JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa opened Marriott International’s 2026 Luxury Dining Series, “Across the Table,” with a six-day program combining Vietnamese cuisine and cultural experiences.

Six chefs, a Bangkok-based mixologist, and local artisans and performers took part in 13 culinary, beverage, and cultural experiences, ranging from a visit to a local fish market to dinners featuring Vietnamese traditional performing arts.

The participating chefs brought together backgrounds ranging from Vietnamese heritage cuisine and sustainable cooking to French fine dining and pastry.

Chef Summer Le is the first chef in Vietnam to receive a Michelin Green Star, an accolade recognizing restaurants at the forefront of sustainable practices. Chef Cuong Nguyen of Anan Saigon has been listed in the Michelin Guide for three consecutive years.

Hanoi culinary artisan Madam Anh Tuyet previously cooked for leaders attending an APEC Summit, while French chef Olivier Elzer, behind the resort’s Pink Pearl restaurant, has worked in Michelin-starred kitchens throughout his 30-year career.

Pastry chef Rémy Gaulé trained at two-Michelin-starred L’Envol before joining The St. Regis Hong Kong.

Chef Nguyen Hai Hung of Sheraton Phu Quoc Long Beach Resort, who has participated in Marriott Bonvoy’s Ngon Series, draws inspiration from Vietnamese family meals to create contemporary interpretations of traditional dishes.

The culinary lineup was joined by mixologist Marco Dongi from Bangkok’s Bar Sathorn, ranked No. 17 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars.

For Chef Nguyen Hai Hung, family memories and local ingredients played a central role in the Vietnamese Heritage Dinner.

“Family meals are such a big part of any childhood, and every dish on tonight’s menu carries that memory from my mother’s kitchen—the banana flower salad, the crab spring rolls, even the wonton, made the way a family would cook them on any ordinary night,” Hung said.

“Cooking them exactly that way is also how we keep the tradition alive, so it doesn’t get lost as things change.”

Hung said Phu Quoc’s pepper and seafood also shaped his approach to cooking during the event.

“Phu Quoc gives me two things I can’t get anywhere else: pepper that’s sharper and more fragrant than anywhere I’ve cooked, and seafood that changes with the tide—crab, squid, shrimp, whatever the boats bring in that morning,” he said.

“Cooking here means the island does half the work for you if you let the ingredients lead.”

Tuyet described Vietnamese cuisine through one of Phu Quoc’s best-known ingredients.

“Vietnam is small, but we’re small like a peppercorn,” she said. “It only takes a little of us to create flavor; guests never forget. That’s what makes Vietnamese people special.”

Phu Quoc-style welcome

The program, themed “The Soul of Vietnam”, opened on Aug. 4 with a Dine Around experience at Pink Mansion, where guests moved between the Lounge, Library, Dining Room, and Wine Cellar. Each space introduced part of the story of Madame Pearl, who, according to the resort’s fictional narrative, once operated the property as a hospitality school.

The following morning, Executive Chef Eng Wai Meng accompanied guests to An Thoi fish market, where they selected seafood arriving from local fishing boats.

They later learned how to prepare fried buna noodle dish associated with Phu Quoc. The dish is believed to have evolved from good tom brought to the island by fishermen from Binh Dinh, with diners traditionally mixing their own dipping sauce at the table.

Bringing local culture to the table

The Phu Quoc program reflected the broader concept behind “Across the Table,” which seeks to connect dining with the people, ingredients, and cultural traditions of each destination.

At the Vietnamese Heritage Dinner, courses were accompanied by hat boia form of Vietnamese classical theater, with performances timed to complement different dishes.

The Grand Banquet was structured around three themes—Land, Water, and Fire—with each part of the menu accompanied by a performance from Dan Do, a Hanoi-based collective whose musicians create and perform with instruments made from materials including bamboo and clay.

Local crafts were also incorporated into the program. At Lamarck House, guests joined a pottery activity with local ceramic studio Gom Om before dining. Another experience allowed guests to open oysters in search of pearls, referencing Phu Quoc’s long association with pearl farming.

Truc Chia paper art form originating in Hue that uses bamboo fiber to create images through light and shadow, was incorporated into the event’s decorative elements.

Final experiences

Towards the end of the program, chefs Elzer and Le hosted an eight-course chef’s table at Pink Pearl.

At the Department of Chemistry Bar, mixologist Marco Dongi worked with resident bartenders Jame and Toki on a cocktail menu featuring Southeast Asian flavors.

The six-day program concluded with the return of Pink Pearl’s Sunday Champagne Brunch, which was revived for a one-off event after being removed from the restaurant’s regular schedule.

“This week put Phu Quoc itself on the table—it’s fishermen, its potters, its pearls. That’s the story we wanted to open this year’s series with,” said John Woolley, general manager of JW Marriott Phu Quoc Emerald Bay Resort & Spa.

Following its opening in Phu Quoc, “Across the Table” will travel to The Naka Island in Phuket, The St. Regis Maldives, Mandapa Bali, and The Ritz-Carlton Kyoto before concluding with a voyage aboard Luminara of The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection.