Consultancy for technical support to develop a master plan on tourism and culinary culture abroad for 2026-2035

TERMS OF REFERENCE – CONSULTANCY SUPPLIER

Project: Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam (ST4SD)

Consulting service: Technical support to develop a master plan on tourism and culinary culture abroad for 2026-2035

Contract term: From April to May 2026

Application deadline: Before 4 April 2026

1. PROJECT INTRODUCTION

The Swiss Tourism for Sustainable Development in Vietnam (ST4SD), financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), aims at making Viet Nam’s tourism sector more sustainable and inclusive. As part of the economic development cooperation of Switzerland for Viet Nam, it is implemented by the consortium of Helvetas Vietnam, a Swiss international NGO, and the CRED Tourism & Agriculture Solution Consulting Company Limited, a Vietnamese NGO. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism appointed the Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) as the project owner.

From 2025, the ST4SD Project provided consultancy and support to Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT) in sustainable tourism development. In 2026, the Project continue to support VNAT in building a Master plan for on Promoting Vietnam’s tourism and culinary culture abroad for the 2026 – 2035 period. Thus, the Project is recruiting national consultants to carry out this assignment in early 2026.

2. OBJECTIVES

The objective of this Project is to provide technical support and draft a technical consultatory report to provide inputs to the masterplan by the VNAT. This support is given to develop a full plan and emphasize the following main areas:

Comprehensive assessment report on Vietnam’s tourism and culinary promotion: A detailed analysis of the current status, strengths, and weaknesses of promotion efforts; including a review of relevant international best practices and lessons learned for Vietnam.
Strategic perspectives and objectives framework for 2026-2035: A report defining the development viewpoints, strategic vision, and specific quantitative and qualitative objectives for promoting Vietnam’s tourism and culinary culture over the next decade.
Proposal on promotion strategies, key tasks, and solutions: A technical proposal outlining core strategies, prioritized tasks, and innovative solutions to enhance the global positioning of Vietnam’s tourism and culinary culture.
Detailed action plan (2026-2030), roadmap to 2035, and budget estimation: A comprehensive action plan for the first five-year phase, a strategic roadmap for 2030-2035, and an estimated budget framework for effective implementation.
Stakeholder coordination and responsibility assignment matrix in masterplan implementation: A proposal defining the roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms among government agencies (VNAT), local authorities, associations, and the private sector.
Masterplan outcome framework and expected deliverables through 2035: A final report detailing the expected impact, long-term outcomes, and specific key performance indicators (KPIs) of the Scheme through 2035.

3. EXPECTED DELIVERABLES

The consultant will work closely with VNAT’s official to deliver the following key deliverables:

Prepare a comprehensive report of at least 50 pages in each language, comprising six subreports, including:
Report on Comprehensive Assessment Report on Vietnam’s Tourism and Culinary Promotion
Strategic Perspectives and Objectives Framework for 2026-2035
Report Proposal on Promotion Strategies, Key Tasks, and Solutions
Report on Detailed Action Plan (2026-2030), Roadmap to 2035, and Budget Estimation
Report on stakeholder Coordination and Responsibility Assignment Matrix
Masterplan Outcome Framework and Expected outcomes through 2035
Attend and provide advisory input at a minimum of one VNAT-organized meeting or workshop related to the specified advisory content.

Please note that all reports and deliverables must be prepared and submitted in both English and Vietnamese.

4. KEY COMPETENCIES AND EXPERIENCE

The selected expert is expected to have the following qualifications and experience:

A minimum of a Master’s degree in Tourism;
At least 20 years of professional experience in the tourism sector;
Proven knowledge on tourism policy development, tourism promotion, culture tourism, creative tourism, cuisine tourism and tourism planning, including the experiences to consult or work with governmental agencies.
Demonstrated experience working with government agencies (VNAT, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).
Proven knowledge in writing research, publications, papers on culinary culture tourism or tourism policies and planning is an advantage;
Proficiency in both English and Vietnamese, with the ability to prepare and submit all deliverables in both languages;

5. MAIN TASKS AND ACTIVITIES

Under the coordination of the ST4SD Project and in close collaboration with VNAT, the consultants will undertake the following tasks:

Conduct a comprehensive review of legal frameworks, national tourism development strategies, and successful international culinary promotion models to adapt and apply them to the Vietnamese context.
Clearly identify key international markets, target customer segments, and specific culinary/tourism product groups that should be prioritized for promotion.
Focus on proposing policy mechanisms, information technology applications (digital transformation in promotion), and human resource development for the tourism and culinary sectors.
Coordinate with ST4SD and VNAT to organize expert consultation meetings to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed solution groups within the scheme.
Drafting the comprehensive report with above requirements.
All activities should be carried out in a participatory manner and ensure alignment with the overall objectives of the ST4SD project.

6. WORKING METHODOLOGY

Of the various applicable research methods and techniques available to consultants, it is expected that the following will be applied:

Consultative meetings with project staff, VNAT, and key tourism stakeholders to ensure alignment and gather inputs;
Desk review of relevant policies, strategies, and reports on cultural cuisine tourism and tourism promotion in Vietnam and comparable contexts;
Consultation meetings with stakeholders to consolidate the solution and policies recommended.

7. TIME FRAME OF THE ASSIGNMENT

The assignment is expected to start early April and complete on 30 May 2026. The assignment would officially end when the project accepts the deliverables.

8. LOGISTICS

ST4SD will provide logistics support to the consultant if needed.
Consultation meetings will be covered by Helvetas in accordance with Helvetas’ cost norms.
All other expenses and procedures incurred during the execution of the consultancy will be managed by the consultant, in compliance with the terms outlined in the contract with HELVETAS.

9. APPLICATION DOCUMENTS

Interested candidates are requested to submit their application detailing the following:

CV and cover letter
Methodological approach to conducting the consultancy
Certificates of good completion of similar works or experiences.
Applicants will indicate their expected daily rate (including VAT) and number of days to conduct the consultancy.

Please note the following: Four documents must be password-protected. You will be asked for the password after submitting the application.

Due to the urgency of this assignment, the Project expects to receive proposals involving two (02) experts to ensure the work is conducted promptly and feasibly. If the application is submitted by a team of two experts, please clearly indicate the team leader, the specific workload and the estimated number of working days assigned to each member.

Proposal should be sent to [email protected] and [email protected] before 4 April 2026.

Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.