When memories blend with modern flavours
For many people, if they lack the time to travel across Ho Chi Minh City, simply visiting the food court at Ben Thanh Market and sampling its menu offers a sufficient taste of the city’s flavours.
From banh xeo, a dish praised by food writers Helen Clark and Karryn Miller on CNN as “one of the best dishes in Viet Nam”, and hu tieu, a rustic specialty of the south-western region that Gordon Ramsay, a chef holding 14 of 15 Michelin stars, included in the top five challenge of MasterChef US, to bun suong, now a “rare find”, these dishes remain a fixture in a corner of Ben Thanh Market, preserving the memories of many generations of Saigonese over 80 years of operation.
Amidst the unhurried atmosphere beneath the roof of the market hall, an interesting and captivating slice of everyday life has become an attractive destination for visitors from near and far.
Content creators Luu Anh Khoa (Len Ky Cung Khoa), Pham Hong Thanh (Thanh Tiger), and Nguyen Duc Huy (Huy Linh Tinh) could barely contain their excitement as soon as they stepped into the food court. Before them were dozens of dishes made from rice flour such as bun, banh hoi, banh canh, banh cuon, and pho, as well as hundreds of colourful delicacies, from braised, boiled, and fried dishes to an array of cakes and sweet soups.
It is no exaggeration to say that Ben Thanh Market is a convergence of “a hundred flavours”. But what is special is that each eatery here, large or small, the story of a journey to preserve its distinctive taste.
The content creators of “Touching Heritage” took livestream viewers to meet Mai Thi Lien, owner of Bun Rieu Ganh beside Ben Thanh Market. Over the past 80 years, from her grandmother’s street-side noodle basket, the dish has entered a more modern restaurant setting, but the old carrying pole and baskets are still preserved as a family keepsake. That memory blends with the original flavour of a bowl of bun rieu that has sustained generations who selected Ho Chi Minh City as the place to build their lives for nearly a century.
Not far away, the Bui Vien–Pham Ngu Lao area reveals another distinctive hue, clearly reflecting the city’s cultural exchange after nightfall. It is a youthful rhythm of life, vibrant with lights, street art, and mixed music.
In the late afternoon, content creator Nguyen Duc Huy invited Cao Y Nhi (Sai Gon Holic) and Truong Quang Anh Minh (Lu Lu Review) to explore the Pho Museum and hear the comprehensive history of Viet Nam’s “signature” dish on the world map.
The museum not only surprised the young participants as they experienced a multi-sensory space for the first time and engaged directly with the cooking process, but the livestream there also attracted thousands of excited comments from viewers. Food, already part of the Vietnamese way of life and identity, transcended the screen when it was “broadcast”, touching viewers’ emotions.
The promotional livestream programme “Touching Heritage - Urban Memories” is an initiative of the Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund and TikTok Viet Nam, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports.
A journey of learning together to love the city more
The “Touching Heritage” journey evoked profound emotions to young content creators. Destinations marked by time and rich culinary experiences made them exclaim more than once: “It turns out there are still so many surprising things I had yet to discover before stopping longer in this place” or “This journey helps me understand and love this vast city more”.
Over more than 300 years of formation and development, Ho Chi Minh City has always opened its arms to people from all directions. Those who came to build the city and forge a livelihood brought with them the culture and cuisine of their homelands, blending together to create a city rich in colours and flavours.
Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, Deputy Director of the Viet Nam Cultural Heritage Conservation Support Fund, explained that this is why the promotional livestream campaign “Touching Heritage – Urban Memories” could not overlook the city’s culinary story.
“Cuisine is the most powerful cultural gateway for the younger generation to explore Viet Nam authentically and enthusiastically,” said Nguyen Thi Hai Van, Deputy General Director for External Affairs at Suntory PepsiCo Viet Nam Beverage Co., Ltd. The uniqueness of local cuisine has inspired the brand’s “Me Mon Viet” journey.
The journey of digital content creators also conveys the message that heritage is not somewhere far away, but exists vividly in everyday life: from an eatery in a market alley and a familiar coffee shop to a museum space. That heritage is being awakened and amplified through the very way young people experience and take pride in their city.
