The 2025 Vegetarian Food Festival, held under the theme "Delicious Taste – Pure Heart," took place in Ho Chi Minh City from October 31 to November 4. As a premier hub for the "green" culinary community, the festival showcased hundreds of plant-based delicacies from across Vietnam’s three regions while offering a dynamic platform for career networking and hands-on culinary experiences.

At the heart of the festival were the "Green Future Chef 2025" and "Healthy Drink Vietnam 2025" competitions, which saw 59 talented teams from universities and colleges nationwide vie for top honors. Students from the Food Process Technology program at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade (HUIT) once again distinguished themselves, securing a total of seven prestigious awards through their exceptional creativity and culinary mastery.

Gold Medal: Nguyen Duc Huy & Nguyen Trung Kien (Class 13DHNA01)

Green Future Chef 2025

Gold Medal: Nguyen Duc Huy & Nguyen Trung Kien (Class 13DHNA01)

Innovative Excellence Awards:

• Nguyen Tien Minh (Class 15DHNA02) & Nguyen Huynh Dang Quang (Class 14DHNA01)
• Nguyen Ngoc Minh Thu (Class 14DHNA01) & Tran Luu Phong (Class 15DHNA01)
• Phan Thi Thanh Thao (Class 15DHNA03) & Vu Minh Hieu (Class 15DHNA03)
• Nguyen Tuan Canh (Class 14DHNA02) & Vo Thi Kim Ngan (Class 14DHNA02)

Healthy Drink Vietnam 2025

Bronze Medal: Nguyen Anh Thu (Class 16DHNA01)

Nguyen Huynh Dang Quang (Class 14DHNA01)

A Milestone Achievement: Setting a National Record

A defining moment of the festival occurred on November 3, 2025, when HUIT students and lecturers from the Department of Culinary Science collaborated to establish a national record for "220 Vegetarian Dishes Crafted from Lotus." The HUIT delegation was instrumental in this feat, contributing 70 innovative lotus-based dishes. This landmark achievement reflects HUIT’s spirit of solidarity and its dedication to elevating the humanitarian and cultural values of Vietnamese cuisine for a global audience.

Award-winning FTCA lecturers and students at the '220 Lotus Vegetarian Dishes' record-breaking ceremony

Commendation from the Faculty: The Faculty of Tourism and Culinary Arts (FTCA) extends its warmest congratulations to our students. Your success is a powerful testament to your tireless work ethic and unwavering passion for the culinary arts. We also express our sincere gratitude to the faculty members of the Department of Culinary Science. Your dedicated mentorship and guidance have been the cornerstone of our students' ability to excel on such a prestigious national stage. By embodying the philosophy of "Learning by Doing – Creating from the Heart," you continue to solidify HUIT’s reputation as a leader in Vietnam’s culinary landscape.