This is the first congress of the Vietnam Association of Vocational Training and Employment of Chefs, which elected the first 35 members of the association's executive committee. Chef Nguyen Thuong Quan was elected as president, along with three vice presidents.

Reporting at the congress, Mr. Quan said that the Vietnam Chef Training and Employment Association was established with the aim of improving the quality of culinary profession, spreading the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine, making Vietnam the "kitchen of the world", contributing to the growth of tourism.

According to Mr. Quan, the establishment of the association is very urgent because currently the tourism industry is very scarce in terms of human resources, including kitchen staff.

According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, each year the industry needs to add about 40,000 workers, of which the culinary profession accounts for 8-10%. However, each year only about 15,000 workers are trained and supplied to the market.

According to recent statistics from the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the country has about 540,000 food and beverage stores from small to large scale including fast food stores, cafes, bars/pubs.

However, only about 30% of the total kitchen workforce is properly trained. The head chef positions at high-end hotels and resorts are all held by foreigners.

Even talented foreigners find it difficult to appreciate and succeed with Vietnamese cuisine like the Vietnamese themselves. To get closer to the dream of Vietnam becoming the kitchen of the world, it is necessary to develop and train culinary human resources.