Just a few hours after the Michelin Guide Vietnam 2026 was announced, many names appearing in the list quickly became topics of discussion on social networks.
From Bib Gourmand-rated restaurants to Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants, each choice leads to different opinions of praise and criticism about prices, quality and real-life experiences.
From price to food quality
Just a few hours after the Michelin Guide Vietnam 2026 was announced, many addresses appearing in the list quickly became topics of discussion on social networks. From budget restaurants to fine dining restaurants, familiar debates about prices, food quality and selection criteria continue to appear.
In which, the story of prices has almost never cooled down. Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su, which has been in the Bib Gourmand category for many consecutive years, is frequently mentioned in discussions about prices compared to the general level. Similarly, Pho ga Huyen Huong, which first appeared in the Michelin Selected list, also attracted attention with a bill of 900,000 VND for a meal of a group of customers.
Not only price, the quality of the dish and the ability to maintain its form are also topics of interest to many diners. Huong Lien bun cha or Ba Hoanh banh cuon both have a large number of customers and are recognized by Michelin for many consecutive years, but still receive mixed reviews about the flavor, experience or level commensurate with the existing reputation.
In the higher segment, Saigon Eat represents a different form of debate. The restaurant is highly appreciated for its creative approach to Vietnamese cuisine, but there are also opinions that too many variations sometimes make the dish unfamiliar to the traditional imagination of diners.
Besides the names honored, addresses that do not appear on the list also often become topics of debate. On many culinary forums, many people believe that there are still many restaurants that are highly appreciated by locals but have not been recognized by Michelin. Some opinions suggest that these addresses more clearly reflect the local taste and daily eating habits of Vietnamese people.
Banh mi is also a frequently mentioned theme every Michelin season. As one of the most famous Vietnamese dishes in the world, banh mi appears quite modestly in the lists of the Michelin Guide. This makes many people question whether this iconic street food has been evaluated commensurately.
In fact, most of the controversy surrounding Michelin does not lie in whether the dish is delicious or bad in the absolute sense. The difference is the evaluation standards of each person, creating endless controversy.
What does Michelin look for when evaluating restaurants?
Faced with debates lasting through many seasons, the Michelin Guide has repeatedly affirmed that their decisions are not based on popularity, number of customers or influence on social media. Instead, restaurants are evaluated through a rigorous appraisal process with the same standards in all countries.
According to the Michelin Guide, appraisers operate completely anonymously. They pay for their meals themselves and do not notify the restaurant in advance.
Appraisers are full-time experts who are well-trained in cuisine and restaurants. Each year, they perform hundreds of meals at various types, from street food restaurants to high-end restaurants. A restaurant can be visited by multiple appraisers at different times to ensure that the evaluation results do not depend on a single experience.
Mr. Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of Michelin Guide, once said that the organization's goal is to ensure consistency in global assessments. Accordingly, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Vietnam must meet standards equivalent to restaurants honored in Tokyo, Paris or New York.
The evaluation is based on five core criteria including ingredients quality, cooking technique mastery, flavor harmony, chef personality expressed through the dish and consistency over time.
Notably, Michelin is not only looking for expensive dishes or rare ingredients. An affordable restaurant can still be appreciated if it uses quality ingredients and creates dishes with convincing flavors. This is also why many street food restaurants are still present in Michelin Guide categories.
The ability to master cooking techniques is also an important factor. According to Michelin, a successful dish depends not only on the ingredients but also on how the chef processes the ingredients, balances the flavor and creates a complete experience for diners.
In addition, Michelin pays special attention to the personality of the chef. This is the factor that explains why restaurants with their own styles or creative approaches often receive attention from appraisers. For Michelin, a dish not only needs to be delicious but also needs to express the story, identity and mark of its creator.
Another criterion that is rarely mentioned in debates is consistency. According to Michelin, a delicious dish on a visit is not enough to ensure the restaurant is recognized. It is important that that quality is maintained consistently over time and throughout the menu.
From this perspective, it is not too surprising that a restaurant that is honored by Michelin still receives mixed feedback from diners. A diner may not like the flavor of the dish or feel that the price is not commensurate with their expectations. Meanwhile, Michelin evaluates the restaurant based on a broader system of criteria, including processing techniques, consistency, uniqueness and overall quality.
Thus, while diners evaluate by taste, emotion and personal experience, Michelin seeks standards that can be applied globally. The gap between these two perspectives is probably also the reason why every Michelin Guide season announces a new list that continues to become a topic of wide discussion.
