experience, eyeing to become a five-star airline in future.

Nguyen’s culinary career spans more than 30 years. He is renowned for a chain of restaurants worldwide, including Red Lantern, Moi Moi by Luke Nguyen and Vietnam House. He judged Master Chef Vietnam Seasons 1 and 2 and was a special guest at chef Gordon Ramsay’s Great Escape programme and Master Chef Australia.

He is a former food ambassador of Etihad Airways, where he was responsible for planning menus for the airline’s flights to and from Viet Nam. — VNS