Come to Vietnam Pho Festival to eat Pho Thin, Pho Khoe and see the lady selling fragrant herb-roasted pho.

Vietnamese pho brands are ready to serve hot bowls of Vietnamese pho at the biggest pho event to date: Vietnam Pho Festival, taking place from October 18 to 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.

Pho brands join forces at Vietnam Pho Festival - Photo: HUU HANH

Since the evening of October 17, major pho brands such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Vuong, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Khoe, Pho Phat Tai, Pho Saigon, Pho Hai Thien, Pho Sen Sasco... have been bustling to Our Tampines Hub to set up their booths at Vietnam Pho Festival 2025.

By 5am on October 18, some brands had started to light up, ready to welcome the first guests.

Before that, the chefs had gathered in one place to cook the broth and prepare the ingredients overnight. The atmosphere was as joyful as a festival.

Owner of Pho Khoe chain Nguyen Dinh Tuyen said Vietnam Pho Festival is not just an event for pho; after pho comes the promotion of Vietnamese agricultural products - Photo: HUU HANH

Pho Khoe "greets" Singapore

Pho Khoe - a Vietnamese pho brand with an ecosystem of dozens of restaurants in Korea, Japan and China. From Korea, "Khoe" checked in at the Vietnam Pho Festival in Singapore this year.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuyen, owner of the pho restaurant chain, shared that right after the Vietnamese pho festival in Korea last year, Pho Khoe was "ready" for next year's event. This year, meeting many acquaintances, Mr. Tuyen laughed and talked nonstop.

According to the representative of Pho Khoe, Vietnam Pho Festival through the seasons is gradually forming a community of pho cooks, pho lovers and making efforts to promote Vietnamese pho to the world .

"I hope that every year we have the opportunity to bring Vietnamese pho to a different country. On the other hand, I think many gourmet diners around the world also want authentic Vietnamese pho to come to their country because Vietnamese pho is so famous," he said early in the morning. "In just a few hours, we will welcome our first guests, we are extremely excited."

Chefs 'sprint' to prepare thousands of bowls of pho for Vietnam Pho Festival in Singapore

Pho Thin greets international friends in Singapore - Photo: HUU HANH

A regular customer has made an appointment with Pho Thin at Vietnam Pho Festival.

Ms. Bui Thanh Loan - representative of Pho Thin (Bo Ho) - said that 3 years ago, Vietnam Pho Festival took place for the first time in Japan, which was also the first time Pho Thin Bo Ho and many other pho brands went abroad to participate in a big pho event.

"Because it was the first time, many things were unfamiliar, but there were many happy memories.

The scene of moving equipment from the main kitchen to the booth kitchen at the event, the atmosphere of cooking pho all night to 'meet the deadline' to prepare to serve a huge number of guests, and how to improvise to comply with the strict regulations set by Japan are unforgettable to me," she recalled.

The event attracted more than 80,000 people to Yoyogi Park, Tokyo, to enjoy Vietnamese pho.

Until now, Loan still cannot remember how many customers Pho Thin stall welcomed or how many bowls of pho were cooked that time. She only remembers "as soon as the broth boiled, she poured it into the bowl, then waited for the next pot to boil again, then poured more into the bowl, she couldn't keep up".

Two regular Singaporean customers made an appointment to meet Pho Thin again in Singapore in the next few days - Photo: NHCC

"It's tiring, but seeing customers holding bowls of pho and slurping until the bowl is empty, my heart is filled with happiness, something sacred and proud," said a representative of Pho Thin.

Bui Thanh Loan said the event was an opportunity for her pho brand to connect with long-time customers and new ones. Many tourists, after eating Pho Thin in Japan, went to Pho Thin in Hanoi to try it.

Even more fun, each trip is a chance to meet, exchange and learn from each other's experiences among brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts working in the pho profession across the country, so when receiving an invitation, "arrange to go immediately".

Sasco's pho sen stall is ready to welcome its first customers - Photo: HUU HANH

In addition to better quality pho than last season, they also bring Vietnamese agricultural products.

At the Vietnam Pho Festival in Japan in 2023, Pho Ta - Binh Tay Food, made a strong impression on diners with its performance of lobster pho. With the broth made from beef bone broth and lobster broth, lobster pho shows creativity and innovation in traditional pho.

Going to Singapore this year, what secret did you bring ?

Chef Khai Vu said it was a "secret" but revealed that "the Pho Ta team of 8-10 people will bring the most delicious bowls of pho, of better quality than last season, for international friends to enjoy."

Along with that are delicious Vietnamese products for international friends to enjoy. Besides Pho, there are also Binh Tay Pho noodles made from Vietnamese rice as well as other agricultural products.

Pho Ta stall (Binh Tay Food) displays not only pho but also other agricultural products - Photo: HUU HANH

This chef believes that Vietnam Pho Festival "is not just an event of any brand or individual; after several seasons of organization, it has become a common story, carrying the mission of spreading the heritage of Vietnamese pho to international friends.

"I am very happy to see the festival growing stronger and being organized more professionally. The event attracts a large number of international visitors and the brand is also more widely known," Khai Vu shared.

He added that by participating in these types of festivals, brands join hands to not only promote pho but also promote learning and innovation to create a more delicious bowl of pho as well as new ways of cooking besides traditional pho.

The pho lady brings real pho and secret spice packets.

Pho seller Nguyen Thi Thanh Nguyen, owner of Pho Hai Thien, was especially impressed with the Vietnam Pho Festival 3 years ago in Japan: Hundreds of people lined up for 30 minutes in front of Pho Hai Thien's stall, more Japanese than Vietnamese, just to enjoy a bowl of Vietnamese pho in the middle of Yoyogi Park.

"Maybe it was the first time they saw a pho vendor standing at the counter making pho noodles. Many people even asked to experience it together. After making the noodles, they cut the noodles into a hot bowl of pho and ate it. Everyone loved it," said Ms. Nguyen, "the customers were happy, but I was 10 times happier."

Pho Hai Thien is preparing to set up a booth - Photo: HUU HANH

This time, bringing pho to Singapore, Pho Hai Thien has two goals: "to satisfy the nostalgia of Vietnamese people far away from home and to bring real pho (a bowl of pho with authentic Vietnamese ingredients made from Vietnamese agricultural products) so that many international friends can enjoy an authentic bowl of pho and feel happy about it".

According to Ms. Nguyen, the most unique and difficult part of making pho is the aroma, which is also the soul of the pot of pho. If the "pho seller" demonstrated making pho noodles last time, this time she will roast herbs (star anise, cinnamon, cardamom...) right at Our Tampines Hub.

At the same time, "Pho Hai Thien will also display powerful pho spice bags; because with this spice package, anyone can easily cook a delicious pot of pho, just like in a restaurant, anywhere in the world," she revealed.

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore

Connecting cultures, promoting cooperation

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore, organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore, Tuoi Tre Newspaper and Saigon Tourist Group in coordination 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 Saigon Tourist'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.

BEANS

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/den-vietnam-pho-festival-an-pho-thin-pho-khoe-va-xem-ba-ban-pho-rang-thao-moc-thom-lung-20251015162412177.htm