The construction workers building the new Nu Village (Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province ) seem to forget their fatigue when eating pho. Meanwhile, the students of Nu Village wish they could have pho to eat every day.
People in Phuc Khanh commune enjoy a steaming bowl of pho - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Pho Day on December 12th arrived amidst the biting cold of Lang Nu village, but it was filled with love, warmth, and sharing.
Mrs. Hoang Thi Thoi
Pho arrives at the construction site of the new Nu Village.
From early morning on December 12th, despite thick fog and biting northeast winds, the convoy of "Pho Yeu Thuong" (Loving Pho) from Phuc Khanh No. 1 Inter-level School arrived at the Lang Nu resettlement area.
The new village sits atop a hill, with the road leading up to it rising dozens of meters. Workers are busily constructing, the sound of machinery echoing loudly. Mr. Ban Van Hien - from Truong Son 26 Company, 12th Army Corps - said he was very surprised this morning when Pho Yeu Thuong (a Vietnamese noodle soup) came to the construction site.
For nearly three months of construction, Mr. Hien has been present at the site, hoping to hand over the houses to the people of Nu Village as soon as possible.
Therefore, familiar culinary flavors are now a luxury for Mr. Hien: "The taste of Pho S is delicate, the broth is rich and delicious. In the middle of these cold mountains, a bowl of pho helps me ease many of my longing."
Ms. Hoang Thi Doc, a local resident, said emotionally, "This is the first time I've ever eaten such a delicious bowl of pho. Eating it relieved so much fatigue."
For over a month, she has been hired by the contractor to complete various tasks at the Lang Nu construction site. Having just finished a bowl of Pho 34 Cao Thang, Mrs. Doc ordered another bowl of Pho Thin because she heard from her neighbors: "This Pho is very famous, originating from Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi ."
Amidst the misty highlands, nearly 200 bowls of pho were cooked right in the middle of the new Nu Village, by famous pho restaurants such as Pho Thin Bo Ho (Hanoi), Pho 34 Cao Thang (Ho Chi Minh City), and Pho S (Ngoc Linh Ginseng).
Ms. Tran Hoai Thu, head of the Lang Nu village residential area, said that she had announced the "Pho of Love" event on the Lang Nu group on the evening of December 11-12. Everyone was enthusiastic and excited. "Eating a bowl of pho, the villagers felt very warm. Warm in both the flavor and the heart because of the sharing," Ms. Thu said.
Ms. Hoang Thi Thanh, a resident of Lang Nu village, praised the pho she ate, but tears welled up in her eyes.
Ms. Thanh confided that during that horrific flash flood and landslide, her house was unharmed, but her daughter and son-in-law were swept away, leaving her granddaughter an orphan. "If there hadn't been those losses, I wouldn't be here today…" - Ms. Thanh choked up.
Little Hoang Gia Bao enjoys a bowl of Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup). After the devastating flash flood and landslide in Lang Nu village, Gia Bao lost both his father and mother, and also suffered serious injuries to his leg and head - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
A 91-year-old woman eats pho for the first time.
Mrs. Hoang Thi Xuan, 91 years old, walks to Phuc Khanh No. 1 Primary and Secondary School with a cane. She lives in Tri Ngoai village, more than 200 meters from the school.
Grandma Xuan walked slowly, her back hunched, her mouth toothless. She finished a whole bowl, saying the meat was tender, the noodles soft, and the broth delicious; she didn't want to waste a single thing. This was the first time in her life Grandma Xuan had eaten pho: "Here, we only have vermicelli, and even that is rarely eaten."
Grandma Xuan rarely leaves Phuc Khanh, but on December 11th, her children and grandchildren encouraged her to go eat at the "Pho of Love" restaurant. Grandma Xuan had heard a lot about pho and seen bowls of pho on TV, but had never actually eaten it before. "Today, going to see pho and eat pho is like seeing 'society'! Thank you, my grandchildren! It's so delicious, I'm just afraid that in a few days I'll miss pho and won't have any to eat," Grandma Xuan said with a smile.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Thoi, also from Tri Ngoai village, canceled her medical appointment to stay and eat pho.
Ms. Thoi said that everyone in the village was excited, as they had never seen an event before where people invited students and villagers to eat pho.
While eating, Mrs. Thoi kept praising the pho, saying she had never tasted such a delicious bowl of pho before.
Phuc Khanh commune is located more than 20 kilometers from the center of Bao Yen district, and the people here rarely get to enjoy a bowl of pho with the authentic taste of the lowlands. Therefore, everyone was moved to learn that the fragrant, soft pho noodles were brought all the way from Hanoi by Pho Thin Bo Ho restaurant.
Nguyen Dinh Khiem, an 8th-grade student at Phuc Khanh Secondary School, said that he and the 9th-grade students woke up at 5 am, eagerly preparing for the event taking place in the schoolyard. Khiem, resourceful and quick, fetched baskets of herbs, chopsticks, spoons, etc., for the younger students and the adults from the commune who came to eat pho.
Taking a break, the student stopped to eat at Pho 34 Cao Thang. Having been told that this pho was brought from Ho Chi Minh City – thousands of kilometers from his hometown – Khiem's eyes lit up with anticipation. "We have pho where I live, but I have to go all the way to the town center to eat it, and it's hard to find the same flavor," Khiem said, adding that he would also try Pho S – also from Ho Chi Minh City.
2024 was a difficult and tragic year following Typhoon Yagi (Typhoon No. 3). On September 10th, Lang Nu village was buried under debris, killing 60 people and leaving 7 missing. Today, in their new settlement, hundreds of people from Phuc Khanh commune are filling the schoolyard, enjoying steaming bowls of pho.
Youth union members and local people enthusiastically contributed to making the event even more joyful - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
What I miss most are the afternoons…
The "Pho of Love" came to Nu Village, so 13 families from Nu Village also came to eat pho with the children. Many people were still wearing indigo headscarves - the traditional mourning headscarves of the Tay people.
Hoang Gia Bao, a second-grade student, still wears a bandage on his forehead as he skips around the schoolyard with his friends. Bao was one of the victims hospitalized after the devastating flash flood in Lang Nu village, and he was also the last to be discharged.
Bao lost both his parents in a landslide, leaving him with only an older brother in 10th grade. The two brothers sometimes live with their paternal grandparents, and sometimes with their maternal grandparents.
Today, Bảo had pho, and he devoured a whole bowl in a flash. It was the best bowl of pho he'd ever eaten in his life. His fingers, holding the chopsticks, were unusual; sometimes they gripped tightly, other times they trembled and fumbled because they were still hurting. His gait was sometimes normal, sometimes uneven.
Teacher Hoang Thi Van recounted that she often noticed Gia Bao exhibiting unusual behavior due to his unstable mental state. Sometimes he would laugh, sometimes he would talk aimlessly, and other times he would sit listlessly in a corner.
"What breaks my heart is that in the afternoons, while other children are picked up by their parents, Gia Bao stands alone at the school gate. His uncle is often too busy to come. We want him to stay at school and be taken care of by the teachers. But he misses home and still wants to go back to his grandparents," Ms. Van recounted.
Mr. Nguyen Van Tuan, Standing Committee member and Head of the School Propaganda Department of the Lao Cai Provincial Youth Union, assessed that the "Pho of Love" initiative coming to Lang Nu and Phuc Khanh commune is a great act of sharing and encouragement for the local people.
"Seeing the children beaming, enjoying those delicious, warm bowls of pho in the cold rain, the joy and sense of sharing are doubled," said Mr. Tuan.
Hundreds of people enjoyed the beloved Pho - Photo: NGUYEN KHANH
Pho of Love returns to Lang Nu Village.
With the desire that the Pho Day 12-12 event series would not only be about culture and cuisine but also encompass love, sharing, and heartfelt emotions, Tuoi Tre newspaper, in coordination with the Lao Cai Provincial Youth Union and Bao Yen district, organized the "Pho of Love 2024" program at Phuc Khanh No. 1 Primary and Secondary School on December 11th and 12th.
At the event, Tuoi Tre newspaper and its partners presented meaningful gifts to 33 households in Nu Village (those who recently received houses in the new resettlement area), the teachers, and all the students of Phuc Khanh No. 1 School.
Besides the support from famous pho brands and chefs, Pho Yeu Thuong 2024 also received generous support in cash and in kind from HDBank, Greenfeed, Vietravel Airlines, An Nguyen Bao football team, Acecook, LC Foods, Yen Dao Can Gio, Saigon Culture Corporation, etc.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bao-nguoi-lang-nu-lan-dau-an-pho-20241213085638733.htm
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