Eating Pho at a Vietnamese Airport Costs Nearly 400,000 VND, Western Tourists Say It's Expensive

At the waiting room at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (HCMC), Hanna was informed by Vietjet Air that the flight was delayed.

After a few hours of waiting without departure, she started to feel hungry. Near the area where the female tourist was sitting, there were a few shops selling pho and fast food, all of which were listed in USD.

After surveying the prices, the Polish customer did not eat fast food because of the high price, so she decided to choose a combo (packages combined from many products) including pho.

Polish guest enjoys pho at Tan Son Nhat airport (Photo: Character provided).

"In addition to the chicken pho, my combo also included a bottle of mineral water and a cold dessert for $15 (about 390,000 VND). According to the menu, if you don't order the combo, the price of a bowl of pho is $11 (about 286,000 VND)," Hanna recalled.

According to Hanna, the chicken pho was served very attentively and quickly with hot broth. The presentation was neat and clean. In the bowl of pho, there were about 10 pieces of chicken with golden skin, served with raw vegetables.

Talking about her experience eating chicken pho at Tan Son Nhat airport, Hanna commented: "The taste of the pho is average. I find it more like the 50,000 VND pho sold outside. Compared to the price, that bowl of pho has less chicken."

After finishing her meal and paying the restaurant staff, Hanna realized that the price of nearly 400,000 VND (after converting the exchange rate) was quite expensive, 2-3 times higher than the price outside.

"I knew for sure that bowl of pho was expensive, but at the airport I had no other choice," Hanna shared.

According to the female tourist, with this price at some airports around the world , she can buy 2 meals with dessert.

Close-up of a bowl of chicken pho at the airport that costs nearly 400,000 VND with a drink (Photo: Character provided).

"At airports in other countries, customers have many food options, competitive prices, so the quality is better," she confided.

Considering pho as a famous Vietnamese dish known and chosen by many tourists, Hana believes that there should be more diversity in food at the airport to help promote cuisine to international visitors. According to her, the price should only be about 30% higher than outside restaurants.

"Tan Son Nhat Airport does not have many food options. There are no famous Vietnamese restaurant chains, but mainly "airport brands". In my opinion, the Management Board should arrange more restaurants for customers to choose from, increasing diversity," she said.

In fact, the issue of meal costs at airports in Vietnam has many times become a topic of interest and heated discussion among foreign visitors.

Sharing her experience, Ms. Arina, a British tourist currently living and working in Bangkok (Thailand), said that she had traveled to Vietnam last January. When landing at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, the guest was quite surprised by the price of food there.

"I know the prices at the airport will be many times higher than outside. However, when I saw the listed prices of the dishes, I was still shocked," said Ms. Arina.

For example, vegetarian sandwiches cost 6 USD (156,000 VND), all kinds of sandwiches cost 8 USD (207,000 VND), beef or chicken pho costs 12 USD (312,000 VND), burgers cost 12 USD (312,000 VND).

The fried chicken counter is where combo meals (main meal and drink) are sold, each meal costs from 15 USD (390,000 VND).

A special bowl of Wagyu beef pho costs 19.1 USD, equivalent to 500,000 VND (Photo: Character provided).

Visiting another pho stall at Noi Bai airport, the customer found the prices quite high. Among them was a Wagyu beef pho dish priced at 19 USD (500,000 VND).

According to Ms. Arina, compared to Thailand, the dining area at Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok is more diverse and has much more reasonable prices.

The guest revealed that by simply following the signs on the first floor of the airport, guests can easily find the Food Court.

Here, customers must have cash to exchange for the card. If they only need a moderate meal, customers can exchange about 200 baht (156,000 VND) which is quite comfortable for eating and drinking. In case customers do not use up all the money on the card, they will be given the change back when they return to the counter.

The food court at the international airport in Bangkok has a wide variety of food at reasonable prices (Photo: Trip).

The food court at Suvarnabhumi Airport is very rich. The price at the pastry counter is only from 25 to 75 baht (20,000 VND - 60,000 VND). Going deeper inside, there are more stalls, serving from dry dishes to liquid dishes such as fried rice, chicken rice, wonton noodles with prices from 50 to 75 baht (40,000 VND - 60,000 VND).

The area selling drinks and smoothies is located inside with many dishes for customers to choose from. The prices are also reasonable, from 30 to 50 baht (23,000 VND - 40,000 VND).

Also during this visit to Hanoi, the guest stopped by a Michelin-recommended pho restaurant located on a bustling old street. It was a famous chicken pho restaurant. The bowl of pho made her very satisfied because of its delicious flavor and reasonable price of about 3 USD (80,000 VND).

"With my experience, I have shared with my friends that if you want to eat pho, try going to restaurants in the central area of ​​Hanoi, instead of enjoying it at the airport," she said.

According to a survey by Dan Tri reporters, due to many objective and subjective factors, the dining areas at international airports in Vietnam are not as diverse as those in some countries in the region. The prices of dishes are also 2-3 times higher than the average.

Meanwhile, at Thai airports, tourists have more options at quite reasonable costs. Thai people always know how to please tourists and are imbued with the strategy of "letting go of the iron fish, catching the perch" (investing a small amount of capital to gain a large profit).

The strategy to attract tourists is reflected in the way Thai people do tourism at airports. They do not consider these as simply transit points but as opportunities to introduce and promote the cuisine and characteristics of their country, winning the hearts of tourists "from the first steps".

For example, at Suvarnabhumi Airport, visitors will be surprised to find themselves lost in a culinary paradise: from traditional street food to gourmet cuisine... This is also one of the rare airports in the world where visitors can find Michelin-starred restaurants.

In 2024, Thailand will welcome 35.32 million international visitors, with tourism revenue reaching 46 billion USD from tourist spending. It is clear that achieving these impressive numbers does not come from random luck but from the methodical and professional tourism strategy of the Thai people.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/du-lich/an-pho-o-san-bay-viet-nam-het-gan-400000-dong-khach-tay-keu-dat-20250514101305723.htm