Chefs Trinh Tuan Dung and Le Dac Minh Quan of the Saigon Professional Chefs Association (SPC) represented Vietnam, finishing eighth among 15 competing nations with 81.875 points during the final from May 16 to 19.
Under Worldchefs scoring rules, medals are awarded against benchmarks rather than finishing position. Gold goes to teams scoring 90 to 100 points, silver for 80 to 89.99, and bronze for 70 to 79.99.
It marks the first time a Vietnamese team has reached the global final in the competition’s more than two decades of history.
Italy topped the overall standings with 94.167 points, followed by Denmark and Singapore.
Chefs Le Dac Minh Quan (L) and Trinh Tuan Dung hold the Vietnamese flag at the Global Chefs Challenge 2026’s final. Photo courtesy of Global Chefs Challenge |
The two Vietnamese chefs had five hours to prepare a four-course menu, including starter, two mains and dessert, serving 12 plates per course to international standards.
Their menu, The Essence of Vietnam, paired luxury imports like Norwegian tiger prawns and caviar with local staples like ST25 rice from the Mekong Delta that has continuously been honored the world’s best, Ly Son garlic, and Phu Quoc fish sauce. Traditional techniques such as steaming pho sheets and pouring banh xeo (crispy pancake) batter were also shown.
The team’s nine months of preparation were difficult due to the cost and supply of ingredients in Vietnam. Unable to practice with halibut or sweetbread, chef Dung taught himself how to handle them by watching videos.
During practice, the team used pomfret instead of halibut, chicken and pork liver instead of sweetbread, and cheaper chocolate instead of premium varieties.
Challenges continued on competition day. Weather in Britain left Dung ill in the days leading up to the final.
“On the day, we performed at around 85% of what we could do in training. Having to practice with more common alternatives also added pressure when working with the real expensive ingredients,” he said.
Dung added that the team pushed through by drawing on their adaptability, and that they were proud of what they achieved.
 |
Chefs at the Global Chefs Challenge 2026’s final. Photo courtesy of Global Chefs Challenge |
The Global Chefs Challenge is held as part of the Worldchefs Congress, bringing together chefs after a regional qualification process. Hundreds of teams compete at continental level each year for 15 spots in the final.
Vietnam advanced after winning the Asia regional qualifier in 2025, where chef Dung took gold, earning Vietnam a place alongside Singapore as the region’s representatives on the world stage.
Comments are closed.