International visitors only know Vietnamese pho, why do we have to divide it into Nam Dinh pho or Hanoi pho?
Báo Dân trí•15/08/2024
(Dan Tri) - Westerners know about Vietnamese pho through the media and international culinary awards. However, they simply enjoy a dish based on their preferences, not caring whether the bowl of pho costs $2 or $100.
Dale, an American tourist who has lived in Hanoi for more than 5 years, calls himself a "pho addict". On weekend mornings, Dale often cycles or walks around Hoan Kiem Lake and then passes by Dong Xuan Market, then stops by a small pho restaurant on Hang Giay Street (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) for breakfast. Dale was introduced by a friend to this pho restaurant that has fresh beef, which is loved by many locals. He tried it for the first time in 2019 and has been a regular customer ever since. "Just by seeing me put down my bike stand or walk past, the owner and his wife knew I would order a bowl of rare beef with flank steak and lots of onions," Dale said. According to the male tourist, he accidentally learned that this is a 70-year-old pho restaurant from Nam Dinh during a conversation with the owner. But when enjoying it, he could not distinguish the flavor from many other pho restaurants in Hanoi. When introducing it to international friends, he only said "this is a delicious pho restaurant". Many international diners, like Dale, don't care much about the origins of pho.
"There is only one pho, that is Vietnamese pho"
According to journalist Vu Thi Tuyet Nhung, a culinary expert, Vietnamese people themselves find it difficult to distinguish the difference between the two types of pho Hanoi and pho Nam Dinh. "If we say that pho Nam Dinh is saltier, many pho restaurants in Hanoi, originally from Hanoi, are now also salty. In fact, pho Nam Dinh has long been an element of pho Hanoi. The people of Thanh Nam in the past came to Hanoi to make a living, bringing with them the recipe of the traditional pho dish, but after hundreds of years, these restaurants have contributed to creating the brand of pho Hanoi," said Ms. Tuyet Nhung. On August 12, when reading the information that the two types of pho Hanoi and pho Nam Dinh are both on the list of National Intangible Cultural Heritage (along with Quang noodles) announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ms. Tuyet Nhung said she felt quite surprised.
Western tourists visit a pho restaurant in Hanoi recommended by Michelin in the list of "delicious, affordable" restaurants (Photo: Minh Nhan).
Experts believe that dividing pho into two types and appearing together in one category is unnecessary. If pho is separated by region, Vietnam also has pho in Ha Giang, pho in Ho Chi Minh City is also famous. This may show the diversity of Vietnamese cuisine but makes it difficult to promote pho to the world. Sharing the same opinion, historian Duong Trung Quoc asked the question "If we divide like that, at some point, we may have to recognize pho in Ho Chi Minh City or even Vietnamese pho abroad as heritage?". In fact, the origin of pho is still controversial, with 3 popular hypotheses: Pho originated from the French dish "Pot-au-Feu"; pho originated from the Chinese dish Nguu Nhuc Phan and pho originated from the Vietnamese dish Bun Chao Buffalo. Many people agree that pho originated in Nam Dinh, then flourished in Hanoi, gradually becoming a popular dish. As the capital of the whole country, Hanoi helps pho spread more widely. Like Bun Thang, which originated in Pho Hien, Hung Yen, but really became popular in Hanoi. According to Mr. Duong Trung Quoc: "There is only one Pho, which is Vietnamese Pho". The world has recognized the value of Pho. In the future, if UNESCO recognizes Pho as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, it can only be recognized as "Vietnamese Pho".
On the right is a bowl of pho at a pho shop originally from Nam Dinh, on the left is a bowl of pho cooked with a recipe from a Hanoian (Photo: Minh Nhan). "Like quan ho, Bac Ninh initially proposed "quan ho Bac Ninh" but then had to file a dossier for quan ho Kinh Bac. Quan ho is a cultural exchange between the two banks of the Cau River, now belonging to two provinces, Bac Ninh and Bac Giang. Finally, international recognition determined it to be quan ho Kinh Bac. This is a relatively historical term, referring to a larger space than the current Bac Ninh province and part of Bac Giang province," Mr. Quoc gave an example. The distinction between pho and the locality for heritage recognition has led many people to believe that in the future, some localities will also propose to recognize pho or dishes that have been modified in that locality as heritage. This leads to laxity in honoring cuisine and the proliferation of titles. Historian Duong Trung Quoc believes that state agencies and professional associations must play a role in order to avoid the situation of "heritage running". In order for pho to become a national brand in the international culinary scene like Korean kimchi, Japanese sushi, etc., according to Duong Trung Quoc, the role of professional associations is most needed.
Traditional pho stalls from Nam Dinh have been present in Hanoi for decades, becoming a part of Hanoi's culinary culture (Photo taken in 2020) (Photo: Thanh Thuy).
The State should pay attention to providing legal and economic support, and at the same time, play a management role in supporting procedures, administration, mechanisms, etc., so that professional associations can make pho score points in the world's culinary scene. In addition, Mr. Duong Trung Quoc noted some opinions that the distinction between Hanoi pho and Nam Dinh pho as two heritages is only a domestic recognition, so diversity needs to be emphasized. This separation aims to stimulate more responsibility of localities in exploring, researching, honoring, and more importantly, creating an environment for heritage to continue to develop and serve life. Heritage does not mean the same as before, returning to the old, but rather originating from positive, core things for development. The development of society and culinary needs have given birth to many dishes. Each dish originally originated in a locality, but when introduced to another place, it will be varied and changed to suit each region, culture, and taste of the people. Pho is no exception.
It is important to "keep the flavor of pho"
Pho Quyet restaurant is located on Waseda Dori street, Takadonababa station area (Tokyo, Japan), although in the basement of a small building, it is always crowded with customers. Mr. Dang Huy Quyet, from Hanoi, the owner of this pho restaurant, said that he has been in Japan for more than 14 years, after many failed startups, he decided to choose pho to do business. Bringing a Vietnamese dish abroad, according to Mr. Quyet, the most important thing is to preserve the traditional flavor, so as not to confuse pho with any other dish. Diners in Japan often find it difficult to distinguish between types of pho, they only know that this is a famous Vietnamese soup dish, if it suits their taste, they will come back.
Westerners only know Vietnamese pho, the important thing is how we preserve and promote this dish to the world? (Photo: Thanh Thuy).
The same goes for Western visitors to Vietnam. Many people say that the only thing they can distinguish is the price of a bowl of pho: Is this bowl of pho 2 USD or 100 USD? With a more diverse experience, they can know that in addition to beef pho, there is chicken pho, mixed pho is different from pho in water... Finally, when describing pho, they simply remember a delicious pho restaurant. Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Ms. Hoang Minh Hien - a culinary artist recognized by UNESCO - said that in order for Vietnamese pho to truly develop and reach out to the world, the most important thing is to have the solidarity of all 100 million Vietnamese people. "We need to join hands to protect and develop pho as a symbol of national cuisine. Instead of focusing on regional differences, we should focus on enhancing the common value of Vietnamese pho," Ms. Hien said. The recognition of pho should be viewed from a national perspective to promote common strength and together bring Vietnamese pho to the world. Regardless of the region, pho must still retain the traditional flavor and essence of Vietnamese cuisine. Importantly, we need to preserve and promote the core values of pho, thereby creating a common consensus, avoiding local disputes so that Vietnamese pho can become a common pride of the whole nation.
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