This October, Flavors Conference 2026 returns to Ho Chi Minh City. Over the past year, Vietnam’s F&B market has seen more than 50,000 outlets close while the overall market continued to grow by 5.5%. Against this backdrop, this year’s conference looks at how businesses are responding to changing consumer expectations, operating pressures, and new opportunities for growth.
Here are some of the speakers joining the conversation.
Taking Vietnamese Flavors To the World
Nguyen Trung Dung, Founder, Chairman & CEO, Dh Foods
Nguyen Trung Dung is the founder of Dh Foods, a Vietnamese brand specializing in natural spices, dipping salts, and seasonings inspired by regional flavors. Before founding Dh Foods in late 2012, he spent more than 30 years studying, working, and doing business in Europe, including three entrepreneurial ventures in Poland.
After returning to Vietnam, he held leadership positions at VIFON before starting Dh Foods at the age of 50. At Flavors Conference 2026, he will share his experience of bringing Vietnamese flavors to international markets, from product selection and market adaptation to maintaining a brand’s identity as it expands.
An Le, Vietcetera – Moderator
An Le will moderate the conversation with Nguyen Trung Dung on what it takes for a Vietnamese food brand to enter and grow in international markets.
What Will Vietnam Crave Next?
Dang Thuy Ha, Senior Director, NielsenIQ Vietnam
Dang Thuy Ha has more than 20 years of experience in market intelligence, consumer insights, and customer experience. She has worked with local and international companies on growth, brand development, and customer-focused business strategies.
At the conference, she will look at how F&B consumption in Vietnam is changing and what these shifts could mean for businesses in the coming years.
Elevating Vietnamese Agricultural Products
Luu Thai Quang Khai, Co-founder & CBO, Ong Ba Macadamia
Luu Thai Quang Khai is Co-founder and Chief Business Officer of Maca Dai Viet, a company focused on increasing the value of Vietnamese macadamia products and bringing them to international markets.
His work combines business development, sustainable agriculture, technology, and branding, with a focus on connecting agricultural production with more sustainable business models.
Cat-Thao Nguyen, Founder & Rice Farmer, Earth Water Farms
Before returning to farming, Cat-Thao Nguyen worked as a corporate lawyer, investment executive, and leadership coach. She later returned to her family’s land in Tay Ninh as its sixth-generation steward.
Today, she is the founder of Earth Water Farms, where she grows rice without pesticides and explores the relationship between farming, land, heritage, and memory.
Nguyen Ngoc Diep, Co-founder & CEO, Alluvia Chocolate
Nguyen Ngoc Diep is the Co-founder and CEO of Alluvia Chocolate. Building on her family’s cacao-growing background in the Mekong Delta, she has developed Alluvia around a farm-to-bar model connecting local cacao production with chocolate making and brand development.
Alluvia now has more than 30 stores in Vietnam and exports to markets including Japan, Taiwan, and Singapore.
Pizza 4P’s Expansion: Staying True To Our Roots While Adapting To New Markets and Challenges
Kazuya Kubota, Global Business Development Director, Pizza 4P’s
Kazuya Kubota works on Pizza 4P’s international expansion across markets including Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, and the United States. His work focuses on developing the brand in new markets while considering how the Pizza 4P’s experience can adapt to different cultural and business contexts.
Elsa Lambinet, Creative Director, Pizza 4P’s
Elsa Lambinet joined Pizza 4P’s in early 2025 after more than a decade working in creative roles across Europe and Asia. She now leads a multidisciplinary creative team, working across restaurant concepts, menus, spaces, service, and storytelling to maintain a consistent brand experience.
Thu Vuong, Sustainability Manager, Pizza 4P’s
Thu Vuong has worked across the food production value chain, quality control, and trade in Australia and Vietnam. At Pizza 4P’s, her work focuses on sustainability, including areas such as materials, biodiversity, food miles, and circularity.
The Picky Consumer
Le Ngoc Quynh, CEO, Tinh Hoa Am Thuc
Le Ngoc Quynh has 10 years of experience in the culinary industry, with a focus on F&B strategy and product development. Alongside consulting, she has operated restaurants, a bar, and catering businesses, giving her experience across both strategy and day-to-day operations.
Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Founder, One River – Lower Mekong Cuisine
Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh began working in F&B in Ho Chi Minh City in 2002 and later founded Wrap&Roll, which she developed over 12 years as a restaurant chain with international franchises. After spending several years researching the Mekong region and its ingredients, she founded One River in 2025, drawing on the culinary traditions of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
Quan Nguyen, Head of Consumer Packaged Goods, TikTok Food Vertical
Quan Nguyen leads Consumer Packaged Goods, including F&B, at TikTok. At the conference, he will bring the perspective of a content and commerce platform to the discussion of how diners discover brands, make choices, and form expectations across different touchpoints.
Chu Hong Minh, President, Vietnam Restaurant Association – Moderator
Chu Hong Minh will moderate the session, bringing together perspectives from F&B operations, concept development, and digital platforms to discuss changing consumer expectations.
The Rise, the Fall And The Next Concept
Tina Trang Pham, Director & Co-founder, La Villa French Restaurant
After studying tourism in Singapore and working in travel and hospitality, Tina Trang Pham co-founded La Villa French Restaurant with her husband, Chef Thierry Mounon, in 2011.
Over the past 15 years, she has worked across operations, sales, marketing, media, and communications, giving her firsthand experience of how a restaurant changes over time while maintaining its identity.
Nguyen Ha Linh, Co-founder & CMO, Koh Yam and HAOLA
Nguyen Ha Linh has more than a decade of entrepreneurial experience across F&B, education, and community building.
She is Co-founder and CMO of Koh Yam, which has 12 locations across Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, and HAOLA, which has two locations. Both businesses have grown without external investment.
Hoang Oanh, Founder & CEO, OM Nuong
Hoang Oanh entered the F&B industry in 2019 and learned the business through sourcing, supplier relationships, and restaurant operations. At OM Nuong, she works with local ingredients, regional flavors, traditional architecture, and contemporary dining to explore different aspects of Vietnamese food culture.
From Flavor to Story
Nguyen Thuy Phuong Anh, Business & Partnership Director, The Lab & Bakes
Nguyen Thuy Phuong Anh has spent 10 years at The Lab, working across F&B branding, spatial design, and concept development.
She has contributed to projects including Anan Saigon, Madam Kew, Racha Room, Zion Sky Lounge, Blank Sky Lounge, Yeshi Kitchen, and De La Sól. She is currently part of the leadership team at The Lab Concepts and works on Bakes’ expansion, B2B, and online channels.
Ly Thanh Y, Content Creator
Ly Thanh Y is an independent food and hospitality content creator who approaches the industry from a customer’s perspective.
She does not accept paid bookings or collaborations from restaurants and hotels, instead focusing on firsthand experiences and the people and stories behind them.
Bui Manh Duc, CEO & Creative Director, FPDB Creative
Bui Manh Duc has more than 11 years of experience in visual branding and art direction. His work includes projects for Pizza Hut, Sheraton Grand Opera Saigon, Akuna, Tales by Chapter, La Maison 1888, and Chapter Dining.
His approach, summarized as “Get it right before making it beautiful,” treats visual identity as part of how a brand communicates and builds recognition over time.
What Makes Quality Worth Paying For?
Nguyen Thu Hoai, Founder & CEO, Nuong Bac
Nguyen Thu Hoai works with traditional Vietnamese food products, looking at how they can be preserved while adapting to contemporary consumers.
At Nuong Bac, she began with banh chung and a partnership with the traditional banh chung-making village of Bo Dau, focusing on ingredient transparency, standardized production, and presentation.
Tran Thi Khanh Nhien (Kay Cee), VP of Marketing, Yuzu Omakase – HAN Group
Kay Cee has 10 years of experience in branding across retail, F&B, hospitality, and nightlife.
She has worked with more than 20 brands, including Yuzu Omakase, ZION Sky Lounge, Atmos Club, Loco Complex, Zumwhere, and Qui Lounge, with a focus on how product quality and customer experience translate into brand value.
Fusion & “Con-fusion”
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin, Chef & Owner, Anan Saigon
Chef Peter Cuong Franklin is the chef and owner of Anan Saigon, where he combines contemporary culinary techniques with Vietnamese ingredients and familiar dishes.
His cooking often revisits street-food staples such as banh xeo and banh mi through a contemporary approach while maintaining a connection to Vietnamese culinary traditions.
Chef Alain Pham, Co-founder & Head Chef, Aiii House Saigon
Of Vietnamese-French heritage, Alain Pham trained at Le Cordon Bleu Paris and completed a Master’s in Culinary Arts at École Ducasse Paris.
After working in Europe, he returned to Vietnam and co-founded Aiii House Saigon, where he combines French techniques with Vietnamese ingredients and cultural references.
Hao Tran, CEO, Vietcetera – Moderator
Hao Tran will moderate the discussion on how chefs approach experimentation while maintaining a connection to culinary identity and tradition.
Money For The Rest of Us
Giovanni Zangani, Founder & Managing Partner, Maestro Equity Partners
Giovanni Zangani is the Founder and Managing Partner of Maestro Equity Partners, a private equity firm focused on consumer businesses in Vietnam, including F&B.
Its portfolio includes Milano Coffee, with approximately 1,600 locations, Sasin, and other F&B businesses. Giovanni works with founders on growth strategy, governance, finance, and operations.
Taku Tanaka, Founder & CEO, Kamereo
Before founding Kamereo, Taku Tanaka worked at Credit Suisse and later served as COO of Pizza 4P’s. During his three years there, he was part of the company’s growth from one to 10 locations in Vietnam.
His experience with ingredient sourcing and restaurant operations later led him to establish Kamereo in 2018, a technology-enabled platform focused on the food supply chain.
Do Hanh, Co-founder & CEO, BUYO Solutions
Do Hanh is the Co-founder and CEO of BUYO Solutions, which develops technologies that turn organic waste into biodegradable, bio-based materials.
Before BUYO, she held roles at Esquel Group, Viet Capital Asset Management, and USAID Vietnam, with experience across strategy, finance, and business development.
Vien Dong, Founder & CEO, SOL
Vien Dong joins the session from the perspective of a founder building and operating a business.
The discussion will look at when businesses need external capital, how funding relates to growth, and some of the considerations that come with bringing outside investors into a company.
Hao Tran, CEO, Vietcetera – Moderator
Hao Tran will moderate the discussion on fundraising and growth for small and mid-sized F&B businesses.
Flavors Vietnam 2026 is Vietcetera’s annual F&B platform dedicated to the people, ideas, and experiences shaping Vietnam’s food and drink culture.Under the theme “Thời Vị – The Flavors of Our Time,” the program brings together a series of activities designed to connect the F&B community, celebrate meaningful contributions, inspire new ideas, and contribute to the future of Vietnam’s F&B culture.As part of Flavors Vietnam 2026, Flavors Conference 2026 will bring together founders, operators, chefs, brands, investors, and industry experts to explore three shifts shaping Vietnam’s F&B industry: The Changing Palate, The Changing Diner, and The Changing Playing Field.Time: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM, October 10, 2026Venue: Le Méridien Saigon, 3C Ton Duc Thang Street, Ho Chi Minh CitySpecial thanks to the sponsors and partners of Flavors Conference 2026: Gold Sponsor: Royal Arctika; Bronze Sponsor: SpeedPOS; Venue Sponsor: Le Méridien Saigon.To learn more about Flavors Conference 2026 and register for the event, please visit the official event website.