Chika is a Japanese content creator whose personal YouTube channel has over 1.6 million followers. She regularly shares videos about her travel experiences in each country she has the opportunity to visit such as the US, Indonesia, Vietnam, etc.

Not long ago, Chika and her friends traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and spent time exploring local cuisine. Among them, there was one dish that she especially loved. That was pho.

“I eat pho often but this is the first time I have enjoyed pho in Vietnam,” Chika said.

To enjoy this dish, Chika and her friends visited a long-standing pho restaurant located in a small alley on Pasteur Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The restaurant was honored in the Bib Gourmand category by Michelin in 2024.

Chika visited an 80-year-old pho restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy rare beef pho.

Here, the Japanese female tourist ordered a medium-sized bowl of rare pho, priced at 65,000 VND. She was surprised because the restaurant served spices such as lemon, chili and fresh herbs for diners to season as they pleased.

When the hot bowl of pho was served, Chika seemed delighted. She commented that the dish had a simple appearance but exuded a distinctive aroma, enough to excite diners and make them eager to enjoy it.

“The broth is so delicious. I added coriander leaves to make the pho more appealing,” Chika shared.

thumb pho Bac.gif
The guest tasted the broth and was surprised by the delicious flavor.

During the meal, the Japanese guest continuously expressed his satisfaction and praised the generous portion. “The bowl of pho is the perfect size. I finished it all. The taste is really delicious and I feel very satisfied,” Chika expressed.

At the end of the meal, she admitted that she was full and felt very happy to finally have pho in Vietnam.

Northern style pho 1.gif
Japanese female tourist praised the Northern style pho as delicious, slurping up the whole broth

The pho restaurant Chika visited has existed for over 80 years, founded by Mr. Tran Minh and his sister, Mrs. Nam. When they passed away, the pho restaurant was handed over to the second generation, Mrs. Sau (born in 1950, Mrs. Minh's daughter), who directly runs the kitchen. The assistant chef is Mr. Lam (Mrs. Nam's son).

The current owner of the restaurant is Ms. Dung (Mr. Minh's granddaughter) - the third generation to take over the family's traditional pho restaurant. Sharing with VietNamNet reporters, the restaurant representative said that the pho here has a Northern flavor.

The broth is fatty, clear, rich and has a natural sweetness from simmered bones. It does not use spices such as cinnamon, star anise, etc. like Southern pho, but has the aroma of ginger and lemongrass.

Nguyen Huu Anh Vu.jpg
Northern-style pho impresses diners with its broth, simmered from bones for many hours, with a naturally sweet and fatty taste. Photo: Nguyen Huu Anh Vu

“Over the generations, my family’s Northern pho flavor has been slightly modified to better suit the taste of Southerners. That is, adding blanched bean sprouts, herbs (basil, coriander, cilantro), lemon, and chili sauce, black bean sauce,” said the restaurant representative.

The restaurant currently sells familiar beef pho dishes like many other places, including rare beef pho, flank, brisket, tendon, and rump pho, priced from 65,000 - 85,000 VND/serving. In addition to pho, the restaurant also serves pate chaud, yogurt, and many other "homemade" drinks.

Photo: Bilingirl Chika

Pho without broth in Lang Son, customers can eat a few bowls to relieve boredom . Not served with hot broth like traditional pho dishes, this specialty pho dish in Lang Son attracts customers thanks to its coolness, with enough salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavors, suitable for eating to relieve heat and relieve boredom at the beginning of the year.