Updated 01-03-10. By now you probably know how passionate I am about my beloved Vietnamese phở. With everything that’s going on in the pho industry, if you can call it that, from pho franchises to “new” forms of pho (seafood, pork, etc. – I’m shuddering brrr…) to pho shops owned by non-Viet restaurateurs, I have a serious concern for where the authentic pho as we know it may be heading – at least the version I know I like. Who cares, you say? Well I hope at least some people do.

Of course “authentic pho” itself is debatable, so let’s talk about influences.

Vietnamese Pho: Chinese and French Influences

Vietnam was under Chinese rule for about 1000 years, then another 100 years under the French after that, so one can make up his/her own mind about who gave what and how much influence to the Vietnamese. Pho is no exception.

If you haven’t done so, I invite you to read the following articles:

• The History and Evolution of Pho: A Hundred Years’ Journey
• Pho in the U.S.: Sweeping North America Since 1975

Nobody will argue against the fact that Viet culture definitely have Chinese influences. But for me, there’s also no argument about French influence either. In fact French was the second language in the country even during the Vietnam war, when the French were long gone and large number of Americans were there.

Many people fail to realize how strong the Viet-French tie has been and will ever will be. Even in the 10 or so years following 1975 when the Communist government in Vietnam closed up the country, it was the Europeans and specifically the French who came back to Vietnam first to open diplomatic relations. Everyone knows the French love Viet people and vice versa. The Communist Vietnamese took credit for kicking out the French, but they won’t admit that in post-1975 Vietnam depended even more on the French and was glad they came back as they did. It actually opened up the country again to Western investments, trades, education, and other good things.

One thing for sure though, Viet people (especially the commoners) adopted foreign words and added our own accents to make it “look” and “sound” right for our conversational use. The “ph” in “phở” is pronounced exactly as an “f” in French, since there is no letter f in the modern Viet alphabet. And I want to stress that there is no “p” sound in “phở” either.

Vietnamese Pho: American Influences

Here are a couple of things that happened after 1975 and is happening now. One, pho is now popular around the world due to the millions of Viet refugees who left the country since 1975. Without this key group of people I doubt if pho would have received much attention at all aside from a few tourists and foreigners adventurous enough to try out a bowl of pho. Two, with such large Viet communities in the U.S. and more and more Americans searching out for pho everyday, pho itself is being influenced by Americans, American way of life, and the American marketplace as we speak.

So how is pho being changed? Here are a few ways:

• The viral pho reason. As second, third and subsequent Vietnamese-American generations spread outside of the Vietnamese enclaves around the country, more and more Americans who consider themselves ”meat-and-potatoes” kind of diners will be exposed to pho and will add pho to their list of preferred Asian foods. But guess what? Pho will need to change to their palates, not the other way around, if the restaurants are to survive in areas outside of the Viet communities.
• The variety pho reason. Once Americans like something, they will demand choices, and there will be restaurateurs who will oblige. Already we’ve seen pho choices that a Vietnamese would not see or order in a more authentic Vietnamese restaurant. I’m talking about pho varieties with seafoods, pork, fish and other non-traditional ingredients. Again when the clientele demands, the restaurateurs will provide.
• The healthy pho reason. Pho itself is probably already more healthy than the typical American foods though I haven’t seen any clear proof of this. With millions of Americans actively out searching for healthier diets, many already found what they need in Vietnamese foods. The trend will be even more creative and non-traditional pho to be offered by restaurateurs in the forms of vegetarian, tofu, and other non-red meat ingredients.
• The alternate ingredients reason. Let’s face it, when a Vietnamese restaurant owner ventures outside of the Viet community, fresh ingredients will become harder to acquire locally. The net result will be more expensive pho, or pho without the right ingredients. While this maybe a small issue for some, it can and will contribute to the creation of morphed versions of pho, as the local clientele wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
• The parallel tracks reason. Since 1975, there are multiple versions of pho that continue to develop around the world. It’s hard enough to track the changing pho in Vietnam. We now have pho sold around the world. It’s not that easy to put your fingers on it, and it’ll be interesting to see how all this will transpire.

So there you have it. Pho is changing. Regardless of if you’re for or against it, or maybe don’t even care, you can’t stop it. The only thing you and I can do is to help control it through our own pocketbooks. I know we have urges to try something new all the time, but I also know I need to give my continued business to good authentic pho restaurants who go out of their ways to do it right. There are real and important reasons to patronize good pho restaurants, because if they go away, you’ll never know what you’ll get in their places.

So take thisa poll on the subject.

Pho Is Changing – Chinese, French and Now American Influences 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

Vegetarian pho, or phở chay, has never been about healthy eating in Vietnam. Of course there are people who must go the vegetarian way due to health or personal belief reasons, but for the majority of the population, pho chay, and other chay foods, are more about observing strict non-meat meals as part of the Buddhist religious observance. Now with pho being quite popular in the U.S. and the population becoming more conscious about leading a healthy lifestyle, it’s only natural that restaurants offer vegetarian pho or pho chay on their menus.

Pho is the well-known Vietnamese rice noodle dish. The authentic version has its broth made using beef or chicken bones, then served together with various kinds of beef or chicken meats. The noodle dish is essentially a meat-based dish. In the words of Asian cookbook author Corinne Trang, pho is really two separate dishes in one: the broth, and the noodle with its ingredients. It would take good skills and experience to create imitation pho, which is exactly what vegetarian pho is.

A vegetarian pho, or “pho chay,” can be vegetarian on at least 2 levels. I’m a purist so, to me, vegetarian means absolutely no meat. For many of my American friends, however, vegetarian might mean no meat, but seafood is okay. You can find both varieties at pho restaurants in the U.S. If in doubt, ask the restaurateur of what’s actually in their pho chay. Or alternatively, you can find more authentic vegan dishes at strictly vegetarian restaurants, which are popping up like mushrooms around Little Saigon, CA.

A real and completely vegetarian pho is made entirely from vegetables. Instead of using meats and bones, the broth depends entirely on vegetable ingredients such as leeks, wheat gluten (mock beef, chicken, etc.,) tofu and mushrooms for flavors and textures. Important pho ingredients are definitely retained to keep the pho flavors, and as long as they are not meat-based. These include onion, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and the likes. Vegan or not, pho would not be pho without these ingredients to give pho its unique aroma.

For devoted Buddhists, some root vegetables like onion and garlic may also be excluded. If you have a chance to try vegetarian foods served at a Buddhist temple, you’ll notice that it’s a lot simpler and may taste bland to the common person. The point is it has nothing to do with enjoying a meal at the temple (hardly the proper place to look for culinary creation,) but everything to do with knowing you have a meal without killing an animal. Temple chay foods are true vegetarian and healthy, but once vegan foods get to the restaurants, chefs spice things up to make it more attractive to paying customers. Most vegan dishes at these places are quite good to eat, and many are really excellent.

Vegetarian pho or pho chay will never be as popular as pho bo and pho ga, but when done right, it’s an excellent vegan choice.

Share your favorite pho chay restaurant experience with us in the comment below.

Vegetarian Pho or Pho Chay – a Tasty Healthy Vegan Choice is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 09-22-09. Here are some stats on Vietnamese pho restaurants in the U.S. – part of a market analysis project I’m working on. The results are still preliminary but worth sharing. I had many sources, but the data presented here came from PhoFever.com’s own Pho Restaurant Directory. Thanks to Tom Nguyen of PhoFever.com for keeping up the database. I’ll share other interesting info as they become available.

Caveat #1. The pho restaurant industry in the U.S. is quite dynamic, and with the popularity of pho on the increase, new pho restaurants are open all the time. I don’t think there is a list anywhere that can call itself a complete pho restaurant directory. Since many available pho restaurant lists are really voluntary efforts, meaning the restaurants are either submitted by the restaurateurs themselves, or by diners giving reviews, the “most complete” list would have to be one that is active and updated often. I think PhoFever.com’s directory is a good starting point.

One thing is for sure: the actual pho restaurant industry is larger than shown here. Once we can include them all, I’m sure adjustments of the rankings for some markets will need to be made. Not all, just some.

Caveat #2. Because of the dynamic nature of the pho market and the voluntary nature of these databases, absolute numbers are not available at this point. Much more important, though, are trends for relative comparison and quick glance purposes. You won’t find exact numbers here, or anywhere else.

Caveat #3. Many many Vietnamese restaurants offer pho, but some specialty restaurants do not. Though they exist, I don’t expect many non-pho restaurants present in PhoFever.com’s Directory.

On with the stats. Below are some snapshots of the data. The market analysis itself is much more extensive. Click on the graphics to get larger versions.

Top U.S. Cities With Pho Restaurants

The first graph shows the top 15 American cities with the largest number of pho restaurants. Many of us take for granted that we have a pho shop right around the corner, within driving distance, or multiple places to go for our pho fix. For many others, such luxury is not available to them. Much more detailed stats to come.

Pho Restaurants in California Cities

An overwhelming number of Vietnamese live in California, with many many more pho lovers who are not Vietnamese. Here are the number of restaurants doing business in California cities. San Francisco leads the pack with trendy places, high tech-mined population, cool young and old people (both restaurateurs and diners,) and a huge number of Chinese/Viet descents. My San Diego is not doing too bad at rank number 5. Collectively though, Orange County is still the place to go if large numbers matter to you.

Pho Restaurants by States

Of course east and west coasts of the U.S. have the most pho restaurants. Houston, Texas stands its own ground smack in the center of the country, of course with a very large Viet presence there. So what’s amazing? It’s the fact that, though still sparse in many places, there are now pho restaurants in all 50 states, including Alaska, Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota! The U.S. is a big place, so there’s still some more work to do.

Stay tuned for more stats from the analysis.

Pho Restaurants in the United States – Pho on the Move is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

The pho menu needs a major improvement or facelift. Pho noodle itself is great, but the pho menu needs to get with the 21st century. Here’s why.

Existing Pho Menu - Too Many Choices

Vietnamese pho is poised for an explosive growth around the world; it already started by some estimates. Pho as a dish should retain its authenticity, taste and tradition, but the pho menu needs to be upgraded if pho stands any chance of really going global and staying global. Pho menu needs a better appeal to a wider audiences outside of the Viet communities.

Too Many Unnecessary Choices

Starting in North Vietnam, Pho Bac or Northern Pho is pretty much available at street vendors as a single dish. Once brought to the South in 1945, pho took on more elaborate form with many options of meat and garnishes added. Pho restaurants in the South present customers with a menu that include all combination and permutation possible of the same pho bowl. Forty five years later the same practice continues, as it migrated with Viet immigrants to all corners of the globe.

Looking at the pho restaurant market, there are really only 2 groups of pho customers: one already knows pho, the other does not.

The fact is, when ordering pho, Vietnamese and many many non-Viet diners do not need to look at the menu. On rare occasions, he/she (more likely a she through my observations) may want something else for that meal, thus he/she wants to look at the pho menu. But for the vast majority of us, we know what we’re there for.

Much Improved, More Simplification Still Needed, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 3

The Trouble With Current Pho Menus

So what’s the real problem? Considering the non-Viet clientele and those new to pho, let’s start with these:

• Too many choices. Too many combinations and permutations of the same thing as already described above.
• Unfamiliar ingredients and terminologies. Let’s face it, pho is ethnic food outside of Vietnam, definitely in the U.S. Facing the challenge of conveying pho and its ingredients in English terms, early Viet immigrants did okay by strictly translating ingredients. At times these translations are a little too literally and may not be suitable for menu use.
• Culturally “unconventional,” odd, strange and scary meat parts. Many meat ingredients in pho are nonexistent on an American or Western dinner plate. When you talk about diners taking a “risk” to try the tendon, tripe, etc., you pretty much just created an obstacle in helping pho expand in popularity.
• Lack of explanation on proper use of garnishes. Thai basil, culantro and bean sprouts are important pho experiences, along with the chili sauce and hoisin sauce for pho. “Foreign” diners are left on their own to figure these out by themselves.
• Missing chicken meat choices for chicken pho. Beef pho is the king of pho, but chicken pho is very good too. On most menus chicken pho may be mentioned as a single item. This is true even for restaurants well known for their chicken pho! What more, that single chicken pho item is listed as the last item under the beef pho menu. Pho restaurants in the U.S. are missing an opportunity to sell thousands of chicken pho bowls to non-red meat diners.

Good Explanation of Ingredients and Options, Pho Hoa Franchise Menu Page 4

What Is Pho Really?

Why not just tell or show what pho really is? If you really look at it, pho is quite simple to serve and to order, and the menu should reflect this fact. Any bowl of pho (pho bo or pho ga) consistently contains the following:

• Pho noodle, or bánh phở: the square variety of rice noodle.
• From-the-kitchen garnishes: the standard chopped green onions (scallions) and cilantro.
• Pho broth: either beef or chicken broth option.
• Choice of meats: various beef or chicken meats. Chicken pho has many options or choices of chicken meats and parts as well, but these are excluded or omitted outright.

Once served at the table, diners can further customize with additional garnishes and sauces. That’s it. There are not 20 or 25 pho dishes to choose from.

Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal

Existing pho menus can benefit from a good facelift. A very attractive design, with clear explanation, and great graphical elements will help take pho menus, and pho itself, mainstream. Content-wise, solution for a better pho menu should consist of the following characteristics:

1. Simplify description of pho choices. Keep it easy to understand.
2. Explain ingredients and their terminologies. Add photos or other helpful visual cues.
3. Describe unfamiliar meat choices and meat parts. Elaborate on their tastes, textures, etc. and why they’re important to pho.
4. Provide instructions on how to enjoy the garnishes and sauces. Present brief dos and don’ts.
5. Provide clear options for phở gà or chicken pho. Add a separate section for chicken pho and give it the same level of attention as beef pho section.

Several pho restaurants already made attempts to improve their menus, most probably to differentiate from the competition and/or to appeal to more clientele. In doing so they are (deliberately or inadvertently) taking their pho menus in the right direction. For now these are the exception rather than the rule though, and it will take more to go mainstream.

David McGaw's Repaired Pho Menu

Pho Hoa (the franchise) incorporated some innovative features in their menu, which are very helpful for pho diners. See the graphics above.

To the right is another great example. It’s David McGaw‘s repaired pho menu. It’s got many elements that can provide inspiration for improved pho menus. Read his full write-up on pho menu.

So pho restaurants, having a large pho menu does not equate to having quality pho – the two are mutually independent. But having clear and easy to understand pho menu will improve your clientele’s pho experience, and will definitely attract new business.

Pho franchises should take note.

Improving the Pho Menu For Mainstream Appeal is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Editor’s note: From time to time LovingPho.com features guest posts offering various interesting views on pho. This is a guest post from a Filipino acquaintance.

Updated 09-15-09. Vietnamese pho is, without argument, the most well-known noodle dish in Vietnamese cuisine. Pho noodle has swept all across the world, making those who tasted it so enamored with the dish that they always want more. So how is Vietnamese pho doing in the Philippines, a mere 1000 or so miles east of Saigon? Are Filipinos as taken in by pho as, say, the Americans and the Australians?

Filipinos Loves Foods

No doubt, Filipinos love good food. They have an active interest in food and they will try anything at least once. And since the Philippines is the land of the infamous balut (duck embryo) and barbecued chicken intestines, among other exotic fare, you can be sure in the knowledge that Filipinos can be adventurous with their food.

This innate love for good food and the fact that the Filipinos are quick to embrace foreign cultures explain why foreign cuisine is so well represented in the Philippines. Spanish, Tex-Mex, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Australian, German, Middle Eastern – you name the cuisine, and you are highly likely to find it in the Philippines. No surprise, Vietnamese cuisine is well represented in this country as well.

Vietnamese Pho in the Philippines

Admittedly, the craze for Vietnamese pho has not yet taken root in the Philippines. The presence of pho in the Philippines can be felt, and pho does have its own fan base among Filipinos, but not as strongly as might be expected. The Philippines is a melting pot of cuisines and pho is just one among many that are trying to gain the fickle taste buds of the Filipinos.

In the Philippines, pho has strong competition among both foreign and local dishes. Japanese and Chinese noodle soups are well loved by Filipinos, at least partially because they are very good and because they’ve been here much longer than pho. The notorious tom yam soup from Thailand has its own followings. In fact the Filipinos themselves have their own soups that are just as flavorful as pho.

Nonetheless, if you are in the Philippines and you want pho, just head to one of the numerous malls in the country. You will inevitably find a Vietnamese restaurant there that serves pho. Some of the more popular Vietnamese restaurant chains in the Philippines are:

• Pho Hoa. Pho Hoa belongs to a franchised chain whose parent company is based in California. Pho Hoa serves pho in the southern Vietnamese style, and diners can choose from many standard meat cuts they want in their pho.
• Pho Bac. Pho Bac (Northern Pho) is also a franchised chain in the Philippines. Contrary to its name, the place does offer a choice of southern Vietnamese style pho.
• Pho 24. Pho 24, the most successful chain of restaurants specializing in pho directly from Saigon, Vietnam, also has a presence in the Philippines. Company owner Ly Quy Trung has expanded his company worldwide through franchise agreements, and the Philippines is among those covered.
• Independent pho shops. Many Vietnamese in the Philippines patronize other independent Vietnamese restaurants and Vietnamese pho shops as well. These are general established by Viet refugees before the franchises came in, their quality are very good, and they continue to be strong competitors in the pho war.

Pho Still Has A Long Way to Go Yet

If you want pho in the Philippines, you will definitely find it inside many malls and in Vietnamese and Chinese ethnic business areas. Authenticity is generally up there, and pho in the Philippines is as good as one can get within and outside of Vietnam. It has its niche of followers, but it still has a long way to go in the Philippines.

Pho in the Philippines: Have Filipinos Taken to the Pho Phenomenon? is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Updated 06-14-10. There’s an interesting thread going on over at ChowHound.com titled “Best place for pho in NYC?” so I joined in. People were sharing their experience of pho quality, etc. of different NYC restaurants. One of the comments I made was “…it’s pretty hard to screw up pho if the restaurateur knows anything about Vietnamese food…” and someone asked:

Your post makes me curious about Vietnamese people’s expectations, standards, and ideals for Pho vs. non-Vietnamese. If it is pretty hard to screw up pho, why do so many people say there is zero good pho in NYC?

Can you describe the characteristics of great pho from your perspective?

So that got me writing a 613 word response, he he. Once I got going on pho, there’s no stopping…

Anyway there are many things I said about pho quality and expectation of pho quality in that post that I thought would be interesting to readers of LovingPho.com. I’d write a similar post about the subject anyway but since I already wrote it there, here’s the full text to share with you.

I think it’s pretty extreme that someone can say “there is zero good pho in NYC.” There are large Viet communities in NYC so of course there are good Viet foods, pho included. It’s like saying “there is zero good Chinese fried rice in NYC,” or “there is zero good pizza in NYC.”

Admittedly “good” is always a personal judgement. For Viet people growing up with pho, we know what pho is supposed to be and taste like. Except for a bit of discussion about how much MSG may be in the broth, Viet people just don’t analyze pho, the way this post [thread] does for example So by the natural law of pho authenticity, bad pho restaurants will not survive and will disappear.

Now we bring in non-Viet clientele. By definition this group didn’t grow up with pho, and because there are more chatters among those in this group, any misinformation/misunderstanding can easily propagate far and wide. For example, there is no such thing as seafood pho or pork pho or vegetable pho. But enterprising restaurateurs created them to attract non-Viet clients. Another example is there is no substitution for banh pho noodle in pho. But non-Viet clients may ask for egg noodles instead and the restaurant will oblige. They just sold another bowl and that’s all they care about. In this environment, bad pho restaurants can survive or even flourish, further propagating the confusion about pho authenticity.

So what would I consider great pho? I’ll just put it this way: it’s both hard and easy to tell a non-Viet friend. It’s hard because I can’t tell you using words what pho is supposed to taste like even if I write a book on it; I can tell you about ingredients and freshness, etc but it won’t help. And it’s easy because you can find this out yourself. There are 3 ways so let me explain.

1. My assumption here is most non-Viet people who talk about pho must have had pho at least several times to have any opinion about it. It would take at least several bowls of pho for you to feel, smell, taste the goodness of the dish, either at the same restaurant or different ones. Maybe you like it the first time and decide to eat pho again. But there is no way for a non-Viet to say it’s good pho or bad pho after one sitting. You may personally like or dislike it, but you can’t comment on its authenticity and quality. So only through several sittings will you be able to judge.
2. Obviously you can get help from a Viet friend, and make a judgement from there. Still your personal experience must come in sooner or later, but you now have some baseline to compare to.
3. Or, for both first-timers and the experienced, you can take the short cut as I wrote before. If a Viet restaurant has no Viet clientele then I’d continue my walk. A crowded pho shop with Vietnamese slurping away is a sure sign of decent pho!

Sorry for the long post but I hope to have somewhat answered your question [...].

Oh one more thing. If you run into a Chinese-run restaurant that offers Vietnamese foods, don’t be too quick to question its authenticity or quality. The Chinese have a large population living in Vietnam, so in all practicality their foods can be good Viet foods. If a Chinese also speaks Vietnamese, then you can be sure he/she came from Vietnam, and to a large extent, he/she knows Viet foods (but oftentimes with strong Chinese influence.) Not like in Europe where people from adjacent countries can speak several languages, if a Chinese restaurateur didn’t live in Vietnam, there’s no reason for him/her to speak Vietnamese, unless he/she is a linguistic professor or a diplomat.

On Viet People’s Expectations, Standards, and Ideals for Pho vs. Non-Viet 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.


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• 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

The popularity of pho is rapidly spreading, and here in the Philippines, the pho-nomenon is currently on the rise. Although it is not extremely popular, the pho industry here in the Philippines thrives on certain market niches such as health conscious eaters, diet watchers, food lovers, and the huge Chinese and the growing Korean population.

The first few restaurants made their way to the area not because of high demand but to take advantage of franchise and expansion opportunities. In fact, when the first pho restaurants opened, several people were not familiar with the dish and the types of food served. Most were unsure how the word “pho” should be read. But when the pho restaurants came, they conquered, and eventually, pho became a cultural favorite among families and friends, especially those who love to try culinary varieties and for those who like to experience different culture, with pho being a representative of the Vietnamese, and partly of the Asian, culture.

Pho Hoa Franchise

The most popular pho restaurant in the country today is Pho Hoa, which is part of Pho Hoa franchise headquartered in Northern California. Pho Hoa now has eleven branches scattered across metropolitan Manila and Quezon City, the main branch being the Tomas Morato location in Quezon City. Aside from that, Pho Hoa can also be found in Makati, Greenhills, Libis, and other much farther locations such as Alabang and Pampanga. Some of the locations can be found in malls, enjoying a regular and constant stream of casual diners and mall visitors.

As for the other branches, these are the testimonies of the popularity of pho in the Philippines since customers actually go out of their way to visit these locations. Pho Hoa is currently the leading pho restaurant in the country, serving authentic and enticing pho dishes and other Vietnamese culinary treats. The food offered are truly Vietnamese and when you eat there, you can smell and feel the flavor of exotic pho in the air, completing your Vietnamese culinary experience. read more about Pho Hoa franchise.

Pho Bac

Pho Bac Metro Manila. Photo courtesy RonnieR, skyscrapercity.com.

Following not far behind in terms of popularity is Pho Bac. Pho Bac has often been compared with Pho Hoa. Even if a lot of customers still prefer Pho Hoa, Pho Bac has its own unique offers.

Noticeably, the Pho Bac restaurant interior feels a little homier than most Pho Hoa branches. Pho Hoa has a casual air, while Pho Bac feels cozier. A lot of pho lovers seem to prefer the casual atmosphere for eating pho because it livens up the experience, but the Pho Bac locations have their own appeal.

Comments about Pho Bac vary; some find that it lacks the authentic Vietnamese touch and the food is not as good as those served in Pho Hoa. On the other hand, for those who want to be able to enjoy Vietnamese food for the taste and not as a food expert or a culinary critic will definitely find the Pho Bac menu tempting and comfortable at the same time.

Pho 24

Aside from Pho Hoa and Pho Bac, Pho 24 is also gaining popularity among Filipino and Filipino-Chinese eaters. Pho 24, like Pho Hoa, is another popular international pho franchise brand headquartered in Saigon, Vietnam. It has a branch in Makati, with the restaurant brightly lit and decorated in Southeast Asian theme to stay true to Vietnam’s culture.

The food is great and authentic, though in terms of popularity, it has not yet reached Pho Hoa’s level since the latter came to the country earlier. Pho 24′s mall-based location, however, helps it bring in a steady flow of customers looking for Asian food, noodles, or simply something different. Read more about Pho 24 franchise.

Now, gone were the days when the people in the Philippines were baffled at the exotic-looking restaurants with the unusual names. The pho scene in the Philippines is on a continuous growth spurt. The niches are also starting to break, as more and more people become acquainted with pho and definitely hooked to it. The battle for pho supremacy in the Philippines may have already started.

Pho in the Philippines – Battle for Pho Supremacy is Heating Up is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

There are a number of Pho 79s within Little Saigon in Orange County CA, with many more in adjacent cities and even out of state. Pho 79 is a popular name since many Viet arrived in the U.S. in 1979, plus many restaurants opened in Little Saigon in 1979 as well. My first bowls of pho in Little Saigon were actually at this Pho 79. There were very few pho restaurants in existence back then, and those in business were always packed with Vietnamese slurping their pho like there was no tomorrow.

But I haven’t been back here in at least 10 years! Can you imagine that? Not that I stopped eating pho. Far from it. Maybe because this particular place seems less convenient to get to than many newly open pho shops – it’s tucked away behind a strip mall. Maybe it looks too rundown and tired and old compared to the more hip looking places with shiny colors and lights. But I’m a marketing guy, and I should know that it’s not always about the look on the outside. It’s the content that matters.

So I decided to pay Pho 79 a visit. And I was not disappointed. If you want good pho at great price without the frills, don’t overlook Pho 79. Its pho is very good. The meat tastes great as does most everything else in my bowl. The sprouts, basil and culantro are of peak freshness, while the broth and noodle itself are just right for me.

Pho 79 on Hazard Avenue Little Saigon

Pho bo (beef: rare, well-done brisket, tripe) at Pho 79

June 1, 2009

Pho bo (beef: rare, well-done brisket, tripe).

• Pho noodle: (5/5)
• Soup stock: (5/5)
• Meats: (5/5)
• Garnishes*: freshness (5/5)
• Garnishes: extra point for fresh ngo gai (3/5)
• Price: Baseline ($5-7), no extra points or deductions.
• Extra points: +3 for cleanliness, considering the establishment’s age.
• Total points: 26 out of possible 35.

* No points for expected garnishes of sprouts, Thai basil, lime and chiles.

Pho 79 (Little Saigon, Orange County, CA)
9941 Hazard Avenue, Garden Grove 92844
714-531-2490

Pho 79 on Hazard Avenue in Little Saigon – Still Good and Dependable Pho is a post from: Vietnamese Pho Noodles