Vietnamese Pho Flavors Are Ready to Spread in Seoul, South Korea

The organizers exchanged information with representatives of Vietnamese and Korean pho restaurants - Photo: QUANG DINH

The Organizing Committee of the Vietnam Pho Festival in Korea - Vietnam Pho Festival held a meeting to deploy preparations for the event which will take place on October 5 and 6 in Seoul, Korea.

Many pho brands continue to accompany

This year, Vietnam Pho Festival has nearly 20 pho brands from Vietnam to Korea, including "famous" pho shops such as Pho Dau, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Sen, Pho Thin Bo Ho - 1 Hang Tre, Pho Ta... In addition, there are also popular brands such as Artichoke pho, corn pho from Ha Giang...

In particular, Saigontourist Group also brings along the group's famous culinary brands, from four high-end hotels, including Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon, Saigon - Morin (Hue) and the brand Pho Thu Duc Golf Restaurant.

Interestingly, the pho brands that were present in Japan at last year's festival all understand the hardships and joys, but they still want to continue to be present in Korea this year.

Ms. Le Thi Giau - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Binh Tay Food Joint Stock Company - said that with the desire to enhance the value of Vietnamese rice grains, bringing rice-based dishes into healthy foods, such as pho, vermicelli or rice paper, pure Vietnamese dishes to international friends, the company will accompany Tuoi Tre newspaper to Korea for the second time.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan - head chef, representative of Sasco Company, known for the brand Pho Sen - also shared that he had a plan to prepare pho noodles and fresh pho noodles a day before departure to bring the best quality food to the festival. "From the experience of participating last year, we are also more confident and better organized when coming to Korea," Mr. Tan confidently said.

For the first time participating, Ms. Tran Thi Hoai Khanh, representative of Pho Atiso, expressed more concerns. Because, unlike other pho brands, Pho Atiso has its own characteristics in the pho noodles and broth with the indispensable ingredient being the artichoke.

"We prepare the spice base as well as preserve the pho noodles so that we can easily transport and introduce the true flavor of Artichoke pho," Ms. Khanh said.

Pho restaurants discuss and prepare logistics to bring pho "overseas" to Korea on October 5 and 6 - Photo: QUANG DINH

Bring your brand to life through stories

Mr. Tran Xuan Toan - Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, representative of the organizing committee - said that choosing Korea as the place to introduce pho has a lot of meaning in the context of the economic, tourism and trade relations between the two countries being extremely favorable and developing well.

Pho represents the rich and diverse cuisine of Vietnam. And the event can only be successful if the pho restaurants have the best preparation. The organizers will also make every effort to support the preparation so that the pho restaurants can bring their own "soul and essence" of pho to Korea.

Not only is the source of fresh ingredients ready for different options, but each pho restaurant also prepares its own stories to tell international friends. This is also the unique feature of the festival.

"With many pho restaurants, I also hope that you will interact and tell diners the story of your brand, through which you introduce the destination and delicious Vietnamese dishes. Because unlike other culinary festivals, visitors to the Vietnam Pho Festival not only enjoy delicious dishes but they also learn and ask about Vietnamese dishes, preparation methods, and culture," Mr. Xuan Toan added.

Ms. Le Thi Giau, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Binh Tay Food Joint Stock Company, said she will invite record holder Mai Dinh Toi - an artist nicknamed 'musical instrument wizard' to the festival in Korea - Photo: QUANG DINH

Talking about the Korean way of eating pho, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuyen - owner of Pho Khoe restaurant in Seoul, Korea - said that with many years of experience in the pho business in Korea and being quite successful, the taste of foreign pho restaurants can only be 70% standard compared to a delicious bowl of pho in Vietnam.

"The problem when cooking pho abroad as well as in Korea is that beef bones and beef are needed. However, with strict regulations in Korea, fresh meat and bones must be purchased locally and cannot be imported. This means that pho restaurants only bring traditional Vietnamese spices or the "secret" of cooking pho of their brands. Even take-away fish sauce is limited in quantity," Mr. Tuyen informed.

Foreigners love Vietnamese pho and Koreans also have their own taste of pho, salty, but not salty from fish sauce.

As someone who has trained many pho restaurants and participated in many culinary events and festivals, Mr. Tuyen happily expressed his willingness to support pho brands from Vietnam to participate in the Vietnam Pho Festival. "This is an event to promote Vietnamese cuisine to the international community and anyone would be proud to contribute to this journey," Mr. Tuyen told Tuoi Tre Online.

Strengthening cultural and economic exchanges between Vietnam and Korea

35 famous traditional pho stalls from Vietnam and Korea will be present at Vietnam Pho Festival alongside other delicious dishes such as Saigon sandwiches, grilled meat sandwiches, spring rolls...

Mr. Luu Khanh Hiep - chef of Grand Saigon Hotel - said that following the success in Japan, at the festival held in Korea this year, the hotel will bring Saigon sandwiches, grilled meat sandwiches... which are very popular with Korean tourists when they come to the hotel. "We carefully select ingredients, adjust spices and flavors to satisfy Korean diners the most", Mr. Hiep said.

According to the organizers, the festival has many parts but pho will still be the soul of the event. The organizers hope that pho restaurants will join hands to introduce and promote Vietnamese culinary culture, especially traditional pho, to the Korean people, raising the value of Vietnamese cuisine and affirming the position of pho on the world culinary map.

Through cuisine, cultural exchange between Vietnam and Korea will be enhanced, contributing to promoting tourism and economic cooperation between the two countries.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/huong-vi-pho-viet-san-sang-lan-toa-o-seoul-han-quoc-20240916085259632.htm