Passion, precision and purpose define the Rising Star Chef category at the Gourmet Vietnam Awards 2025. From Saigon’s vibrant kitchens to Phu Quoc’s island shores, these 24 chefs illuminate the evolving story of Vietnamese cuisine with creativity, vision and heart, shaping the nation’s gastronomic future one plate at a time.

Chef Benjamin Werge Jensen’s path was not scripted. Drawn first by curiosity, then by purpose, he journeyed from Nordic kitchens to Vietnam’s mist-covered mountains, where classical technique now meets remote landscapes, local communities, and a growing sense of belonging.