U.S. Embassy & Consulate
in Vietnam

HANOI, September 22, 2023 – In celebration of the U.S. – Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, the United States Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi hosted The Great American Barbeque Festival by United Tastes featuring Vietnamese-American Master Chef Christine Ha. The event introduced importers, retailers, hoteliers, restaurants, and chefs in Vietnam to American food, beverages, agricultural products, and culture. The event was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi, and in collaboration with USDA cooperators from across the United States including the U.S. Meat Export Federation, U.S. Pork, USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, Potatoes USA, USA Blueberries, the Raisin Administrative Committee, the Washington Apple Commission, the California Milk Advisory Board, the U.S. Soybean Export Council, the U.S. Grains Council, Sorghum Checkoff, the Wisconsin Ginseng Board, and the Texas Department of Agriculture. Drink partners were the California wines of Robert Mondavi, E&J Gallo and Budweiser beer. The festival featured remarks by U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper and a cooking demonstration by Master Chef Christine Ha.

“In 2022, the level of bilateral trade was more than 300 times greater than it was in 1995. This event is an example of the fruitful trade relationship between the United States and Vietnam, especially in agriculture. This is a vibrant, two-way trade relationship that benefits the producers, exporters, importers, and consumers of both our nations”, said U.S. Ambassdor Marc E. Knapper.

“This is a special opportunity where the food and beverage industry in Vietnam can directly meet representatives for 16 U.S. food ingredients associations and U.S. wine and beer brands in Hanoi, to strengthen and expand their networking and relationships, as well as to know more about the high quality and diversity of U.S. agricultural products” said USDA Agricultural Counselor Ralph Bean.

U.S. – Vietnam bilateral agricultural trade has grown rapidly during the last five years, with bilateral agricultural trade between the two countries reaching $9.8 billion in 2022. Vietnam is the ninth largest importer of U.S. agricultural products, while the United States is the largest importer of Vietnamese agricultural products.

Guests enjoyed American BBQ featuring a diverse array of 20 dishes made from 28 U.S. ingredients including U.S. beef, U.S. pork, U.S. chicken, U.S. potatoes, California cheese, Washington apples, U.S. blueberries, U.S. raisins, Wisconsin ginseng, fresh tofu, cooking oils made from U.S. soybeans, rum, grapefruit, pearled sorghum grains, gluten-free sorghum flour and ready-made BBQ sauces from the U.S. state of Texas. The buffet dinner menu was exclusively designed and prepared by chefs from the Moose and Roo Smokehouse restaurant.

“I am delighted to be part of the Great American Barbeque Festival in Hanoi as part of my culinary journey in Vietnam. Moreover, I’m excited to discover more of Hanoi’s gastronomic scene, as well as to highlight beef, grapefruit, and BBQ sauce from my home state of Texas in my cooking demonstration. I hope to share stories about Texas barbecue traditions and that my tour will inspire new dishes on my menu when I return to the United States,” said Vietnamese-American Master Chef winner Christine Ha.

On September 10, the United States and Vietnam announced the U.S. – Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. The close cooperation between the United States and Vietnam in promoting agricultural products and bilateral trade is another testament to the commitment between our two nations in forging a prosperous future for citizens in the U.S., Vietnam, the region, and the world.