A Conversation with Luke Nguyen at Red Lantern

Luke Nguyen chats about his journey to Australia, learning to cook in his parents' Cabramatta restaurant and his passion for Vietnamese food and culture. 

Luke Nguyen was born in 1978 in Thailand, shortly after his parents fled Vietnam as boat people. After spending some time in a Thai refugee camp, his family eventually settled in Sydney, Australia. 

Luke is the chef and owner of the award-winning Vietnamese restaurant red lantern, and is the author of the best selling books secrets of the red lantern and songs of sapa. In his spare time, Luke hosts 13-day culinary discovery trips to Vietnam.

In 2009, Luke Nguyen and Suzanna Boyd founded the Little Lantern Foundation in Hoi An, which gives disadvantaged youths an opportunity to undertake a hospitality training program in little lantern’s operating hotel – restaurant and bar.