Tran Thanh Duc

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Restaurant: Mango Rooms, Mango Mango

Location: Hoi An, Vietnam

Signature Dish: Dancing Phoenix

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The Vietnamese town of Hoi An is seeing something of a culinary resurgence. Vietnam, like other former French territories, has seen a colonial legacy result in pate-and-bread becoming standard breakfast fare. An impressive number of moderately priced and decent French restaurants have also emerged there. But Ho Chi Minh-native Tran Thanh Duc’s take on fine Vietnamese food goes one better. He learned the ropes of classical Vietnamese from his mother, and then spent many years living and working all around the world.

His winning formula (“nice, clean, and fresh” - in his own words) at his two restaurants, Mango Rooms andMango Mango, is a result of blending the Vietnamese he grew up with, with international ingredients, styles, and a dash of his playful personality. He makes the most out of his adopted home of Hoi An, obtaining the freshest seafood directly from local fishermen and utilising tropical fruit in innovative ways.

Read about other Asia's Top Chefs:

Yoshimi Tanigawa - Tradition and Innovation

Duangporn Songvisava - The Modern Ancients

Alvin Leung - The Demomn Chef