Sam Tran

Chef and Owner, Gia (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Sam Tran is head chef and owner of Gia restaurant, a fine dining Vietnamese restaurant in Hanoi. After several years of training and working in Australia, she returned to Vietnam with a vision to present Vietnamese cuisine through a contemporary lens while remaining deeply rooted in its cultural heritage.

Inspired by her childhood in Hanoi, Chef Sam's cooking is shaped by memory, seasonality, and a profound respect for local ingredients. She believes every ingredient tells a story, and her role is to understand, honour, and express its true character with precision and creativity.

Chef Sam was the recipient of Vietnam's first MICHELIN Guide Young Chef Award, recognising her contribution to the country's evolving culinary scene. Under her leadership, Gia became one of the first restaurants in Vietnam to earn one MICHELIN Star and has retained the distinction for four consecutive years (2023–2026). Through her work, Chef Sam continues to celebrate Vietnamese identity and share the richness of Vietnam's culinary heritage with guests from around the world. (Instagram: @_samilicious)