In the freezing cold wind, a delicious bowl of pho is like 'a luxury for children in the highlands'

Students clean up the school, preparing for the Pho Yeu Thuong festival – Photo: HONG QUANG

From the intersection of National Highway 70 to Primary and Secondary School No. 1 in Phuc Khanh Commune (Bao Yen District, Lao Cai), along both sides of the road, many sections of trees are still withered and broken.

Along the only inter-commune road, many steep slopes are still littered with rocks and soil, with some sections where the road surface has collapsed to only half its original size – the result of the historic floods three months ago.

Phuc Khanh Commune Inter-level School No. 1 is located at the end of the main road, a turn to Lang Nu village, a distance of nearly 5 kilometers. This is also the place where students from all over the surrounding highlands come to learn.

Highland children are eager for Pho Yeu Thuong

The sound of the school bell broke the quiet atmosphere of the afternoon in the highlands. Hundreds of students rushed out of their classrooms, their voices calling to each other, echoing throughout the school yard.

Putting away his books, Bao (7 years old) and his friend quickly ran back to the warehouse. He took the broom and gave his friend the dustpan.

This afternoon, students from both grades cleaned the school yard to prepare for the Pho Yeu Thuong event on December 12. Every fallen leaf and piece of paper was carefully picked up and put in a collection area.

Dinner for boarding students at school No. 1, Phuc Khanh commune – Photo: HONG QUANG

The winter sky on the mountain town darkens faster than usual, the bell rings an hour later, it is also the teacher calling the children to dinner.

Since the terrible landslide in Lang Nu village, students from all over the highlands have been boarding at school, both to ensure safety and to have access to better care.

Tonight's dinner consisted of meat and vegetables, divided evenly among the plates. The students sat together, cozy in the dining area. Outside, the cold wind from the highlands was biting.

The story of the event of eating pho was widely discussed. Children in the highlands were curious about the bowls of pho in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City… that they often heard about through stories or lectures of their teachers.

Pho Thin 61 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hanoi will come to the people of Lang Nu in the Pho Love Festival, on the occasion of Pho Day this year.

A Little Joy After a Year of Loss

On the afternoon of December 10, Mr. Pham Duc Vinh (Principal of Primary and Secondary School No. 1 of Phuc Khanh Commune) was busy with 27 teachers assigning tasks and preparing for an event they called a "festival".

“Pho is also available locally, but the concept of a good bowl of pho is a luxury for children in the highlands,” he said.

Having worked in the highlands for many years, the principal of Primary and Secondary School No. 1 in Phuc Khanh Commune said this was an event "unprecedented from the past to the present".

“In the cold of the last days of the year, gathering together to cook and enjoy bowls of pho is an opportunity to connect teachers, students and local people,” said Mr. Vinh, adding that for teachers in the highlands, this is also an opportunity to gain more knowledge on how to cook a delicious bowl of pho, and then share it with local people and students during extracurricular hours.

For the event to take place, Mr. Pham Duc Vinh said the organization must comply with many strict regulations on ensuring food hygiene and safety in schools.

“The education sector in particular has very strict requirements regarding ensuring the origin of input materials, so we will work closely with the organizing committee to properly implement the regulations,” he added.

Mr. Pham Duc Vinh, principal of Primary and Secondary School No. 1, Phuc Khanh Commune - Photo: HONG QUANG

According to the leader of Phuc Khanh commune, information about the pho festival has now spread to many people. People in the highlands are attached to the fields and hills all year round. Being able to enjoy and participate in a big event is a great joy for them.

Ms. Loan (51 years old, local) said she has known about many chefs and restaurants from "downstream" coming to cook pho for people for nearly a week.

Having not had the opportunity to visit Hanoi, the woman said she was looking forward to the event. “A year of many losses, I hope December 12 will be a small joy for my fellow countrymen,” she said.

Pho with love to Lang Nu

With the desire that the series of events on Pho Day 12-12 is not only about culture and cuisine but also about love, sharing, and full of emotions, Tuoi Tre newspaper cooperated with Lao Cai Provincial Youth Union and Bao Yen district to organize the program Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 at Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 on December 11 and 12.

Here, the artists of the pho restaurants participating in the program will instruct the women of Phuc Khanh commune and the teachers of Phuc Khanh Primary and Secondary School No. 1 on how to cook delicious bowls of pho.

Tuoi Tre Newspaper also gave meaningful gifts to 33 households in Lang Nu (households that have just received houses in the new resettlement area); teachers and all students of Phuc Khanh School No. 1. Each of 320 students will receive a gift bag including: backpack, dried pho, sausage and 1 million VND in cash; each teacher will receive a gift of 2 million VND in cash...

And of course, delicious bowls of pho cooked by famous chefs who have won high prizes in the Pho Day event, inviting all the villagers, students and teachers in the commune. It is expected that there will be 2,000 bowls of pho lovingly given to the villagers.

Participating in this year's Pho Yeu Thuong event are famous pho restaurants/shops, such as: Pho Thin Bo Ho (Hanoi), Pho 34 Cao Thang (HCMC), Pho S (Sam Ngoc Linh).

There is also the participation of two famous chefs in the culinary world such as Master chef Do Nguyen Hoang Long, "silver star anise" who specializes in cooking pho for family and friends to enjoy, Phan Quy Long.

In addition to the support of famous pho brands and chefs, Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 also received golden hearts of cash and in-kind support from HDBank, Greenfeed, Vietravel Airlines, An Nguyen Bao football team, Acecook, Saigon Cultural Corporation...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/trong-gio-lanh-te-tai-to-pho-ngon-nhu-mot-dieu-xa-xi-voi-tre-vung-cao-20241210202151147.htm