Vietnam Airlines is serving a special lotus-themed menu, “Chạm Sen” (“Touching the Lotus”), in business class to coincide with the 2026 lotus season. Everything from salad to soup, main course, and tea uses lotus, and the menu was supervised by Mai Thị Trà, a 92-year-old researcher of imperial cuisine born in Hue in 1934. For over half a century she has documented the imperial cuisine of the Nguyen dynasty and Buddhist vegetarian cooking. Why lotus, and why Hue? And where, on an actual trip to Vietnam, can you experience the flavors you met on this in-flight meal? We dig in from a traveler's point of view.
Vietnam Airlines takes an all-lotus in-flight meal into the sky
Vietnam Airlines' “Chạm Sen,” running in 2026, is more than just an in-flight menu. Built around the business-class lotus menu, it is a cultural program that uses lotus as a common language, bringing together lotus-themed drinks, a “Chạm Sen” art space in the airport Lotus Lounge, and even a cabin scent called “Nhã.”
The in-flight lineup includes a salad of lotus buds from Hanoi's West Lake (Ho Tay), a soup of pork spare ribs and lotus root, chicken thigh wrapped in glutinous rice and lotus seeds, and lotus tea to finish. The menu scatters nearly every part of the plant—seeds, buds, root, and heart—across the dishes one by one. Trà, who supervised it, describes the effort as “a bold step toward retelling the story of heritage in the language of cuisine.”
The supervisor has carried imperial cuisine forward as a living record
Mai Thị Trà was born into a family descended from a consort of Emperor Duy Tan of the Nguyen dynasty. After graduating from Hue Normal University, she taught Vietnamese language and home economics (including cooking and other life skills) at schools such as Dong Khanh Girls' School. She did not learn cooking at school but absorbed it at home as inherited family craft. To set those memories down in writing, she compiled “Végétariens à la mode de Huế (Hue-style vegetarian cuisine)” in both Vietnamese and French, as well as “Vegetarian Cuisine of the Hue Court.” In early 2026, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association also conferred on her the title of “National Artisan of Vietnamese Culinary Culture.”
At the core of Hue cuisine, as Trà describes it, is the idea of “never letting any one flavor stand out, but harmonizing sour, spicy, salty, and sweet with care.” Lotus is an ingredient that embodies that philosophy: a single plant holds several textures and aromas, from the faintly bitter heart to the soft lotus seed and the crisp lotus root. For recreating complex layers of flavor in the limited galley of an aircraft, few subjects are as convenient as lotus.
Why “lotus” was chosen for the in-flight meal
Lotus suits a flight for reasons beyond cultural symbolism. Parts like the seeds, root, and heart spoil less easily over time than leafy vegetables and hold their texture and aroma even after cooking. For an in-flight meal that must maintain consistent quality over a long flight, that is a practical advantage. What's intriguing is how lotus as a symbol—Vietnam's national flower, tied to Buddhist culture—happens to align neatly with the real-world benefit of keeping quality.
| Lotus part | How it is used on the menu | Flavor and texture |
|---|---|---|
| Lotus bud | West Lake lotus-bud salad | Refreshing aroma, tender bite |
| Lotus root | Pork spare-rib soup | Between crisp and fluffy |
| Lotus seed | Chicken thigh in glutinous rice | Soft and fluffy, faintly sweet |
| Lotus heart and flower | Lotus tea and drinks | Light bitterness and floral aroma |
How locals and the industry see it
Among Vietnam's aviation and tourism professionals, some praise the project as “an experience where the story begins before you arrive.” Touching lotus cuisine in flight, breathing in its scent, and viewing art in the lounge—the whole sequence builds anticipation for Vietnam as a destination while you're still in the air.
For overseas Vietnamese (Việt Kiều), it carries a different meaning. Trà herself says the menu plays a dual role: “introducing Vietnamese culture to foreign passengers while awakening memories of home for compatriots returning to Vietnam.” Lotus-seed porridge and lotus tea are, for many Vietnamese, the taste of a grandmother's or mother's kitchen, and bringing that into the businesslike setting of an in-flight meal is itself a device that tugs at the emotions.
From the world of culinary research comes the view that the involvement of a 92-year-old active supervisor carries weight in itself. Someone who has spent her life passing recipes down orally to younger generations and chefs is now taking part in the stage of in-flight catering, which assumes mass production and standardization. It is drawing attention as a case study in reconciling the transmission of tradition with commercial operations.
What it suggests for Japanese travelers and food-culture lovers
What makes this news interesting is that it's open even to people who don't fly Vietnam Airlines. The in-flight meal is just an entry point; the real substance is “Hue's imperial cuisine and lotus cooking,” a cultural resource you can experience on the ground. If you travel from Japan to central Vietnam, you can enjoy verifying the identity of the lotus dishes you ate in flight against the real thing in Hue.
The ancient capital of Hue, also called “the Kyoto of Vietnam,” preserves the Nguyen dynasty's royal palace and imperial tombs as World Heritage sites. Several restaurants in the city recreate imperial cuisine, and “cơm sen,” lotus-seed rice steamed wrapped in a lotus leaf, is a classic dish. You can savor the appetizers and soups you meet on the in-flight meal in their full context—of the cuisine they grew from, the vessels, the plating, and the history. For how to explore the old capital of Hue,an article summarizing the highlights of the Hue Imperial Citadelis a useful reference.
If you're looking for travel experiences with lotus itself as the star,an article introducing the evening performances held at the lotus ponds of Hueis worth reading too, and together they reveal just how deep the bond is between Hue and lotus. Lotus is a cross-cutting motif that appears in southern in-flight menus and northern culture alike; for how to enjoy it on the Hanoi side,the article on Hanoi's lotus festivalalso covers it.
The flow of Vietnam tourism with food as the gateway
An airline foregrounding its homeland's food fits the broader direction of Vietnam tourism. Alongside World Heritage townscapes and seaside resorts, a growing segment makes “experiencing the local food” the main purpose of a trip, and the in-flight meal works as the gateway. Connect Hue's imperial cuisine, the lotus culture of the north, and local food everywhere, and Vietnam becomes a country you can enjoy traversing through food.
Practical information and related links
Hue is about a 2–3 hour drive from Da Nang International Airport. A common itinerary is a day trip from Da Nang combining the royal palace, imperial tombs, and Thien Mu Pagoda with imperial cuisine. It's also an easy area to build a half-day plan staying in Hue alone—touring the palace, then savoring lotus dishes at an imperial-cuisine restaurant. Plan your trip around the lotus season (roughly early summer) and you'll have a better chance of encountering dishes made with fresh lotus and lotus tea.
Summary
The all-lotus in-flight meal supervised by a 92-year-old imperial chef is an invitation to the destination of Hue, even for those who don't fly Vietnam Airlines business class. If you have a trip to central Vietnam coming up, extend from Da Nang to Hue, and after seeing the royal palace, try ordering lotus-seed rice and soup at an imperial-cuisine restaurant. You'll notice that behind the single dish you taste in flight stretches the food culture of an ancient capital, documented over half a century. Timing your itinerary to the lotus season is the most luxurious way to verify it for yourself.
