Vietnam Airlines is the first Asian airline to receive the World’s Best Culinary Airline 2026 award at the World Culinary Awards. This annual global awards programme, affiliated with the World Travel Awards, recognises excellence and innovation across the culinary industry.
The recognition comes as the airline has been investing in its inflight dining operations as part of its ambition to achieve five-star service standards by 2030. The inflight menus are based around Vietnam’s culinary heritage and locally sourced ingredients, with regional specialities created using contemporary cooking techniques.
The dishes are tailored to individual routes and cabin classes, taking into account passenger preferences and the demands of altered taste sensations when dining at altitude.
Traditional dishes on offer include Pho (a soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles, herbs and meat); Hue-style beef noodle soup; Quang-style noodles; and Banh Mi Hoi An (a special Vietnamese sandwich). Vietnam Airlines also works with its catering partners and cabin crew to ensure consistent food quality, serving temperatures and presentation across its flights.
Beyond these signature dishes, Vietnam Airlines is showcasing the country’s agricultural diversity through locally grown produce. Seasonal ingredients used in inflight meals include strawberries and plums from Son La; lychees from Luc Ngan; egg lychees and longan from Hung Yen; macadamia nuts from Dien Bien; cashews from Dong Nai; and dragon fruit and melons from Lam Dong. The selection varies according to seasonal availability and inflight catering requirements.
In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam Airlines and its affiliated catering companies used a total of 2,260 tonnes of domestically grown fruits and vegetables, supporting local producers.
The airline showcases the stories behind these ingredients and the communities that produce them in its Heritage magazine, inflight entertainment and other communication channels.
Vietnam Airlines won the World’s Best Culinary Airline 2026 award against competition including Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air France, Cathay Pacific, and Turkish Airlines.
Dang Anh Tuan, executive vice president of Vietnam Airlines said the award is a testament to the quality of the carrier’s inflight dining offer and underscores the international appeal of Vietnamese cuisine.
“As Vietnam’s national flag carrier, we see every journey as an opportunity to share the richness of our culinary heritage, the diversity of our regional produce, and the warmth of Vietnamese hospitality,” he stated.
“As we work towards achieving five-star service standards by 2030, we remain focused on meeting the highest international standards while preserving the distinctive Vietnamese character that sets our service apart. Ultimately, we want every meal on board to be a memorable part of the journey and a reason for passengers to fly with us again.”
