“One of my favourite fruits is mango, but because they are so abundant in Vietnam, I used to take them for granted until we started to grow mango trees at Nén Farm," said Summer Le on stage at the 2024 MICHELIN Guide Ceremony held in Ho Chi Minh City, where she made history by leading the country's first-ever MICHELIN Green Star. "I started to experience how difficult it is to yield a perfectly ripe mango. I think that’s the beauty of green agriculture and sustainability. It teaches us to appreciate the ingredients that we get to cook with.”
Founded in 2017, Nén Danang has emerged as a leading innovator in modern Vietnamese fine dining. Nén introduces the true essence of Vietnamese flavours, offering a culinary experience that is both authentic and innovative. By telling stories through food and using 99% hyper-local ingredients sourced from across Vietnam and its own farms, Nén Danang has become Vietnam’s first MICHELIN Green Star recipient in the MICHELIN Guide Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang 2024 edition.
We chat with Le, the chef and co-founder of Nén Danang on the restaurant’s fruitful journey.
Chef Summer Le, the chef and co-founder of Nén Danang. (© MICHELIN Guide Vietnam, Nén Danang)
What inspired you to pursue sustainability as a core value for Nén Danang?
“I studied abroad for many years in Japan, a country with a rich, profound, and sustainable culture, which is reflected in its cuisine. Observing and experiencing Japanese culture, I realised that Vietnamese culture and cuisine are also substantial and full of sustainable elements. So, why not tell that story through my culinary creations? When we opened Nén Danang in 2017, we decided to use natural, familiar, and local Vietnamese ingredients for my menu. These are ingredients I've been familiar with since childhood, ingrained in my DNA.“I believe that sustainable living is in the blood of Vietnamese people; it's just a matter of whether each person recognises and embraces that lifestyle. My grandparents, like many others from ancient times, always lived sustainably, economically, and in harmony with nature. Honestly, when I first started, I didn't think about concepts like green or sustainable cuisine. I was simply following the path I wanted to pursue.”
Have you faced any challenges from customers regarding your sustainability efforts? How did you overcome them?
“We always accept feedback and even pushback from diners with an open mind. Some people have questioned why Nén grows its own ingredients instead of using readily available or imported ones. Others said that fine dining should be sophisticated and lavish, and that local produce and simple ingredients do not meet those standards. For Nén, it's not just about the food – it's about seeing the stories behind it. We will dedicate time and enthusiasm to delivering our message.”
Nén Farm in Da Nang and Chef Summer Le. (© Nén Danang, Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam)
How do you balance creativity and sustainability when designing your menus?
“I am always eager to explore and research pure Vietnamese ingredients and local produce, transforming them into more interesting dishes and culinary stories for both foreign and Vietnamese diners. With a farm right in front of the restaurant, we can organically cultivate fresh herbs and greens while researching rare hyper-local ingredients. Beyond the simple and familiar ingredients found in everyday meals, I seek out unique ingredients that excite me. On my journey, I have discovered and utilised ingredients whose stories were less well known, such as banana rhizome—a component unfamiliar even to many Vietnamese people, let alone foreigners.What does this award mean to you?
“Receiving the MICHELIN Green Star was a complete surprise. Naturally, I am very happy and proud. The path of sustainable cuisine in Vietnam is still very new and full of challenges, but this star will motivate me and the Nén team to flourish in our journey of creating sustainable cuisine in the future.”“That’s the beauty of green agriculture and sustainability. It teaches us to appreciate the ingredients that we get to cook with.”
The core members of Nén. (© Nén Danang)
How do you incorporate Vietnamese traditions and culture into Nén's dishes while telling the stories of Vietnam through food?
“First, Nén aims to tell the story of the ingredients. When raw ingredients and local produce are planted, they represent the land, lifestyle, and people who grow them. Next, Nén combines local ingredients and produce in a harmonious way to tell the story of Vietnamese culture through culinary creations. For example, Poonah paper is a unique Vietnamese type of paper specialised for traditional Dong Ho folk paintings. At Nén, we have researched how to grow large and thick Malabar spinach leaves to prepare edible poonah papers.“I think that sometimes inspiration finds its way into my creations through the simple moments of everyday life. In our dessert menu, we feature two ice cream dishes inspired by Da Nang's sky—the night sky and the daytime sky. The daytime sky is clear and sunny, while the night sky is velvety and romantic. I believe that anything presented as a story reaches people's hearts with ease, and food that tells stories will make the dining experience more delectable and mesmerising.”
Chef Le's creative creation. (© Nén Danang)
What’s next for sustainable dining in Vietnam, in your opinion?
"Since COVID-19, the world has woken up to appreciate the value of sustainable cuisine, making it more well-known and popular. I believe more chefs and restaurants will embrace local ingredients and produce in their creations.“The MICHELIN Green Star helps Nén and me reach more people interested in sustainable cuisine. However, regardless of this award, Nén must continue on its unique path, as that is our long-term mission. For me, everything you do must be authentic. Don't follow trends or copy others. True sustainability must come from within; you must feel it, like it, and have a passion for it, allowing it to endure over time.
“Now, with the Green Star, I am more confident in telling Vietnam's stories to diners through our ingredients and culinary creations, helping them see the cultural depth of our country. We hope this will also motivate local farmers to have more confidence in their profession in the long run.”
READ FURTHER: What Is the MICHELIN Green Star?
Illustration image: © Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam
Illustration image: © Mervin Lee/ MICHELIN Guide Vietnam
