On the morning of March 22, 2026, at the campus courtyard of 140 Lê Trọng Tấn, Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade successfully organized the 2026 “Happy Kitchen” Competition in a lively, warm, and meaningful atmosphere. The program served as an occasion for trade union members and employees across the University to interact, strengthen solidarity, and spread the beautiful values of the Vietnamese family in modern life.

This year’s competition attracted 31 teams, 155 members, and hundreds of supporters from 34 trade union groups throughout the University. The teams competed in cooking, flower arrangement, and decoration, presenting performances that were carefully invested in and polished in terms of both professional quality and aesthetics. More than just demonstrating skill and creativity, each team also conveyed meaningful messages of sharing, love, and the preservation of family happiness through every dish and every display space.

Representing the upper-level trade union, the program was honored to welcome Ms. Mai Ngọc Thuần, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor and Deputy Head of Working Group No. 2 for Area Management. On the University’s side, attendees included Meritorious Teacher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Hoàn, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the University; Dr. Phan Xuân Cường, Party Committee Secretary; Mr. Bùi Chí Hiếu, Party Committee Member and Deputy Head of the Committee for the Advancement of Women of the University; Ms. Nguyễn Thị Anh Thư, Chairwoman of the University Trade Union; along with Executive Committee members of the University Trade Union and key staff members from the University’s 34 affiliated units.

Speaking at the program, Meritorious Teacher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Hoàn, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the University, acknowledged and highly appreciated the active and responsible participation of trade union members and employees. He emphasized that the competition was not only a practical cultural and spiritual activity, but also helped strengthen the bonds among units and build a humane, united, and distinctive working environment within the University.

Meritorious Teacher, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyễn Xuân Hoàn, Secretary of the Party Committee and President of the University, delivers remarks

Attending and engaging with the University’s union officials and members, Ms. Mai Ngọc Thuần, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor and Deputy Head of Working Group No. 2 for Area Management, highly valued the care and attention given by the Trade Union of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade to the spiritual well-being of its members and employees. She also praised the creative and approachable way in which the activity was organized, closely linked to family values and the fine traditions of the trade union organization. She further expressed her hope that meaningful activities such as the “Happy Kitchen” Competition would continue to be maintained and promoted as a highlight of the unit’s trade union movement, thereby contributing to the building of an increasingly united, strong, and sustainably developing collective.

Ms. Mai Ngọc Thuần, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor and Deputy Head of Working Group No. 2 for Area Management, delivers congratulatory remarks

A notable highlight of this year’s competition was the presence of the judging panel, consisting of prestigious culinary experts with extensive experience and deep expertise in the culinary field. The judges included Ms. Lê Thị Kiều Oanh, Vice President of the Saigon Professional Chefs Association; Mr. Nguyễn Lâm Khang, Executive Chef of Sunwah Town Group; and Ms. Hồ Đắc Thiếu Anh, Artisan of Vietnamese Culinary Culture. With their solid professional knowledge and rich practical perspectives, the judging panel helped ensure fairness and quality in the competition, while also providing profound and professionally valuable comments that inspired the teams to continue innovating and elevating the culinary arts.

University leaders present flowers in appreciation to the members of the judging panel

At the end of the program, the Organizing Committee presented awards to the most outstanding teams. These awards not only honored creative and high-quality dishes, but also recognized the vibrant competitive spirit and profound family values that each team brought to the competition. Specifically:

First Prize: Faculty of Food Technology

Second Prize: Faculty of Tourism and Culinary Arts; Office of Organization and Administration

Third Prize: Faculty of Business Administration and Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering; Faculty of Biology and Environment

Encouragement Prize: Center for General Education; International Analysis Center; Faculty of Finance and Accounting; Office of Facilities and Equipment Management; Faculty of Chemical Technology

Movement Prize: Office of Academic Affairs; Faculty of Economics and Industrial Management; Faculty of Information Technology; Office of Student Affairs; Office of Science and Technology and the Admissions and Communications Center

Faculty of Food Technology team (First Prize)

Faculty of Tourism and Culinary Arts team (Second Prize)

Office of Organization and Administration team (Second Prize)

Faculty of Business Administration and Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship team (Third Prize)

Faculty of Biology and Environment team (Third Prize)

Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering team (Third Prize)

The 2026 “Happy Kitchen” Competition organized by the Trade Union of Ho Chi Minh City University of Industry and Trade was not merely a cooking contest, but also an occasion for people to share, connect, and spread the values of family happiness. “Happy Kitchen” truly became a meaningful event, evoking pride in Vietnamese women and affirming their important role in the development of society.

The program concluded in a warm, joyful, and emotional atmosphere, leaving deep impressions of a meaningful platform that not only honored talent, but also reaffirmed the importance of family in modern life.

Some images from the program:

Dr. Phan Xuân Cường, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, and Ms. Mai Ngọc Thuần, Member of the Executive Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Federation of Labor, present the First Prize to the Faculty of Food Technology

Judge Hồ Đắc Thiếu Anh and judge Lê Thị Kiều Oanh present the Second Prize to the Faculty of Tourism and Culinary Arts and the Office of Organization and Administration

Ms. Nguyễn Thị Anh Thư, M.A., Chairwoman of the University Trade Union, and judge Nguyễn Lâm Khang present the Third Prize to the Faculty of Business Administration and the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Faculty of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, and the Faculty of Biology and Environment

Mr. Nguyễn Văn Dung, M.A., Vice Chairman of the University Trade Union, and judge Phan Thúy Oanh present the Encouragement Prize to the Center for General Education, the International Analysis Center, the Faculty of Finance and Accounting, the Office of Facilities and Equipment Management, and the Faculty of Chemical Technology

Judge Đoàn Ngọc Khánh and judge Phạm Văn Huy present the Movement Prize to the awarded teams