Diana Neven (Dutch-Filipino) traveled to Vietnam a few months ago. She visited many places such as Hoi An (Quang Nam), Da Nang, Hue, Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City,... and did not forget to spend time exploring the cuisine in each locality.

Diana commented that Vietnamese cuisine is very attractive, especially pho. When she came to Ho Chi Minh City, she experienced several pho dishes with different flavors and prices. Among them, there is a destination that she suggests foreign tourists “must definitely go to” if they want to enjoy the “national” dish of the Vietnamese people.

The place Diana mentioned is a pho restaurant located in a small alley on Nam Ky Khoi Nghia Street (District 3, HCMC). The restaurant has been open for 60 years and is famous for its “standard Nam Dinh” pho, without any mix or variation.

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A Dutch female tourist visited a famous pho restaurant in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy Northern-style pho.

At the restaurant, Diana ordered a bowl of pho without coriander for 90,000 VND. She was surprised because after only a few minutes of waiting, the staff quickly served the dish.

According to the Western guest's observation, the bowl of pho was very full, with lots of chopped green onions and rare beef on top. When the bowl of pho was served, the hot broth gave off a fragrant aroma that made her want to enjoy it immediately.

“I was really excited when I smelled the delicious aroma of pho,” Diana said.

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90,000 VND Nam Dinh Pho that Diana enjoyed in HCMC

When tasting the first spoonfuls of broth, Diana commented that the taste was very appealing. She kept exclaiming and nodding in approval of the Northern pho in Ho Chi Minh City.

Diana was also impressed because the pho here was served with a bowl of raw onions and not with bean sprouts and black bean sauce like Southern pho. The restaurant staff also enthusiastically instructed her how to mix sweet and sour onions with some spices such as fish sauce, chili sauce, and sugar.

A female Dutch tourist commented that sweet and sour onions served with pho are quite unique, not pungent or unpleasant to eat.

“The pho noodles are delicious. The onions go really well with them. It’s an incredibly perfect combination,” Diana shared her thoughts.

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Western guest enjoys Nam Dinh pho at 60-year-old restaurant, admits to eating non-stop because of the delicious taste

At the end of the meal, the Western guest was satisfied with the pho she had just tasted. She rated the price of pho here as higher than the average, but she thought that the price was commensurate with the quality and flavor of the dish, worth enjoying.

“The pho restaurant is located in a beautiful area, and the food tastes incredibly delicious. The ingredients are really a perfect combination. I recommend you come here and try this pho once,” she said.

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Diana was satisfied with the meal and suggested this as one of the best pho restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City in her personal opinion.

Ms. Thuy Trang (born in 1974) - the owner of the pho restaurant that Diana visited said that the traditional Nam Dinh pho here has never changed its recipe even though it has been taken over and inherited by 3 generations.

The broth of pho is personally cooked by Trang or her younger sister, ensuring that no one interferes with the seasoning process, except family members.

The pho restaurant opens from 5am to 1pm, and is busiest in the morning. The restaurant serves a variety of ingredients to go with pho such as brisket, flank, rare, tendon, corn, blood, marrow, fertilized eggs, etc. with two prices: 90,000 VND and 100,000 VND/bowl.

The special thing is that the pho here is not served with black soy sauce or bean sprouts like other Northern pho restaurants, but only with green onions, coriander, cilantro, and a bowl of raw onions seasoned according to the diner's preference.

Photo: Diana Neven

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