Impact of TikTok on Rural Food Choice Trends of Ho Chi Minh City People, Vietnam

This study examines the role of the social media platform TikTok in shaping dietary trends among urban consumers in Ho Chi Minh City, with a specific focus on the increasing popularity of rural food. By analyzing user-generated content and engagement metrics, the research explores how TikTok facilitates the promotion and dissemination of rural culinary practices, thus influencing the gastronomic preferences of city dwellers. Additionally, it investigates the cultural and socio-economic implications of this trend, considering factors such as authenticity, nostalgia, and community connection that resonate within the urban populace. Through qualitative and quantitative methods, the findings highlight TikTok's significant contribution to the resurgence of rural food culture in an urbanized context. In the country's development context, food safety and people's health are increasingly important. In particular, with dirty food seriously threatening public health, people in Ho Chi Minh City tend to prefer and trust food products of rural origin. The vigorous development of the TikTok social network has created a new communication channel that has significantly influenced people's consumption behavior. Through this platform, much content about clean food, production, and processing of food from rural areas are widely shared, contributing to shaping the food choice trends of urban consumers. This study focuses on analyzing the impact of TikTok on the trend of choosing rural food among people in Ho Chi Minh City, thereby assessing the level of influence of this social networking platform in promoting the trend of safe food consumption, contributing to building a sustainable food market, and ensuring public health.