15,000 visitors on the first day, Vietnam Pho Festival chefs busy for the second day

After the first day of selling pho at Our Tampines Hub, the communal kitchens of Vietnam Pho Festival are once again on fire with new pots of broth. The amount of pho served tomorrow is expected to be greater than the first day.

Chef Duong Duc Huan, head chef of Majestic Saigon Hotel (part of Saigontourist Group), busy in the kitchen - Photo: HUU HANH

After the first day of the festival on October 18, Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 is estimated to have welcomed more than 15,000 visitors, many pho stalls ran out of pho by noon, needing more reinforcements. Although the program is open to welcome guests until 8:30 p.m., records at 7 p.m. show that most of the stalls were empty.

After a day of selling pho, the chefs of Saigontourist Group returned to the shared kitchen to continue preparing pho and other Vietnamese dishes to serve diners tomorrow.

Mr. Duong Duc Huan, head chef of the Majestic Saigon Hotel (part of Saigontourist Group), said that Majestic's booth brought to Vietnam Pho Festival a special dish called Ngoc Linh ginseng pho with scallops, combining a precious Vietnamese medicinal herb and Japanese scallops.

"This is the dish that represents the creative spirit and 5-star class of Majestic Saigon. The idea comes from the desire to elevate pho to a new level, not only delicious but also nutritious and luxurious," said Mr. Huan.

Next to the chefs from Majestic Saigon is the Caravelle Hotel kitchen team. In addition to pho, the Caravelle kitchen team also brings to the festival bun nem bo. This dish is very popular with diners because of its freshness and variety of ingredients.

In addition to the main kitchen staff, the Saigontourist Group team is also busy at night preparing ingredients, vegetables, onions, chili peppers... to ensure the dishes are prepared to the highest standards.

Chef Duong Dinh Nam of Caravelle Hotel is preparing beef spring rolls - Photo: HUU HANH

According to the head chef of Caravelle Hotel, the beef bones used are of high quality, stewed for the right amount of time, and the foam and fat are carefully removed to make the broth clear, but still retain its deep, natural sweetness - Photo: HUU HANH

Beef used for pho must also be fresh, sliced ​​thinly to ensure softness when blanched in hot broth - Photo: HUU HANH

Saigontourist Group team is busy working in parallel with the main kitchens to keep up with the schedule - Photo: HUU HANH

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore

Connecting cultures, promoting cooperation

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore, organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, Tuoi Tre Newspaper and Saigon Tourist Group in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Singapore under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, will take place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.

The festival was held in the context of Vietnam and Singapore upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, affirming the program's significance and stature.

With the message "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together", Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 hopes that the event will not only invite international friends to enjoy a typical Vietnamese dish, which was listed by CNN in the list of 50 must-try dishes worldwide in 2011, but also convey the desire to connect - share - accompany the development of Vietnam.

Through the festival, pho will be introduced as a "cultural ambassador", serving as a bridge for Vietnam and Singapore, as well as international friends, to work together towards a prosperous and sustainable future.

The most important activity of the festival is to bring Singaporeans and tourists the opportunity to enjoy the "authentic" taste of Vietnamese pho. At Our Tampines Hub, attendees will be able to enjoy pho prepared directly by top artisans and chefs from Vietnam.

The main chefs of the 5-star hotels in the Saigontourist Group system, including four luxury hotels Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon and the brand Pho Thu Duc Golf Restaurant (Vietnam Golf & Country Club), along with famous pho brands such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, Ba Ban Pho... will bring diversity in cooking methods and ways of enjoying.

In addition to pho, attendees also have the opportunity to enjoy many other traditional Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Saigontourist's 5-star chefs, creating a vibrant " culinary symphony".

In particular, along with the Pho Festival, a large-scale investment forum was also held, namely the Vietnam - Singapore Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum 2025, affirming the substance of the event. The forum took place right after the opening ceremony (morning of October 18), expected to attract about 150 businesses from both countries to participate.

At the forum, management agencies and businesses will discuss new cooperation trends in green processing and logistics, tourism and aviation services, import and export of Vietnamese agricultural products and specialties, digital transformation and e-commerce.

In particular, the Business Matching program (1-1 business connection) will create conditions for Vietnamese and Singaporean businesses to meet directly and seek practical cooperation opportunities.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/15-000-luot-khach-ngay-dau-cac-dau-bep-vietnam-pho-festival-tat-bat-cho-ngay-thu-hai-20251018214716823.htm