The Who’s Who Of Vietnam Food & Beverage Conference 2023 In HCMC: Keynote Speakers And Panelists

The Vietnam Food & Beverage Conference is one of the main events of the annual Flavors Vietnam program. Vietcetera, along with title sponsor Mastercard, has created a grand platform for Vietnam’s F&B industry legacies and emerging names to come together and share their perspectives on the past, present, and future of a fast-changing industry.

There’s no wonder that every year, the conference never fails to fill up the big venues — everyone has stories to tell, and everyone wants to learn.

We’ve just successfully held the conference at the Novotel Hanoi Thai Ha in Hanoi on 10 March.

This Friday, 17 March, we welcome industry icons and experts at The Global City in Ho Chi Minh City for the second leg of the Vietnam Food & Beverage Conference 2023.

You can still purchase tickets to the conference here.

Check out who’s coming!

Duc Bui & Khanh Ngoc — FPDB Creative

Food photography is an art not everyone can master. It requires intensive attention to detail, the proper lighting, and a truly talented team to pull off those perfect food visuals. This is why FPDB is the top F&B brands’ preferred creative studio for their culinary campaigns and visual branding.

Joining the conference in HCMC are the bright minds behind FPDB Creative — Duc Bui and Khanh Ngoc. The couple built the agency in 2020 and quickly built an ecosystem of three creative brands with the goal of contributing to the development of Vietnam's F&B visual and creative industry, FPDB Creative, FPDB Academy, and Studio De Egg.

Duc Bui and Khanh Ngoc will share their perspectives on the significance of effective marketing strategies, especially visual branding, and the influence of social media on the industry as a whole. From finding the harmony between aesthetics and practical concepts in photography to giving the secret recipe for compelling F&B marketing, this duo has several beans to spill.

Andrea Barbi Actis — Meliá Hotels International

How do restaurants within hotels create priceless dining moments? How can they take advantage of their home hotel’s already-established prominence?

Andrea Barbi Actis, Head of Marketing for APAC, Middle East & Africa at the Meliá Hotels International, will be giving a comprehensive talk about elevating culinary and drinking experiences through hospitality F&B.

Andrea has been with Meliá since 2017, heading the marketing teams in Shanghai City, China, before coming to Ho Chi Minh City in May 2021. As an experienced marketing professional, Andrea will share insights on how hotels and the F&B establishments within them can work together to showcase the best of contemporary Vietnamese cuisine and mixology.

Jinwoo Song — BAEMIN Vietnam CEO

Food delivery services have been around for some time already, but it was during the pandemic lockdowns that they became a practical necessity. Platforms like BAEMIN, a South Korean food-tech company, have seen their revenue and reach increase as more people recognize the convenience they bring.

Jinwoo Song, CEO of BAEMIN Vietnam, will share how a South Korean brand has successfully entered the competitive Vietnamese food delivery consumer market and how they’re incorporating local touch into their services.

Joining Song Jinwoo are Jin Lee from Oda and food YouTuber Culinary Frank to discuss the evolving procurement process for F&B businesses in the country and the emergence of digital platforms to connect farmers, suppliers, and merchants in one unified ecosystem.

Pedro Goizueta — Iberico - Tapas & Vino

We’ve seen popular street food banh mi and pho transformed into opulent culinary masterpieces by renowned chefs. But would it be possible to make luxury fine-dining offerings more accessible to the masses?

Spanish-born Chef Pedro Goizueta will explore the idea of bridging the gap between street food and fine dining markets — or if it’s even possible to do so — and how he, a foreign chef, makes sure there’s Vietnamese touch to the dishes he creates at Iberico.

Equally talented Chef Julien Perraudin of Quince, who’s also been part of Flavors Vietnam for years, will provide a more in-depth take on the luxury dining market and its impact on international tourism.

Vu Ngoc — Enigma/ASMR

Bien Ngoc Vu — commonly known in the bartending establishment as Vu Ngoc — has built a name for himself with his eye for innovation and unceasing dedication to the bartending industry. He won Bartender of the Year at the Vietnam Restaurant & Bar Awards 2022, a well-deserved feat recognizing his contributions to shining light on Vietnam’s drinking culture and nightlife scene.

Vu Ngoc will be sharing his stories, modern mixology techniques, and his viewpoint on how nightlife can become the next focus of the tourism industry. He will be answering questions about the new trends in the bar industry and what to look forward to from Enigma and ASMR.

To complete the panel on the nightlife topic, Lam Duc Anh from Diageo Vietnam and Le Nguyet Anh from Lighthouse Group Indochina will be talking about giving premium experiences through spirits and the changing preferences within the beer market, respectively.

Other big names to look out for are Timen Swijtink of Lacàph to discuss the great potential of the coffee industry, Chef Hoang Tung for a fireside chat on the arrival of the Michelin Guide in Vietnam, Maison Marou’s Vincent Mourou on the growing chocolate market, Tram Anh from Ly Gia Vien, Valentin Tran of Andros Asia and Le Tran Thien Hanh from the Monkey Gallery to dig deeper into the pastry and baking industry.

We also have Taku Tanaka from Kamereo to discuss the changing landscape of B2b supplies in the restaurant and bar industry, and Pizza 4P’s Ron Fernandez and Thu Vuong on the crucial role of sustainability in the future of F&B.

Vietnam Food & Beverage Conference 2023 - Ho Chi Minh City

Date: 17 March 2023
Time: 9:00 - 16:10
Venue: The Global City, An Phu Ward, Thu Duc City, HCMC

Designed and developed by the world’s leading architectural firm - Foster + Partners, the Global City is the first residential township in Vietnam. With a total scale of 117 hectares, The Global City offers a modern water music area leading in Southeast Asia and the largest Sales Gallery cum Lifestyle hub in Vietnam. This new urban township promises to become the new “downtown” of Ho Chi Minh City - a vibrant destination for bustling activities like the Water Music Festival, Luxury Countdown Party, Elle Fashion Show and other lifestyle, sports, and F&B events to attract domestic and foreign tourists.