Eating Vietnamese Pho in the paradise island of Bali

On a rainy afternoon on the paradise island of Bali, Indonesia, we checked the map, took a motorbike taxi to a Vietnamese restaurant on Legian Street near the beach of the same name, and ordered a bowl of steaming hot beef pho that warmed our hearts.

Chef Tuy Hanh (in ao dai) trains many local staff to serve at the Vietnamese pho chain in Bali - Photo: Vietnam Bistro.

Fresh ingredients, rich flavors and affordable prices are three factors that make diners love to eat Vietnamese pho in Bali.

Ms. TUY HANH

A very familiar feeling of home when we saw right from the front of the restaurant the row of colorful Hoi An lanterns sparkling with the unmistakable dark yellow wall color. MeVui Vietnamese Kitchen opened its first restaurant in Bali in July 2020, only about 7km from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport - the gateway to Bali, near the bustling center of Kuta, Bali.

More than 10 Vietnamese pho restaurants in Bali

After only 5 years, the chain just opened its 9th restaurant on August 8. Vietnamese Pho is now everywhere in the paradise of Bali: Saigon (Renon district), Hoi An (in Canggu resort), Sapa (Ubud town), Hanoi (in Sanur beach), Me Vui on Penida island; Lovina beach and in the largest culinary entertainment complex in downtown Kuta.

The waiters, dressed in brown Ao Ba Ba (traditional Vietnamese dress), with simple scarves wrapped around their foreheads (men) or waists (women), happily opened the menu to invite customers. There were about 15 main dishes including beef pho, banh mi, broken rice, grilled pork vermicelli, shrimp rolls...

Around us were Indonesian family diners eating chicken rice, and a few blonde Western European couples ordering spring rolls for appetizers and pho for main courses.

On Tripadvisor, there are many reviews about Me Vui Bali: "The pho is delicious, well worth the money!" - couple Patrick and Indah (Switzerland) commented on June 28. Female tourist Amanda F. commented on July 24: "Every fresh, flavorful Vietnamese dish takes me straight to the streets of Saigon."

Talking with the owners of the restaurant Ha Phuong and Ho Thi Huyen, they said they had visited Bali many times since 2018 and "fallen in love with this place".

With many years of experience opening a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, Phuong and Huyen made a bold decision: the whole family moved to Bali to live and sell pho.

They convey their cherished aspirations through slogans on billboards such as bringing "Authentic Vietnamese kitchen" and "Friendly food" to the archipelago.

Me Vui restaurant in Bali is decorated in Hoi An style - Photo: TRUNG NGHIA

Another Vietnamese pho chain in Bali is Vietnam Bistro by Mama Hanh with 3 stores in Seminyak Road (opening in 2022), Canggu area (2023) and Denpasar opening to welcome guests in April 2025 (open from 7am to 10pm).

Ms. Nguyen Le Thi Tuy Hanh (born in 1974, from Nha Trang) married a Balinese man, Mr. I Ketut Artawan, in 2003. Talking to us, Ms. Hanh said that since 2012 she opened a mixed Vietnamese-Chinese restaurant in Bali.

At Vietnam Bistro, Ms. Hanh sells pho (consuming more than 40kg of handmade pho noodles every day), sandwiches, grilled pork vermicelli, stir-fried beef pho, rice rolls, spring rolls, grilled pork vermicelli, Vietnamese hot pot... a total of over 30 dishes with the slogan to serve customers: "Come with hunger, leave with joy".

Ms. Tuy Hanh said: "Local diners and international tourists coming to Bali for vacation increasingly like Vietnamese food because Vietnamese dishes are basically considered to have balanced taste, easy to eat, low in fat, and lots of green vegetables, which is very suitable for the trend in Bali that focuses on healthy, vegetarian food...".

Leaving to return

On a normal day in Bali, Ms. Ho Huyen is the head chef in charge of the central kitchen, cooking main dishes, broth, marinating meat... ensuring the overall quality of the entire culinary chain. "Beef pho is still the best-selling dish every day with 50% of customers choosing to eat it, followed by grilled chicken rice because Indonesian people like to eat chicken. Customers also have the habit of ordering spring rolls and spring rolls as appetizers" - Ms. Huyen revealed.

Over the years, chefs from Vietnam such as Ms. Tuy Hanh and Ms. Ho Huyen have worked hard to train hundreds of Indonesians to become chefs and assistant chefs who are proficient in Vietnamese cuisine. The Me Vui chain currently has over 200 local employees from managers, cooks, market goers to waiters.

"When spreading Vietnamese cuisine in Bali, I do not reduce the flavor because I want international diners to enjoy the true taste of Vietnam" - Ms. Huyen said.

Local diners and international tourists to Bali love Vietnamese food - Photo: TRUNG NGHIA

Ms. Tuy Hanh's restaurant chain currently has 26 Balinese chefs. Ms. Hanh's only son, Valentino Nguyen Artawan (20 years old), loves his mother's pho and joined the operation of Vietnam Bistro. Ms. Hanh requires the local receptionists to wear ao dai to warmly welcome customers at the door. Vietnamese music is played in the restaurant.

Vietnamese restaurant owners in Bali all affirm that they will continue their dream of opening more pho restaurants in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.

Mr. Ha Phuong said: "The chain of Vietnamese restaurants in Bali marks our wandering steps in the open world . In the blood of my husband and I, there seem to be only 3 DNAs: travel - pure Vietnamese dishes and family restaurants, so when we still have the strength and... capital, we will bring Vietnamese cuisine to many other famous tourist destinations in Southeast Asia according to the wish "wherever you go, make your country proud". The biggest benefit is doing what you love, expanding your understanding and connecting cultures".

The interesting thing is that although "in love with the paradise of Bali because of the natural sea and sky and the peace here", Phuong and Huyen still always remember their hometown and the "fascinating" way back in both of their lives: Hoi An!

"At the end of this year we will open a new restaurant in an ancient house on Bach Dang street on the banks of the Hoai River" - Mr. Phuong happily announced.

Ms. Huyen, a woman of Hue origin, brings "authentic Vietnamese cuisine" to Bali - Photo: TRUNG NGHIA

It is not easy to develop Vietnamese cuisine in a country with the largest Muslim population in the world (about 229 million people, accounting for 87.2% of the population) like Indonesia. All beginnings are difficult, Vietnamese restaurant chains have overcome many challenges to their dream of spreading Vietnamese cuisine.

In the capital city of Jakarta, there are several Vietnamese food stalls in supermarket complexes. In Bali, there used to be a Cyclo restaurant in Kerobokan, Beef & Noodles on Basangkasa Street...

Mr. and Mrs. Ha Phuong - Ho Huyen said: "Renting premises here is from 7 to 15 years and according to the rule, you have to pay in full for the entire rental period from the beginning. In the process of opening more branches, we have learned a valuable lesson: do not rent large, spacious premises that do not fit the local dining culture. Or when communicating with local employees, you need to speak gently, do not be hot-tempered and raise your voice, they will easily get offended and ask to quit!".

(To be continued)

LOYALTY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/an-pho-viet-o-dao-thien-duong-bali-20250815103020072.htm