In the international bakery industry, where baking techniques reach the pinnacle of creativity, victory is not just a matter of a few medals.
It is a recognition for a profession that is mature enough to step out into the world on its own merit. And this time, Vietnam has done it.
From July 18 to 20 in the coastal city of Penang (Malaysia), the Battle of The Pastry & Bakery 2025, under the auspices of the World Chefs Association (Worldchefs), officially concluded with a resounding victory for the Vietnamese chef team.
Surpassing more than 400 contestants from countries and territories, the Vietnamese delegation not only won 16 Gold Medals, 5 Silver Medals, 11 Bronze Medals, but also excellently won 2 major cups, including the overall championship cup - the highest award of the competition.
This is not only a feat in the Asian pastry and bread arena, but also the second time Vietnam has reached the top at an international event of this stature, organized by the world's leading culinary judges.
Affirming the class of Vietnamese baking profession
For international experts, Battle of The Pastry & Bakery is not just a competition of baking skills. This is a place to comprehensively demonstrate the following factors: Technique, aesthetics, culinary sense and professional competition organization capacity.
From wedding cakes, iced cakes, artistic breads to chocolate sculptures, the teams had to perform a “symphony of pastry” - a perfect culinary “concert” between technique and emotion, between sophistication and creativity.
And on that stage, the Vietnamese bakery industry truly stepped into the light with a position equal to that of the Asian pastry powerhouses.
The Vietnamese chef team consists of 15 contestants from: Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Vinh Long, Phu Quoc and Da Nang.
Under the leadership of Chef Le Thi Kieu Oanh (Kieu Oanh - Cherry) and the professional support of experts: Doi Thi Ngoc Diep, Tran Nhat Truong, Dang Duoc Thao, the team demonstrated a persistent and courageous competitive spirit.
During the three days of competition, the Vietnamese team not only competed in terms of technique but also demonstrated their class in creativity and teamwork. Poetic wedding cakes, sculpture-like sugar and chocolate creations, and artistic bread entries that reached a level of sophistication completely convinced the judges.
In particular, chef Duong Minh Tri was honored with 3 individual Gold Medals and won the Cup "Best Chef of the Competition" - a title that is very difficult to achieve in international baking competitions, where the strictness of every detail is pushed to the maximum level.
Vietnamese Sweet Kitchen: From Homeland to International Class
To achieve this achievement, professionals understand that behind the trophies are months of practice, nights of only sleeping one hour to perfect every detail of the work.
The techniques of baking, shaping, and sculpting sugar and chocolate are no longer mere creative games, but the crystallization of perseverance, skill, and team spirit.
Chef Kieu Oanh, known as the "fire-bearer" for the young generation of chefs, has led the team to compete and brought the image of Vietnamese baking to the world with a modern, professional and integrated appearance.
Immediately after the competition ended, Head Judge Kenny Kong (Singapore), one of Asia's leading pastry experts, sent an official congratulatory letter to the Vietnam Tourism Association. In the letter, he emphasized:
"I have witnessed the persistent efforts, great team spirit and exquisite skills of the Vietnamese team. Under the professional guidance of Chef Kieu Oanh, you have created perfect works from wedding cakes to sugar art. This is a completely worthy victory."
“Your dedication and team spirit are truly inspiring. Despite sleeping only one hour a day, you worked tirelessly to demonstrate your skills, honed through rigorous training and practice,” he said.
New stature for Vietnamese bakery industry
If in the past, the baking profession in Vietnam was considered a "backstage" in the culinary industry, today, this victory has marked a memorable turning point.
No longer a traditional profession associated with folk cakes, Vietnamese baking is gradually becoming a professional profession, deeply integrated with the world.
The victory in Malaysia is also a testament to the remarkable growth of the Vietnam Bakery Association, Saigon Chefs Association, Vietnam Chefs Association, member organizations of the Vietnam Tourism Association, which have effectively coordinated in training and developing young staff.
Vietnam is no longer just an “honored guest” in international competitions. Vietnam is the winner, the champion, the representative of a bakery industry that is asserting its class, capable of competing with culinary powers in the region and the world.
The overall championship trophy at Battle of The Pastry & Bakery 2025 is the pinnacle of recognition for the process of elevating the Vietnamese bakery profession, from a craft to a creative and globally integrated culinary industry.
Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/du-lich/viet-nam-vo-dich-cuoc-thi-banh-ngot-va-banh-mi-quoc-te-2025-154642.html
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