Here’s the second part of the YouTube video telling an important story about a great pho family in Vietnam. First the video itself, followed by my loose transcription. Time stamps in brackets [ ] match video timecodes for easy reference. You can view part 1: “Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1.”

Video: Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 2.) Narrated in Vietnamese.

Phở Cồ is pronounced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNMcmw2Geps

The Co Family Patriarch Guides Pho Hanoi to Its Future

Mr. Rao has been passionate about pho all his life, and will probably continue to be for a long time. In his hand is a book about the foods of Hanoi, written by the famous French culinary expert Didier Corlou. In it of course one can’t miss his [Chef Corlou's] praise about pho by the family Co in Hanoi.

[0:30] Mr. Rao: “The vast majority of people, when talking about pho in Hanoi, know about the phở gánh or pho carts. [Editor's note: gánh in Vietnamese means bearing on shoulder with a bamboo stick with products hung at each end. It's a way for many people to make a living selling various foods, snacks and products.] It was the Co family and their people taking their pho from Nam Dinh to Hanoi, and according to current family members, Mr. Co [audio indistinct]. He was the first to open shops here, then followed suit by other people from the same village Van Cu. Around the 1980-1985 time frame, the Van Cu people started to scatter to Ha long, down to Da Nang. Even Saigon now has Van Cu people.”

[1:19] Of the 4 brothers from the second generation of family Co, all pho experts, two have passed away. The remaining brothers include Mr. Phở Hùng, his real name is Cồ Như Hùng, and the second brother, Co Nhu Thu[?], who has just reached 80 years in age.

For many years now, Mr. Pho Hung no longer looks after the business. Rather his main work now is to pass on his experience to sons and daughters. For many years Hanioans have not seen Mr. Pho Hung. Today they have a chance to witness his demonstration on the art of making pho during the showcase of Vietnamese culinary arts organized by UNESCO in December 2003.

Standing next to him is the first grandson of Nhu Quang[?] who is fluent in making family Co pho.

[2:19] Despite getting older, Mr. Pho Hung remains strong and confident as he demonstrates his slicing techniques of a true professional with his quick, flexible hands and fingers. Today he is also the President of the professional association for pho countrymen from Van Cu, Nam Truc, Nam Dinh, which represents almost a hundred family members who are making a living serving pho in and around Hanoi.

[2:47] These two pho carts on demonstration have been rebuilt by UNESCO for the event. They are representative of those used by the Co ancestors in early 20th century. They were reconstructed based on Mr. Pho Hung’s own memory of the years when he followed his father seling pho on the old streets of Hanoi. The pepper shaker itself was made from dry bamboo tubes; the fragrant northern pepper, together with the aromatic flavors of cinnamon, star anise, fresh ginger and charred onions have probably accompanied him all his life.

[3:22] Despite the months and years of laborious and hard work, Mr. Pho Hung and his family takes great pride as the those responsible in bringing this rare gift to the land of Hanoi, then help in making pho famous across the country and now the world.

This is Pho Hanoi. And the soul of pho Hanoi is still the pho broth vat with its unique, special aroma and taste.

[3:48] Mr. Pho Hung on stage [audio indistinct]

[4:08] Mr. Pho Hung: “… first off the [bones, meat?] must be fatty and rich. Once the water begins to boil, they must be pulled, then continue to keep the broth simmer without boiling over. This is how the broth can be kept clear always. This particular broth being served today has no well-done meat cooked in it. Together with the proper seasonings, the foundation of the stock must include the best quality ingredients. After that we’d add in charred ginger and onions, then nuoc mam (fish sauce), and that’s how we served it.”

[4:59] Mr. Pho Hung [audio indistinct]

[5:11] Dr. Tran Manh Dat, of the Hanoi University of Education, is a long time citizen who grew up and studied in Hanoi. He has also traveled to foreign countries for education and business. Today, like many others, he by chance happens to attend this cultural event demonstrating the traditional Hanoi pho, and met up with Mr. Co Nhu Hung.

Dr. Dat: “In Paris or Amsterdam or [audio indistinct] or most anywhere else, I’ve always run into pho shops. The pho itself always makes me feel homesick. Today being at this festival, I’m very moved, at the same time feeling proud that our country has a rich culinary culture that is vey rich. Many of my friends from abroad tell me they can never forget Vietnam, because of this pho dish. It is the pho that attract them back to this country.”

[6:28] Now in his retirement, Mr. Pho Hung rarely go visit many places, even to pho shops run by descendants of family Co, and by his countrymen from the same village Van Cu. There are at least a few hundreds of them. Though he does make exception for family members, like this Pho Hang Dong. He always wishes them continued success, in any era or generation.

[7:01] [audio indistinct]

[7:14] Everyone, whether in the family or from the village, or even the customers, wishes Mr. Pho Hung good health and long life, hoping that he will continue as a strong guide for their pho Hanoi, as well as keeping pho famous across the five continents.

[7:35] On a beautiful day in the near future, during the celebration of 1,000 years establishment of Thang Long-Ha Noi [Editor's note: October 2010 will officially mark 1,000 years of the establishment of the city of Hanoi] we hope to be able to view Mr. Pho Hung in action again, right next to his traditional pho cart of Hanoi, with its deductive fragrance.

To read more about events and people related to this video’s production, check out these articles:

• An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine
• Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine
• Pho by Chef Didier Corlou

Pho Nam Dinh: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-31-09. Here’s a unique YouTube video telling an important story about a great pho family in Vietnam. It made my list of top phở videos (Great Vietnamese Pho YouTube Videos Worth Seeing.) It’s narrated in Vietnamese, so not surprisingly it has a very limited audience. I think non-Viet speaking pho lovers will find it fascinating just like I did. For this reason, even though the audio is quite degraded, I was able to make a loose transcription of the video to share with everyone. Some specific audio details may be lost, but I believe the overall meanings are still intact.

The whole program is more than 16 minutes but hamivovn, the YouTube uploader of this video, had to break it into two 8-minute parts, because YouTube only allows 10 minutes maximum per video upload. So here’s part one, beginning with the video itself, followed by my loose transcript. Time stamps in brackets [ ] match video timecodes for easy reference.

Video: Phở by the Multigenerational Cồ Family (currently 3rd, 4th and 5th generation,) from Town of Nam Định, Near Hà Nội (part 1.) Narrated in Vietnamese.

Phở Cồ is pronounced

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P513niljeMg

The Co Family and Pho Hanoi

Early morning in the old copper antique row Hàng Đồng, the small shop at the crossroad of Hang Tai and Hang Dong seems completely hidden among the constant noisy of the surrounding commerce activites.

The large block of well-done beef steak for many years has come to symbolize the inviting sign that welcomes customers to the many Hanoi pho shops.

The large vat with soup stock as clear as rain water just comes to its boiling point.

Every morning, as the air is still full of morning dew, the shop owner and his wife together with their children begin their daily chores as owners of a pho shop. This is hard work.

This is the family business that has passed down to them through 3-4 generations.

The smokes and steams from boiling vats are the signs that easily identify these family-owned shops as the famous pho shops of Hanoi. The fragrance of the familiar pho and its tasty beef always seem to bond themselves to their server’s presence, in their hair and in their clothes.

Known as the multigenerational pho of Nam Dinh, there’s only one kind of pho: beef pho or phở bò.

[1;32] The family Cồ started from the village Vân Cù, district of Nam Trực in the town of Nam Định. This man’s father, Mr. Phở Chiêu, or elder Cồ Như Chiêu, opened this pho shop, called Hàng Phở Đồng (or Pho Hang Dong,) among the copper antique row since the middle of the 20th century, and handed it down for him and his wife to take over the business to this day. Mr. Phở Chiêu himself was in fact the first-born son of grandfather Phở Cồ, who brought his pho from Nam Dinh to make a living in Hanoi back at the beginning of the 20th century.

Like any other well-known pho shops in Hanoi, Hàng Phở Đồng not only has many regular customers, but always attracts many more new customers all the time.

[2:15] Like this guest. Every morning he walks 5-7 km to come to Pho Hang Dong in order to enjoy a bowl of authentic Phở Chiêu, as the pho is still called.

Guest Mr. Nguyen Huu Tho says: “The pho here is very good, fragrant, the noodle is so soft. I like it so much [undecipherable audio].”

Sitting at the same table is a visitor [undecipherable] of Phở Chiêu. Guest Mr. Duong Dinh Thien says: “I came here to eat ever since the day when it was still called Phở Chiêu, who was the father of the current owner. Now I still come quite often. The pho here has a special characteristic that is just the perfect taste for us.”

Like many third-generation decendents of the family Co from Nam Dinh now in Hanoi, the shop owner Mr. Việt and his wife are very popular among many customers, owing to the experience and discipline passed down from his father before him.

[3:30] Mr. Cồ Như Việt says: “Since I was small, I have followed them [his parents] everywhere to work this business. Now in my 50′s, you can say that I know the business inside out, of course because of what they have taught us and left for us. My brothers, all running famous pho shops around Hanoi, have also followed the family business. Both our father’s and mother’s sides have been successful and dependent on this profession. All the other well-known pho shops from Nam Dinh in the old days have also made their ways here [to Hanoi] to work and help their family business to prosper.”

Mr. Việt: ”The way to maintain the delicious taste, first off, one must possess a real passion for the profession. You cannot use tricks, you cannot be deceitful, or use other schemes, in order to achieve a delicious bowl of pho, with delicious broth, and fragrant meats.”

[4:27] So then as it turns out, almost all the pho Nam Dinh in Hanoi have come from the same family of the village Van Cu, district Nam Trực in the town of Nam Dinh.

It has been known among Hanoians that in Hanoi there are 2 famous pho shops. They are the family Canh Diễn from the province Hà Tây, represented by the pho shop Pho Thìn by Hoan Kiem Lake, and the pho shop Tư Lùn in the Hai Ba Trung district. Today descendants of the Canh Dien family from Ha Tay, and many other pho chefs trained by both families, also operated dozens of pho shops around the streets of Hanoi. Not surprisingly, the 2 original pho shops on Dinh Tien Hoang and Hai Ba Trung streets still maintain business operation regularly.

By the 1990′s into 2000′s, the pho family from Nam Dinh has surpassed pho from Ha Tay in operation and popularity. The children of the family Co’s third-, fourth- and fifth-generation, and their families, have, are and will gain the majority of the pho market.

[5:41] This is the pho shop Cồ Cử on Van Hieu Street as it appeared in the mid 1990′s. The owner, Cồ Hữu Cử, though having the same surname, is actually of the same descent but by a different lineage from the descendants of Mr. Pho Hung [?]

Also from Nam Dinh, he had been in the profession for many years in Hanoi under the name Pho Co Cu, and his shop has also become quite famous. For Co Cu, finding a stable location to operate his pho business has not been easy, and at times the challenges seem insurmountable. But he is not one who is easily discouraged, like the old saying: “lửa thử vàng, gian nan thử sức,” a phrase that loosely means “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”

[6:29] Recently Co Cu has taken his pho shop to a new location on Nguyen Chi Khanh Street, and has been doing well. It’s only 9 AM, yet many of his vats have already emptied. His broth is so well brewed that, although down to the last few ladles, the liquid itself is still clear and full of fragrance and flavors, its quality just like the full vats of Pho Hang Dong in early morning.

Another unique characteristic of the family Co pho lies in the wide and long strands the pho noodle, or banh pho.

[7:01] Mr. Co Cu: “The banh pho itself has been passed down from the ancestors, and truthfully, today in Hanoi one can probably count only a few banh pho makers that make the family-style noodles like ours. These banh pho have been cut by hand, they’re always large in size, and they go together very well with the pho broth.”

“To tell the truth, our shop here may be at a disadvantage when it comes to economics, but really we do have our reputation.”

[7:46] It’s not until the afternoon when customers have thinned out a bit that Mr. Co Cu then has a few relaxing minutes to greet and chat with his special guests. Visiting today are Mr. Phở Hùng, an uncle of Mr. Co Cu, and Nguyen Dinh Rao, a specialist in Vietnamese cuisine studies and President of Unesco Club of Gastronomy.

You can view part 2: ”Pho Dynasty: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 2.”

To read more about events and people related to this video’s production, check out these articles:

• An Interview with Chef Didier Corlou on Vietnamese Pho and Cuisine
• Chef Didier Corlou, A Passion for Pho and Vietnamese Cuisine
• Pho by Chef Didier Corlou

Pho Nam Dinh: Pho Hanoi by the Multigenerational Co Family from Town of Nam Dinh, Part 1 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Vietnamese pho in Europe? Not exactly catching on by storm like pho in the U.S., Canada and Australia, but there are enclaves of Vietnamese living in Europe. Let’s take a look at how pho got to Europe and how it’s doing in the European marketplace. Through my communication with a few European pho fans on Twitter, I could see pho’s prominent existence in places in Europe. And we all know…

Where There Are Vietnamese, There Is Pho

Pho is a dish that is closely identified with the culture, way of life, traditions and history of the Vietnamese people. Thus, it is more than reasonable to expect that where there are Vietnamese, there is Vietnamese pho.

The story of how pho came to Europe is not similar to how pho came to the United States.

There were at least 3 major waves of Vietnamese arriving in Europe. The first was during French colonization of Vietnam (or Indochina.) This long period has seen Vietnamese people traveling to France and settling there since early 19th century. Of course there were slaves, but the majority were educated and affluent (if not noble and royal) Viet citizens. The second was after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, when thousands fled Vietnam to find freedom elsewhere. These were mostly from south Vietnam, but the refugees included many northern Viet who migrated south in 1945. This second Viet diaspora saw the displaced Vietnamese settling en masse in the United States, in Australia, in various corners of Asia, and in Europe – France in particular. The second wave, which lasted for more than 15 years, saw a more educated population in the early years and those more desperate to get out at any cost in the latter years. The third wave consisted of Vietnamese workers sent to the then Eastern Bloc European countries, including the U.S.S.R., as laborers by the post-1975 Vietnamese Communist government.

So why are all this important? They’re important for several reasons. My theory is that the first wave did not have much to do with pho in Europe. This is because pho did not come into existence until early 20th century. After that pho would go on its own development/formative years in such a way that it became the commoners’ food – hardly worth the trouble for Vietnamese to worry about heading off to Europe. It was a time for Vietnamese to learn and explore, or to slave for someone else. In either case, whatever Viet foods they prepared for themselves while in Europe would face a challenge of finding the right ingredients anyway.

The second wave after 1975 was the key force responsible for bringing pho to Europe. These were refugees looking for new homes, and they found their new livelihoods in Europe. These large settlements combine to create the perfect ingredients for Vietnamese pho to thrive, both in the form of home-cook pho and restaurant businesses with an eager clientele.

While many Vietnamese from the third wave stayed on in Europe after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc circa 1989-1991, there was no evidence that they contributed in any major way to popularize Vietnamese pho in Europe. For some who opened their own pho restaurants, they were merely riding the wave of Viet presence already established by Viet refugees in these countries.

Vietnamese Pho Marginalization in Europe

One of the sad facts of the Viet diaspora is that the Vietnamese in Europe have not really flourished in that continent as they have in the United States. In many European countries, especially those in Central and Eastern Europe, the Vietnamese are somewhat marginalized and are simply trying to make ends meet. The Internet has many stories including this one about the plight of the Vietnamese in Poland.

But it’s not impossible to find pho in Europe if you know where to look. The pho-nomenon may not be as hot in Europe as it is in the United States or Australia, but if you want a good bowl of pho in Europe, just find your way to a Asian/Chinese/Vietnamese enclave. If one does not exist in a country, then it doesn’t exist. But you can’t miss if you can find your way to a Chinatown or “Asiantown.”

Pho in Europe: The Bottom Line

In the end, it’s not fair to speak of Europe as a single place. There are of course many countries and there are pockets of Viet people living in each country. It’s almost too funny to say it, but if you want to find good Vietnamese pho in Europe, start in France. Here’s a piece on Vietnamese Pho in France. With the availability of the Internet nowadays, it’s super easy to find if there’s a pho restaurant nearby. And once you find one, remember my motto: If a Viet restaurant has no Viet clientele then continue your walk. A crowded pho shop with Vietnamese slurping away is a sure sign of great pho. In Europe or anywhere else.

Vietnamese Pho in Europe: A Far Cry from Home? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 05-09-10. One can say that Vietnamese pho is one of Vietnam’s cultural ambassadors, spreading awareness of the Vietnamese heritage through its flavors and its heartiness. It can easily be argued that pho has taken root most strongly in the United States because of the large Viet population, but its presence can definitely be felt elsewhere. France is one of them, and the influence of pho in France is nothing short of phenomenal. Like many other places outside of Vietnam, the popularity of pho in France is undeniable.

Pho and the French Influence

Colonization, and the shared history that it brought, has put strong ties between France and Vietnam. As most of us who know our world history, Vietnam was once known as the French Indochina under the rule of France. It was only in 1954, when Vietnam was split into the North and the South, did France relinquish its dominion over the country.

Many Vietnamese culinary experts believe that pho is actually the Vietnamese version of the pot au feu, the French beef stew. Renowned French chef Didier Corlou describes certain similarities between pho and the pot au feu, such as the use of beef marrow bones to create the broth, the time it takes for the broth to cook, and the charring of garlic and onions to add a sweet, roasted flavor to the dish. View an in-depth discussion of “The History and Evolution of Pho.”

But this is perhaps where the similarity ends. Vietnamese ingenuity made pho uniquely Viet, with the use of star anise and other Vietnamese ingredients in the broth. The Vietnamese of the south made the dish even more distinct by enhancing the experience using lime juice, hoisin sauce, Thai basil, sliced chili and culantro.

So, one can say that among the reasons why Vietnamese pho is popular in France is because of the shared qualities between pho and pot au feu. Pho is familiar enough to the French to make them feel safe in enjoying it, and yet pho is exotic enough to challenge their sense of culinary adventure. Personally, I think colonization has made the French and the Vietnamese forever tied in a special bond of language, food, and culture.

How Pho Came to France

Pho is definitely a Viet concoction. But given that the coming of the French gave impetus to the creation of pho, how then did the child find its way back to the home of its mother, so to speak? The answer is that France was one of the destinations chosen by the Vietnamese refugees after Saigon fell to communism in 1975. For many Vietnamese, France is the “natural” other homeland outside of Vietnam. Many Viet traveled there even before 1975. There were already familiarity in the way of life between the two peoples. The Viet refugees knew that they could restart their lives much easier in France, and many did.

In fact, long before the Fall of Saigon, there was already a small Viet community living in France. Many Vietnamese have been coming to their conquerors’ homeland, perhaps brought to the country as retainers by their French masters.  Or perhaps these people sought France on their own to seek fortunes they would not have had if they stayed in Vietnam. Surely many Viet learnt about the western ways, in education, mathematics, science, politics and business, from the French. But Viet communities in France never really took roots until after 1975, when it was clear that they had to leave their own country behind.

As always, where there are Vietnamese, there is pho.  And regardless of pre- or post 1975, Vietnamese immigrants who came to France will always have pho to fall back on.

Pho in France: Hearty Fare for the Budget Traveler

Another possible reason for the popularity of pho in France – or at least in Paris – is the fact that restaurants serving pho is the place that travelers on a tight budget go to for a good meal. You can get a hearty serving of pho in Paris for the average price of €6.00, which is pretty close to U.S. pho prices. Whether you get the petit bowl or the grand bowl, you will get what you have expected to get – the rich and aromatic broth, the chewy rice noodles, the filling slices of beef and all the herbal fixings that come with each bowl.

Newsweek’s Budget Traveler website is one of those sites that promote Vietnamese restaurants to budget travelers visiting Paris. Restaurant reviewer and author Alexander Lobrano’s article entitled “Affordable Europe: Dining wisely in Paris” says that the wise budget traveler will not go hungry if he or she visits the large Asian neighborhoods located near the Place d’Italie.  There are many places here that serve enticing, satisfactory and largely affordable pho.

Pho is especially famous in Paris’ Chinatown found in the 13^th arrondissement. The area is considered as the main quarters of Asia in the country. This area is teeming with Asians who have brought more than their culture to the country. The area is as varied as a bowl of pho and has become a cultural landmark home to both Asian and French natives, all bound together by a love for the distinct Asian culture, and of course, the cuisine.

Finding Pho in Paris

So Mr. Lobrano named the Asian neighborhoods around Place d’Italie as a good starting point in your quest for a good bowl of pho in Paris. While there are many Vietnamese restaurants here that serve home-style Vietnamese cooking, including pho, I can’t even beginning to list out and comment on all places worth visiting. Rather I’ll just highlight a few here to give you some flavors of what you may find in your travel in France and Paris in particular. Hopefully pho connoisseurs in France will want to share their pho experience and contribute their views in the comment section.

Among the most popular of these Vietnamese restaurants in this area are:

• Pho Banh-Cuon 14.  Also known as Pho 14, this restaurant is located 129 avenue de Choisy, 13th arrondisement, near Metro Place d’Italie, right at the entrance of Chinatown. Pho Banh-Cuon 14 specializes in pho, with many different cuts of beef available for the customer’s choosing. It’s so popular among Parisians and foreigners alike that it is almost always crowded even during the off-hours. In fact, finding a table can sometimes be a challenge, especially during breakfast and lunch times. Restaurant reviewers Heather Stimmler-Hall and Gary Lee Kraut wrote interesting blog posts about Pho Banh-Cuon 14. Also check out La Vie Cevenole’s own Dreaming of Phở article.


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• Le Bambou. Not too far away, located at 70 rue Baudricourt, Metro Olympiades, is Le Bambou which is a small place serving pho and other Vietnamese specialties in the true Asian fastfood style that may be an affront to European dining etiquette but is satisfying nonetheless. Author Joyce Hor-Chung Lau describes her experience dining at Le Bambou in her New York Times blog. I particularly love her note:

As in small Asian restaurants all over the world, the emphasis is on the food, not decor, comfort, presentation or etiquette. Good service is based on how hot the food is, how quickly it is served, and never mind if it’s literally thrown onto the table without so much as a nod.


View Larger Map

• Pho Hoa Pasteur Saigon. Right next door to Le Bambou, as the photo above shows, is Pho Hoa Pasteur Saigon. Personally I would give any Pho Hoa Pasteur serious consideration, and in this case it looks like Pasteur has come full circle, so to speak.

If the Chinatown area in Paris is a bit too much for you, pho can also be found in another secondary Asian quarter in Paris, located around the metro Belleville quarter. The area lies at the junction of the 11^th, 12^th, 19^th, and 20^th arrondissement and is an area full of southeast Asian restaurants of all kinds offering cuisines from Thailand, China, and Vietnam since the 80s. There are several Vietnamese restaurants there where you can order and enjoy a great bowl of pho. Although a lot of French are not familiar with the authentic taste expected from pho, most pho restaurants in France are often packed with people, especially during breakfast and lunch. One popular Vietnamese restaurant in Belleville is the Hawaienne where you can enjoy great-tasting Vietnamese food including pho. The restaurant is located at 15 rue Louis Bonnet at the 11^th arrondissement. As always, when in doubt, go where the Viet people go.

Obviously, pho restaurants in France are not limited to the Asian quarters in the country. Like many places outside of Vietnam including the U.S., Canada and Australia, you will find Vietnamese restaurants where Vietnamese live as they are scattered in various places around France. With a Vietnamese population around 250,000 living in France (as of 2001), which is the third largest outside of Vietnam after the U.S. and Cambodia, you can definitely find pho restaurants, or Vietnamese restaurants in general, at many places you visit.

As always, whether you are sampling pho in Paris or anywhere else in the world, when you visit a Vietnamese restaurant, the quality of its pho is the gauge by which you judge the quality of their food. Also, remember the rule of thumb when it comes to eating pho in a restaurant: The smaller the menu is, the better the restaurant’s pho is bound to be. This rule applies everywhere, whether it is pho in France or anywhere else in the world.

Pho in France, or pho en France. Either way, there’s a nice little ring to these words.

Pho in France – Petit or Grand Pho, It’ll Be Just Like Home is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 10-23-09. With its awesome goodness, it’s no wonder Vietnamese pho made a strong foothold in many places outside of Vietnam. Pho may be the national dish of Vietnam, well entrenched in Vietnam’s culture and history, yet once again pho has crossed cultural boundaries to be embraced in a foreign land. This time: Australia.

One can easily say with certainty that the people from Down Under are just as crazy about Vietnamese pho as their American counterparts. Just as in other countries across the globe, what had started as an attempt of Vietnamese immigrants to derive what comfort that they can from a bowl of noodle had become a countrywide sensation. Australians love their pho just as much as the Vietnamese do, and the presence of pho in Australia is almost as prominent as it is in the United States.

How Pho Came to Australia

The story of how pho came to Australia goes pretty much the same way as the arrival of pho in other countries went. The key year is 1975 and the key event is the Fall of Saigon. During this time, an exodus of Vietnamese refugees escaped Communist rule, fleeing their homeland in droves and arriving in refugee camps in the Philippines and the island of Guam.

While many Viet refugees made it off the islands for settlement in the United States or Europe, many others were accepted by the Australia. In addition there were also Boat People who never did come to the refugee camps. In reality, they somehow found their way to Australia directly by sea. Australia was the longest distance that many Vietnamese Boat People with their rickety boats have traveled to escape communism in Vietnam.

Given their mutual experiences of pain, hardship and sorrow from being uprooted from their homeland and exiled in a foreign country, the Vietnamese clung to each other as they formed their own communities in Australia. Now all major cities in Australia have their own Vietnamese community.

And as they always say, where there are Vietnamese, there is bound to be pho. Pho is a remnant of home and is something that the Vietnamese cherished and held on to. Their love and passion for pho is a love that did not diminish despite the passage of time, the long physical distance and the generations removed from home. Australians picked up this love that the Vietnamese had for their pho and learned to love it for their own. Pho is just good food.

Australian Adaptation of Pho

Regardless of what happens, pho will always maintain its authenticity by the Vietnamese who enjoy it everyday. The Australians learned to love pho the way it is, the rich and hearty soup noodle that the Vietnamese introduced to their palates. But this is not where the story of pho in Australia ends. As the Australians and Vietnamese Australians took to this new dish, the dish also began to morph itself in order to adapt to its new surroundings.

Beef is not a problem in Australia; in fact, it is one of the few countries where beef comes cheaply. There are many farms and ranches that raise cattle for beef on this island-continent, so there is always a steady supply of beef in the market.

The same, however, cannot be said for the herbs and spices that make Vietnamese pho such a refreshing dish to eat. At least in the earlier years (post-1975,) few of the spices required in making pho are grown locally, and so are the herbs. In other words, herbs and spices are somewhat expensive in Australia. As a result, the kind of pho served typically in restaurants in Australia is more reminiscent of pho bac, the frugal pho served in the northern regions of Vietnam. A bowl of pho bac is traditionally not served with the familiar plate of garnishing that contains basil leaves, bean sprouts, culantro, chopped Serrano chili and lime wedges.

The focus of pho bac is the rich and meaty tastiness of the broth itself, something that northern Vietnamese cooks believe does not need any livening up from additional herbs and spices. Pho in Australia is veering towards this trend, where the broth is richer and beefier, unspoiled by indulgent herb garnishing.

The rich meatiness of the broth is not the only thing that distinctly characterizes pho in Australia. Many pho reviewers in Australia also noted that pho in Australia is somewhat sweeter than what you may be used to in, say, the United States or in Vietnam itself. This sweetness in pho in Australia is often said to be a nod to the southern Vietnamese style, or is an influence of Thailand on the dish.

In recent years, with abundant availability of all ingredients and free communication and trade across all borders, you can pretty much find and order any pho you like.

Pho – Bridge in Diplomacy and Art

Honorable Stephen Smith Having Pho with Ly Quy Trung of Pho 24. Photo courtesy foreignminister.gov.au

Pho does not only serve as a way to fill a hungry stomach or to satisfy a craving. Pho can also play a role in forging diplomatic relations and be a medium of expression in art.

In July 2008, the Honorable Stephen Smith, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, made the news and scored points for Australia in Vietnam when he made a visit to a popular Pho 24 in Hanoi. There, he donned a chef’s apron and hat, visited the kitchen, and fixed a bowl of pho for himself. He then enjoyed this meal in the company of Pho 24 founder Ly Quy Trung. You can read more on the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs website, and on this VietNameNet.vn page.

According to the VietNamNet Bridge report on the event, “the Australian Foreign Minister’s experience at the pho restaurant in Hanoi was a chance for him to further understand the extended cooperation between Vietnam and Australia in education.”

Pho is also the staging point for the Australian traveling exhibition called “I Love Pho.” It is a multimedia exhibition organized by Cuong Le, who also served as curator for the project, and it included works from renowned Vietnamese Australian artists.

In an interview with the Chubby Hubby blog, Australian pho expert Cuong Le said that inasmuch as pho is a well-loved dish both within and outside Vietnam, the Vietnamese “only become mad about pho when we are displaced physically and spiritually.” Pho sits at the heart of Vietnamese culture and Vietnamese Australians, and most Vietnamese all over the world, eat pho as a way to maintain a throbbing link with that heart.

Finding Pho in Australia

The Australian continent is a big place. There are Vietnamese restaurants scattered all over Australia, and there are still many more restaurants that specialize in serving only pho. These restaurants come in different styles – fast food joints, food court kiosks or classy, fine dining establishments. Many restaurants are reputed to serve a good bowl of pho cooked in the evolving “Australian style” – with a rich and meaty broth, tender beef cuts and not a lot on garnishing. Others, like Saigon Bay Restaurant, are taking Vietnamese pho, and Vietnamese cuisine in general, to the next level of quality and service. These include web-based ordering system, home or office delivery, discount campaigns, online table reservations, and catering for private and corporate functions, all while maintaining the authenticity of the dishes.

If you want to find the best Vietnamese and pho restaurants in Australia, head over to Mansfield Park Campbelltown (about 6.2 miles or 10 kilometers north of Adelaide, South Australia) or to Bankstown (in Sydney, New South Wales.) Some natives also point straight to Footscray (near Melbourne, Victoria,) Richmond (Melbourne, Victoria) and Springvale (south-east of Melbourne, Victoria) for excellent, authentic pho.

Pho Bà Rịa 2, 54c Hanson Road, Woodville Gardens SA 5012, Australia

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Phở Chú Thể, 270 Victoria Street, Richmond, VIC, Australia

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Richmond is located at the inner city of Victoria and is in the midst of Australia’s cultural divergences. In fact, Victoria Street in Richmond is also called Little Saigon since it is the site of one too many Vietnamese businesses, most of which are in the food business (of course.) Chu The Pho Bo Ga is a great pho restaurant with branches both in Richmond and Footscray. If authenticity is the most important factor for you, then these are worthy places to visit. Here’s a description of Richmond from visitvictoria.com.

Victoria Street is known as Little Saigon and is the heart of Melbourne’s Vietnamese community. The long stretch of eateries, butchers, fishmongers and grocers starts at Hoddle Street and extends to the Yarra River in Abbotsford. Don’t expect white linen tablecloths and hovering waiters – Victoria Street is about the hustle and bustle of fast, fresh and exceptional Asian food at a bargain price.

Ah… take me there now.

Moon Festival in Cabramatta, Sydney. Photos courtesy visitnsw.com

Other concentration of pho shops can be found mainly in Sydney in New South Wales, of course Melbourne in Victoria, and Brisbane in Queensland. Websites like Eatability.com.au and bestrestaurants.com.au have good restaurant listings to find pho in Australia. I prefer Eatability.com.au because it has easier navigation so you can find your pho faster. Yeah! Here’s a sample link to find Vietnamese restaurants in Sydney.

Perhaps one of the more exciting developments regarding finding pho in Australia is the news that Ly Quy Trung, the owner of the popular pho restaurant chain Pho 24, has announced that his company will be expanding in the Asia-Pacific region soon. One of the countries his company is targeting is none other than Australia. Now I don’t expect Pho 24 restaurants to put any existing pho restaurateur out of business. But the Australian expansion is a strong indication that pho is growing strong here, and if U.S. pho “industry” is any indication, there should be room for all to enjoy – for those who cook and serve, and for those who dine and consume. May the best pho survive!

John Street, Cabramatta, NSW, Australia.

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Pho in Australia: Plenty of Great Pho in the Land Down Under is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 09-30-09. Of all the dishes that the immigrants from Vietnam brought with them to American shores, Vietnamese pho is probably the dish that most Americans find recognizable. Americans actually find pho appealing because it is so rich in flavor and healthy to eat. For some of my friends it’s hard for them to describe pho and why they like it, but they keep coming back for more. For me, there is no mystery in a bowl of pho. It’s just good.

Vietnamese Pho in the U.S.A. – The Beginning

Vietnamese pho started showing up in the United States in the latter half of 1970s, when the Viet refugees left Vietnam to escape Communist rule in the country, as well as the degrading economic conditions in Vietnam at the time. The United States was the country of choice for many Vietnamese to relocate to because, in part, of the special relationship Americans had with South Vietnamese before the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

In that chaotic period of history of those who left home, the Vietnamese found themselves lost and displaced from everything that is familiar to them and as a result sought comfort in their own food, in pho. Intially these were mostly homemade varieties. It wasn’t until later that pho restaurants and shops started appearing in local communities.

In the few years right after 1975, it was difficult to find ingredients to make any Viet dish properly. Many turned to Chinese food markets for something they can make do in their cooking. Later on, thanks to a few entrepreneurial Viet, more authentic ingredients were imported and made available at local Asian markets. Those who knew how to make pho, including restaurateurs with well-known pho restaurants before leaving Vietnam, opened up small pho shops to offer compatriots a big taste of home.

For those who cannot cook pho for themselves, they went to these neighborhood shops that mushroomed in communities where the Vietnamese immigrants have settled. They savored what pho they could get, even when some was not exactly like the kind served in Vietnam. This is how pho in the U.S. first came to be.

On top of that, many American soldiers who stationed in the country during the Vietnam War also found themselves hankering for the hearty fare that is pho. Regardless of the feelings about the war itself, many visited these small pho shops in Little Saigon in Southern California and other Vietnamese communities that sprouted around the United States. They ate pho with great knowledge, and even introduced other Americans to the dish. Soon enough, with more Vietnamese taking their American friends to the noodle dish, Vietnamese pho found its way into regular restaurant visits by Americans.

Like more history? Read the post on “The History and Evolution of Pho: A Hundred Years’ Journey.” For an excellent recount of the Vietnamese experience and history of Little Saigon, see “Little Saigon, Orange County – California” by Wandering Chopsticks.

Finding Pho in the U.S.

If you want to find pho in the U.S., all you need to do is to step out of your doorstep, especially if you are living in California, in Washington, in Texas or in New York. A pho craze seems to be sweeping the United States today, and there are thousands of restaurants serving pho in the U.S.

The Pho Fever website alone lists nearly two thousand restaurants in its directory, mostly concentrated in the four states mentioned above. These places serving pho range from street stalls in Vietnamese communities to mom-and-pop operated restaurants to fine dining restaurants like Mai Pham’s Lemon Grass Restaurant in Sacramento, California. There are also pho franchise chains like Pho Hoa and Pho 2000. Gone are the days when you have to go to a Vietnamese neighborhood just to get a bowl of pho in the U.S.

Most of these restaurants serve the southern version of pho, with various cuts of beef and with the ubiquitous plate of herb and garnishing. Restaurants serving strictly northern pho are not as popular but are certainly holding on with a loyal following of their own.

According to this New America Media essay on pho, “Pho: International Food Vietnam’s Gift to the World,” one rule of thumb that you should use in judging whether a bowl of pho served in pho restaurants in the U.S. and anywhere else in the world is the size of the restaurant’s menu. Making pho takes a lot of time and requires a lot of the cook’s attention, so typically the smaller the menu, the better the pho. Restaurants that serve good pho also offer other dishes, but these dishes are usually meant to complement pho itself. Invariably there’s always someone in the group who wants something other than pho, so this is a nice compromise.

The Reasons behind the Pho Craze

Pho is a distinctly Vietnamese dish. Now, why is there a craze for pho in the U.S., as shown by the mushrooming of pho restaurants in the U.S., in the emergence of pho blogs and information sites on the Internet, and even the so-called pho fashion? Here are the reasons I can see.

One is that the United States is a global melting pot. There are more than 1.6 million Viet living in the United States as of 2007. Most are first-generation immigrants after the Fall of Saigon and their immediate second-, third- and even fourth-generation families. The pho restaurants proliferating in the U.S. are a reflection of these people’s need to connect with their own heritage, while making the new land their new home. Pho is what Vietnamese eat, so where there are Vietnamese, there exists pho.

Another reason is that Americans are becoming aware of the cuisines and cultures outside their own. That can be said to be a result of the United States being a global melting pot, with so many immigrant populations residing in the country. They are first lured by the exotic tastes and flavors identified with the cuisine, and if they like it, learning the culture follows. And as Vietnamese involve themselves in the American society, friendships are made, and where there are friends, there are the rituals of sharing of meals. This has been how many Americans were introduced to Vietnamese pho.

Americans like it because of the complexity of flavors that one can encounter in a single bowl. Pho is a deceptively simple dish, but pho diners could not get enough of the layers of flavor in the broth alone, created by the beef long simmered in gentle heat and underscored by the spices added into it. Then take into account the noodles, the beef slices, the garnishing and the sauces that can be put into the broth. With a bowl of pho, you have a complete meal.

And yet another reason that has contributed to the appeal of pho to American tastes is the fact that pho is healthy to eat, very much more desirable than the burgers and the other calorie-rich foods that make up typical American fare. Pho is rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Health buffs that are unaware of how pho is made may be scared away by the idea of grease and fat that comes from creating broth from beef marrow. But all that grease and excess fat are scooped and strained away from the broth, making it friendlier for health-conscious people. But if you’re a hard-core pho fan, don’t miss my articles on “Understanding the Pho Menu,” and ”Tips on Ordering Pho Your Way.”

Pho Fads: Side Effects of the Pho Craze

It is interesting to note that pho in the U.S. has not just created a food craze but a fashion craze as well. It’s not surprising, really, as creative, entrepreneurial, and sometime wacky, ventures can happen to any product in the U.S., the land of opportunity. So pho is no exception.

There are a number of websites, including PhoFever.com, that sell T-shirts and garments proclaiming the wearer’s love for pho. There is even a personalized license plate sighted in San Francisco that declares the car owner’s need for more pho.

Perhaps another noteworthy development with regards the craze for pho in the U.S. is the fact that StockPot, a company that falls under the umbrella of the Campbell Soup Company, has partnered with Vietnamese culinary expert Mai Pham to create a commercial and canned pho broth. A very American idea.

Pho may be the national dish of Vietnam, closely linked to Vietnam’s history, culture and traditions for more than a hundred years. Pho franchises are becoming a reality with the intent to spread. Today if you go to YouTube.com and search for the word “pho,” you’ll find thousands of videos people have uploaded and shared with others. The same is true in other social network websites too. With American kids (Vietnamese or otherwise) growing up loving pho, my only concern is, in a few more decades, pho will be too Americanized and lose its identities. But I’ll worry about that over my next bowl of pho.

Now where should we meet for pho tonight…

Pho in the U.S.: Sweeping North America Since 1975 is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 05-02-10. Among all the Vietnamese dishes that came to the attention of the people in the western hemisphere, nothing else has received such tremendous acceptance as pho. Pho is considered as the national dish of Vietnam, and it has captured the fascination of so many people in the west because of its deceptive simplicity and its complex flavors. Pho is the perfect comfort food – warm, hearty and deliciously refreshing. In Vietnam it’s the common people’s food. It’s street food.

Pho can also be seen as a mirror that reflects Vietnamese heritage and way of life. A dish that is steeped in tradition, pho is closely tied to Vietnam that the history of pho can read as a parallel to the history of its country of origin itself in the last hundred years. With the migration of Vietnamese across the globe after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the national dish of Vietnam came to grace the tables of people of different heritages, thus leading to the colorful evolution of pho throughout the years. In this article I’ll discuss pho, its history and what makes pho many people’s favorite dish.

What Is Pho?

Of course, before I go into the history of pho, we should first tackle a more fundamental question about pho, namely: What in the world is pho?

Many readers know exactly what pho is. Articles on pho that you find around the Internet define the dish simply as Vietnamese noodle soup, traditionally made with beef or chicken broth that is flavored with various spices and topped with various herbs. But this definition seems far too simplistic because it does not really capture the rich and intense essence of beef in the broth that can only be achieved by simmering marrow-rich beef bones on low heat for at least three hours. It does not describe the complex layers of flavor created by the herbs and spices in pho. It does not illustrate the many textures created by the chewy rice noodles, the tender beef slices and the crunchy bean sprouts in the soup.

At the very least, the description “noodle soup” may be a misnomer. Soup implies that the dish is a side dish, but in fact pho itself is the main course. Pho is a noodle dish, and not a soup dish. So if you catch the phrase “noodle soup” somewhere on this side then it’s only because I let my guard down for a moment there. Pho should be called “Vietnamese noodle” or “soup noodle” because it is a noodle dish.

You cannot expect two bowls of pho made in two separate kitchens to ever taste the same. There are many recipes of pho existing out there, with each recipe somewhat different from each other. But those are only the published ones. There are countless others that are closely held by professional chefs running popular pho restaurants, and we’ll never know what they are. So techniques in cooking and preparing pho vary from chef to chef. Variations can also depend on what type of pho is being prepared. For instance, pho bac, which is pho from the northern regions of Vietnam, is made quite differently from how pho is prepared in southern Vietnam.

The history of pho stretches only a hundred years back in Vietnam’s recent past. But just as those hundred years have shaped Vietnam into the country it is today, so do those hundred years have shaped the way pho has become. Three events in Vietnamese history have marked the history of pho. They are

1. The unification of Vietnam under French rule in 1887,
2. The splitting of the country into North and South Vietnam in 1954, and
3. The Fall of Saigon in 1975.

Here’s an article on “What is Vietnamese Pho: Think You Know? Think Again,” which discusses what is and what is not pho.

The Murky Beginnings of Pho: a French Connection?

Despite the fact that pho is a reflection of the culture and history of Vietnam, no one really knows how pho came to be. Restaurateur and author Mai Pham’s research on pho, as cited in Vietnamese culinary expert Andrea Nguyen’s blog, stated that there is nothing written about the early history of pho. All there is left are oral traditions handed down by elders. It is, however, agreed upon by many experts in Vietnamese cuisine, including Ms. Pham and Ms. Nguyen, that the history of pho began in Hanoi in northern Vietnam and that it started when the French colonized the country in the late 1880s.

In the SpiceLines interview on Ms. Nguyen, she said that before the French conquered Vietnam, the Vietnamese people did not slaughter cows for food. Instead, they used these animals to till their rice fields and as beasts of burden.

The general theory held by most Vietnamese culinary experts is that the word “pho” is a corruption of the French “feu” or “fire.” Pho could be a Vietnamese adaptation of the French soup “pot au feu” or French beef stew, which the French brought to Vietnam when they came to rule the country. But let me take this theory further into something more concrete to possibly reflect facts. It is this: Vietnamese love to take foreign words and use them as our own, but with a Vietnamese accent. Thus “feu” became “Phở.” But there’s more. It’s always been a popular knowledge that the French, specifically a man named Jesuit Alexandre de Rhodes in the country between 1624 and 1644, helped convert Vietnamese written language from a variant of Chinese characters into the modern age with translations using the Latin alphabet system. So the French connection to pho and Vietnamese language is much more intimate than casual, and it’s not unthinkable that pho did come from feu. Read more on the Vietnamese alphabet.

“Pot au feu” literally means “pot on the fire,” signifying the long hours required to create the soup. Just like with pho, cartilaginous, marrow-rich beef bones are used to make the broth of the pot au feu. These bones are left to boil and simmer in water on low heat for at least three hours, and the scum and foam formed by excess grease from the bone marrow are skimmed and discarded.

Another similarity that pot au feu shares with pho is the fact that ginger and onions are also roasted in an open flame before they are added to flavor the broth. Vegetables like carrots and turnips are used to top pot au feu. In pho, these vegetables are replaced by bean sprouts and herbs, with a little lime juice added in for taste.

Pho Bac: Pho of the North

Another theory that Vietnamese cuisine experts agree on is that the birthplace of pho is northern Vietnam, near Hanoi. Given the theory that pho is a Vietnamese adaptation of the French pot au feu, it is not surprising to think that pho originated from the north.

Hanoi has always been the center of political power in colonial Vietnam, with only a few short interruptions. The city has always been the seat of Vietnamese kings and emperors since 1010, except during the rule of the Nguyen dynasty, when the capital was moved to Hue. When the French conquered Vietnam and established the colony they called the French Indochina, they made Hanoi their capital city.

The French brought pot au feu to Vietnam and introduced the idea of slaughtering cows for food to the Vietnamese of the north. The northern regions of Vietnam are not as rich as those in the south, and food scarcity is not a stranger to a northern Vietnamese household. The northern Vietnamese get their food where they can find it, and they learned to take the beef parts and bones that their French conquerors did not want for their table. It is widely believed that this is how pho of the north, called pho bac, came to be.

Pho bac has an intense and delicate flavor that is entirely different from pho nam, which is pho of the south. The focus of pho bac is on the taste of its clear and simple broth. The star anise and other spices commonly used in pho serve as subtle undertones of flavor rather than complex layers. The main ingredients in pho bac are the rice noodles and the thinly sliced rare beef cooked quickly in the hot broth. You would not find a bowl of pho bac topped with the popular herbs and garnishing found in pho nam or in pho outside of Vietnam.

Even today, northern Vietnamese and pho purists consider pho bac the true pho. It is not uncommon to find a person from northern Vietnam or a pho purist to turn away from lavish preparations of pho nam or from pho that is not made from beef stock. Some of them find such preparations shocking and even disgusting.

Pho Nam: Pho of the South

French rule did not last in Vietnam. The Second World War saw the country known as French Indochina fall under Japanese occupation, although the new Japanese rulers retained their French administrators. But France was not to regain her full political influence on Vietnam. After the war, a series of events led to the splitting of Vietnam into North Vietnam and South Vietnam in 1954. North Vietnam, which is Communist country, kept Hanoi as its capital. South Vietnam is a democracy centered on Saigon (or Sài Gòn).

Thousands of North Vietnamese fled the Communist rule, and escaped across the border to South Vietnam. These refugee families took with them their cherished pho recipes and introduced pho to their brethren in the south. Here, pho is to make a turn that eventually shocked pho purists from the north.

Unlike in North Vietnam, food is rich and abundant in South Vietnam. Herbs and other ingredients are used liberally. The Vietnamese of the south put their taste for the lavish on the frugal pho bac to create the classic pho nam. They put more spices in their pho than their northern counterparts. They experimented with other beef parts, and even used other ingredients such as chicken and tripe. They added bean sprouts and herb garnishing as topping on the soup. They were also very liberal about the use of fish sauce and hoisin sauce to flavor their pho.

Pho flourished, and due to its versatility and popularity, Vietnamese eat pho everyday, at any time during the day. Pho vendors do business everywhere, from pushcarts to neighborhood street stalls, from pho restaurants to elegant bistros. But most importantly, pho is the food of the working people.

The Fall of Saigon and the Evolution of Pho

Conflicts between North and South Vietnam continued long after 1954. These conflicts were fueled by the Communist superpowers, namely the Soviet Union and Communist China, who gave their support to Communist North. Into the fray also came the Americans, who favored the Democratic South Vietnam. The conflicts became known as the Vietnam War, which raged full scale from 1963 to 1973, and ended in the Fall of Saigon in 1975.

The Fall of Saigon saw masses of Vietnamese people flee for their lives to various corners of the world. Many of them were accepted to the United States mainland in the few years immediately after 1975, while many others tried to escape in rickety boats as “boat people” for 15 or more years to come. These Vietnamese boat people created colonies in neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, although some even reached as far as Australia and even Europe.

Among the treasures that Vietnamese refugees brought with them from their homeland were their cherished pho recipes. Soon enough, restaurants serving pho emerged in the communities these Vietnamese migrants established in their country of exile, and these restaurants introduced pho to their non-Vietnamese neighbors.

As time went on, an evolution of pho was seen outside of Vietnam. Although the basic ingredients were retained, pho recipes were adapted to suit whatever ingredients were available locally. Non-Vietnamese who attempted to create their own version of pho also used techniques and ingredients that are far away from the traditional methods of creating pho.

One cannot stop evolution. Personally, I admire the creativity of these chefs, but if you want good pho, then go where the crowd eats. Chances are they eat the more authentic kind.

Vietnamese Pho Today

Outside of Vietnam many Vietnamese culinary experts have taken upon themselves to protect pho and help it retain its traditional identity. Pho has nonetheless taken on an adaptive nature. Many other versions of pho have emerged outside of Vietnam that contain seafood and pork and are called “pho” by their creators. Such dishes actually already exist in Vietnamese cuisine, being called “hu tieu” with different local variations.

For the pho connoisseurs, these so-called seafood or pork pho recipes cannot be considered pho in the strict traditional sense. In any case, the fact remains that pho has captured the fascination of people from all over the world because of the appeal of its distinct and layered flavors. There’s no question you’ll find great tasting and authentic pho in many of Vietnam’s local pho shops. But wherever you are in the world – whether in the United States, in Europe, in Australia or even in other Asian countries – you are sure to find a Vietnamese restaurant that serves pho as well, the authentic kind.

Also see “Pho in the U.S.: Sweeping North America Since 1975.” For an excellent recount of the Vietnamese experience and history of Little Saigon, see “Little Saigon, Orange County – California” by Wandering Chopsticks.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article and welcome your comments, corrections and suggestions. Share them with us in the comments below.

The History and Evolution of Pho: A Hundred Years’ Journey is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles