ONVIT’s Warm Light: A Korean Culinary Journey Through Vietnamese Terroir

Hanoi’s fine dining landscape has long been shaped by European and Japanese influences. But in August 2025,  ONVIT, the first Korean fine dining restaurant in Vietnam, opened inside the Grand Plaza Hanoi Hotel. It reinterprets Korean culinary traditions through the richness of Vietnamese terroir.

The name itself holds the key to this vision. In Korean, ONVIT means “Warm Light,” suggesting gentle guidance, warmth, and presence. The restaurant’s design embodies this spirit. Its dining room glows softly, blending minimalist Korean sensibility with understated Vietnamese touches. Natural textures, muted colors, and carefully orchestrated lighting create a calm, luminous space that feels both elegant and welcoming. The atmosphere mirrors the philosophy behind every dish.

At the heart of ONVIT is Chef Owner Chi Joon Hyuk, known simply as Chef Joon. His culinary journey has spanned Japan, Canada, and the Philippines and included the co-founding of LABRI – Oriental Neo Bistro, a Michelin-selected restaurant in Hanoi. Vietnam is where he found clarity about his identity as a chef, a distinctly Korean voice, shaped by international experience and translated through the soul of Vietnamese terroir. “Fermentation is the depth of Korean cuisine,” he explains to Saigoneer. “Gochujang, doenjang, Nabak kimchi—they all express our culture’s roots. At ONVIT, we craft Nabak kimchi from Vietnamese vegetables for our Mu Ni lobster dish. It’s a way of keeping tradition alive while honoring this land’s produce.”

Chef Owner Chi Joon Hyuk.

Unlike fine dining models built on imported luxury, ONVIT draws inspiration from Vietnam’s markets and landscapes. Vegetables from Đà Lạt and Măng Đen, Tam Đảo beef tongue, seafood from Đà Nẵng and Cát Bà, and even Vietnam’s award-winning ST25 rice all find their way into the menu. In one standout dish, Korean abalone porridge is reimagined with ST25 rice, enriched with abalone liver sauce and soy. The result feels unmistakably Korean, yet deeply connected to Vietnam.

ONVIT’s approach also challenges stereotypes. For many diners, Korean food conjures images of sizzling barbecue and fiery kimchi. Chef Joon doesn’t deny these traditions, but offers them in unexpected, refined forms. “Barbecue and kimchi are essential parts of Korean culture,” he says. “But here, they surface in subtle, surprising ways across the course menu. Guests discover them differently, and that’s part of the charm.”

Nabak kimchi and Mu Ni lobster using nabak kimchi.

In doing so, ONVIT reveals the diversity of Korean cuisine beyond its well-worn clichés. Instead of heat and intensity dominating the palate, the restaurant emphasizes balance: layers of flavor that are savory, delicate, and nuanced. 

Just one month after opening, ONVIT will underscore its ambitions by hosting a four-hand dinner on September 13 with Chef Yew Eng Tong, Former Head Chef of Alma by Juan Amador, 1 Michelin-Starred restaurant of Singapore. The collaboration will bring together Vietnamese, Korean, and Singaporean culinary traditions. A highlight dish will be Vietnamese golden pomfret, transformed into a cold curry tartare wrapped in potato, paired with apple, roasted-cilantro pesto, mustard seeds, and chili oil. “For me, it was about how a Vietnamese ingredient could be seen through a Singaporean lens, while still carrying the elegance of Korean taste,” says Chef Joon.

The collaboration will also be a statement: ONVIT may be young, but it intends to be part of Vietnam’s evolving fine dining conversation. And for Chef Joon, that means more than personal expression. “As a Korean chef, I cook Korean dishes through Vietnamese ingredients,” he reflects. “My hope is that young Vietnamese chefs will also look at their own produce with fresh eyes, with deeper thought, and with even more pride in their rich food culture.”

Abalone porridge and its humble yet valuable ingredients including ST25 rice.

In the end, ONVIT’s “warm light” is a guiding idea. Fine dining here is not defined by distance or extravagance, but by respect for place, innovation rooted in tradition, and hospitality that feels genuine. As the restaurant settles into Hanoi’s culinary scene, it illuminates a new horizon where food is understood as a language of culture, connection, and quiet transformation.