Viet Nam is known around the world for its pepper. But beyond pepper lies an extraordinary landscape of spices, herbs, aromatics and flavours shaped by Vietnam's diverse climate, fertile soils, regional cuisines and generations of farming traditions.
From the bold intensity of black and white pepper, the sweetness and warmth of cassia and cinnamon, and the unmistakable fragrance of star anise, to chilli, ginger, turmeric, cardamom, galangal, lemongrass, garlic, shallots and spring onions, Vietnam offers an exceptional spectrum of natural flavours.
And the story goes much further.
Vietnamese cuisine draws its unique freshness and character from an extraordinary variety of herbs and aromatics rau răm (Vietnamese coriander), ngò gai (culantro), tía tô (perilla), kinh giới (Vietnamese balm), diếp cá (fish mint), lá lốt (wild betel leaf), húng quế (Vietnamese basil), húng lủi (mint), rau om (rice paddy herb), lá é (green basil), pandan and lime.
Travel into Vietnam's northern highlands and another flavour heritage emerges through distinctive regional ingredients such as hạt màng tang (wild forest pepper), mắc khén (sichuan pepper), hạt dổi (Doi seed - "Black Gold" of the Forest), and mắc mật (Mountain Wampee) flavours intimately connected with local communities, cuisines and traditions.
Together, they tell a much bigger story.
The story of Vietnam as an origin of flavour.
The Viet Nam International Pepper and Spice Outlook VIPO 2027 brings together growers, processors, exporters, international buyers, food manufacturers, retailers, and industry partners to celebrate this diversity while exploring the opportunities and challenges shaping the industry's future. Crucially, VIPO 2027 opens an unprecedented gateway for global researchers, flavor scientists, and food technologists to discover Vietnam’s hidden botanical treasures offering a fertile ground to explore lesser-known aromatics, decode novel flavor compounds, and pioneer next-generation food formulations, functional ingredients, and culinary recipes.
As global consumers increasingly seek authenticity, traceability, sustainability, food safety, and distinctive natural profiles, Vietnam has an opportunity to move beyond being recognised primarily for production volume and become a premier destination for flavor innovation, diversity, quality, value addition, and origin identity. For R&D teams and culinary innovators worldwide, the untapped palette of Vietnamese spices and herbs represents an exciting new frontier to create differentiated products that captivate the evolving global palate.
From farms and forests to processors and exporters; from traditional Vietnamese kitchens to food manufacturers and consumers around the world every spice and herb carries a part of Vietnam with it.
