.jpg "Photo: VnExpress")
Saf Viet, a subsidiary of the French-based yeast and bread making Lesaffre Company, is holding a competition to identify the first ever Vietnamese contestants to the Bakery World Cup.
Contestants from Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi will qualify for a national final in December from which three will be chosen to represent Vietnam at the Asian qualifiers in Guangzhou, China, next May.
Contestants can make their creations at home before submitting them to the judges. They can enter in only one of three categories: loaves, Viennese pastries, and artistic pieces.
The qualifiers are under way with the HCMC round finishing Wednesday and the Hanoi round set for this weekend.
The judges, including world renowned bakers, have been sent by the organizers of the Bakery World Cup.
The HCMC qualifiers held at the Sesame school, Binh Thanh District, Wednesday attracted 28 bakers from restaurants, supermarkets, and other businesses.
The judges chose to name seven qualifiers instead of the expected six - Vo Thanh Tuan and Diep Minh Cong of Big C supermarket, Thang of La Boulangerie d' Hue, Nguyen Truong Kim Phuong and Huynh Xuan Vinh of ABC Bakery, Le Hong Giang of Intercontinental Hotel, and Nguyen Van Hung of Caravelle Hotel.
Tuan of Big C took the first prize.
The Hanoi round has attracted 30 contestants.
The Bakery World Cup has expected to attract 6,000 bakers from 40 countries all over the world.
The final is scheduled to be held in France in 2012 with the winner being awarded the Louis Lesaffre Cup.
The contest is open to professional bakers between the ages of 18 and 55 and is held every three or four years.
The three previous winners were from France, Taiwan, and Italy.
