Vietnamese cake artist takes traditional culture to international stage

Nguyen Huu Thien An and his "Hy su hat boi" masterpiece (Photo courtesy of An)

Nguyen Huu Thien An, a 26-year-old pastry chef from Ho Chi Minh City, has transformed Viet Nam’s cultural legacy into stunning fondant creations, winning prestigious awards across Asia.

He began his culinary journey eight years ago at the Saigontourist Hospitality College, where he initially studied hot kitchen techniques. However, it was in the school's pastry workshop where he discovered his true calling, particularly with fondant - a malleable sugar paste used for decorating and sculpting cake designs.

After mastering fondant techniques, he realised that Viet Nam boasts a diverse and rich culture, and wanted to incorporate familiar, beautiful elements into fondant cakes as a modern way to preserve and spread traditional values.

This innovative approach stems from An's deep appreciation for the country's cultural values, childhood memories, and family bonds. Growing up surrounded by stories of Vietnamese customs and traditions, he felt a personal obligation to preserve and promote these treasures. This sense of duty urged him to tackle increasingly complex cake themes for both domestic and international competitions.

One of his most favourable works, the cake titled "Hoi uc” (memories), earned him a silver medal at the 2024 Battle of the Chefs in Malaysia. The piece featured portraits of a grandmother wearing traditional conical leaf hats, crafted from fondant and surrounded by familiar Vietnamese dishes, such as bitter melon soup and braised pork with eggs. The creation powerfully conveyed messages about family meals and the image of Vietnamese motherhood.

"Hoi uc” (memories) earns An a silver medal at the 2024 Battle of the Chefs in Malaysia. (Photo courtesy of An)

Another striking masterpiece featuring banh chung, banh tet, braised pork, mut Tet (Vietnamese sweet dishes served at Lunar New Year), and Dong Ho paintings secured him the championship title at the 2025 Viet Nam Talented Pastry Chef competition, along with two additional awards for Best Showpiece and Best Dessert.

Thien An's most celebrated achievement is his wedding cake "Hy su hat boi” which fuses the Vietnamese wedding theme (hy su) with hat boi - the country's traditional opera. The creation helped him bag a gold medal in the Wedding Cake category at the Hong Kong International Culinary Classic in May - one of Asia's most significant culinary competitions.

An said the cake is a blessing, a promise, a message about love, and also hopes to convey messages about Vietnamese traditional culture and art. With the medal, he contributed to bringing Vietnamese hat boi art to the international stage, inspiring both domestic and international audiences to explore the beauty of Vietnamese traditional culture through a contemporary lens.

His impressive award portfolio also includes the Outstanding Communications Award at the 2023 China Innovation Contest, a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Pastry Young Chefs, and a gold medal for artistic display and a silver medal for the team category at the Asian Pastry Young Chefs contest in China last year.

An has impressive award portfolio. (Photo courtesy of An)

In each of his cakes, An marries traditional culture with modern pastry artistry, ensuring it honours cultural values. He spends extensive time and dedicates passion to crafting stories about Vietnamese cuisine, people, and culture.

Looking ahead, he plans to continue bringing his cakes to international competitions, affirming Vietnamese cultural and culinary values on the world stage. He is also opening fondant cake-making classes to share his passion with a broader audience./.

Source: VNA