Max McFarlin (from Arkansas, USA) has been in Vietnam for more than 4 years and currently lives and works mainly in Ho Chi Minh City. He is also a famous foreign YouTuber with a personal channel of more than 700,000 followers, regularly sharing videos about street food in Vietnam.

Max revealed that he really likes Vietnamese dishes, including "national" names such as pho, banh mi, and broken rice. During a recent trip to Australia, Max invited his close friend Bao to explore Vietnamese dishes in Bankstown (southwest of Sydney, New South Wales).

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Max (right) and his friend Bao enjoy Vietnamese pho in Australia.

At Bao's suggestion, the two went to a famous pho restaurant in the area to enjoy the most typical Vietnamese dish.

“You know, I don’t eat pho often, but when I want to, I definitely go to this shop. In my personal opinion, this is one of the places worth visiting in Sydney,” Bao said.

As for Max, he thinks that on such a cool and beautiful day, pho is a great choice.

At the restaurant, Max ordered beef pho and Bao had chicken pho. The first thing that impressed the Western guests was that the table was already served with a plate of vegetables to go with the pho, including bean sprouts, basil, lemon and fresh chili. In addition, diners can add satay, red sauce (chili) and black sauce.

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A bowl of beef pho costs nearly 350,000 VND that a Western customer enjoyed at a famous Vietnamese pho restaurant in Bankstown.

Max loves pho and has tried many different versions of pho in Vietnam, so as soon as the staff brought the dish, he commented: "This is definitely southern-style pho."

He explained that perhaps because the Vietnamese in Bankstown are mainly from the South, the pho here is seasoned to suit the general taste of diners.

To make the pho taste more familiar and appealing, Bao ordered an extra serving of coriander leaves to go with it.

Max said that if you want to get the best taste, you should try the broth first. “Oh, that's what I expected. The broth is rich, with a hint of sweetness and a hint of spices, like ginger because I find it spicy.”

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Two guests tasted the broth and expressed their satisfaction.

The American then added bean sprouts and basil leaves to the bowl of pho and continued to enjoy it. He commented that the pho dish looked attractive, was full of beef, and was accompanied by various types of beef.

“The noodles are smooth and soft, and the beef almost melts in my mouth, just the way I like it. I don’t like beef that’s too fatty or greasy, but I want it to be soft enough to chew and feel like I’m actually eating a piece of meat.”

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Western guest commented that the pho was “perfectly cooked”

At the end of the meal, Max paid a total of 43.5 AUD (Australian dollars, more than 725,000 VND), including: Beef pho for 20.5 AUD (nearly 350,000 VND); Chicken pho with a poached egg for 21 AUD (more than 350,000 VND) and the coriander portion for 2 AUD (nearly 34,000 VND).

Explaining the high price of coriander, Bao said that this vegetable is very difficult to grow in Australia. It is mainly grown by Vietnamese people here, and the yield is very small so it is only served when customers demand it.

According to Max, he thinks that Vietnamese pho in Australia and America has similar flavors. Bao thinks that the taste of pho here is quite similar to some famous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City that specialize in serving Southern-style pho such as Pho Le and Pho Hoa Pasteur.

Max and Bao enjoy some Vietnamese dishes in Australia such as banh cuon, banh mi, banh xeo.

It is known that, in addition to pho, during their time exploring Bankstown, Max and Bao also stopped by some other restaurants to enjoy Vietnamese dishes such as: Banh cuon cha, banh xeo tom, banh mi heo quay.

Max commented that the dishes were delicious and the flavors were appealing. He plans to continue to search for and enjoy Vietnamese dishes in other areas around Sydney with his close friend.

Photo: Mac Oi

Japanese tourists enjoy pho for 150,000 VND at Noi Bai airport, praise it as delicious . Visiting a famous pho restaurant in Noi Bai airport, a Japanese female tourist ordered a traditional beef pho, with a plate of fresh fruit and a carbonated drink, totaling nearly 150,000 VND. She praised the pho as delicious, worthy of being a "must-try dish in Vietnam".