The alluring "Pho of the Mountain Town"

Dry pho is a dish that tourists should try when they have the chance to visit Gia Lai. It is also a signature dish, creating a unique feature for the province's cuisine .
In Gia Lai, there are quite a few delicious dry pho restaurants, including Pho Hong, Pho Ngoc Son, Pho Ngoc Linh, Pho Hiep… These are some of the pioneering establishments that have established brands and gained popularity among customers for their quality and service style. Among them, "Pho Nho Pho Nui" (on Nguyen Tat Thanh Street), although open for over two years, has already established itself in the market, attracting a stable customer base and becoming a favorite. Its name is appealing and memorable, and besides the delicious pho, the restaurant, though small, has a charming design and decor, and offers professional and well-organized service.
Formerly a civil servant with a stable job, Ms. Luong Vu Thao Nguyen took a new path, pursuing her passion and ambition, and doing what she loved. At the end of 2020, she opened "Pho Nho Pho Nui" (Remembering the Mountain Town Pho), continuing her family's long-standing pho-selling tradition. Her family's pho restaurant had specialized in Northern-style pho for nearly 30 years, but when she decided to pursue a career in pho, she shifted her focus to selling dry pho. She believes that being born and raised in Gia Lai, her love for this signature dish of the mountain town grew stronger over time.

Pho Nho Pho Nui restaurant is an attractive culinary destination for diners to experience the specialty dry pho of Gia Lai.

A striking feature of "Pho Nho Pho Nui" restaurant is its guide on how to eat authentic Gia Lai dry pho in three steps. This demonstrates the owner's dedication, care, and attention to even the smallest details. While not essential for locals, this guide is quite necessary and practical for tourists , as they may not know how to mix the ingredients and spices to create a truly authentic bowl of dry pho.
Dry pho, also known as "two-bowl pho," gets its name from the fact that diners are served two bowls: one with noodles and one with broth, accompanied by characteristic condiments of the mountain town (black bean sauce, chili sauce). The accompanying vegetables include various herbs and blanched bean sprouts. Ms. Thao Nguyen shared: "The noodles are made from ground rice, with thin, firm, and smooth strands. When blanched, the noodles become soft and chewy, neither dry nor mushy. Blanching the noodles seems simple, but it requires a special technique. The noodles must be blanched to the right consistency – chewy, not mushy, and not clumpy – so that diners can easily mix them with brown bean sauce or soy sauce to their liking." The two most common types are beef dry pho and chicken dry pho. A bowl of dry pho absolutely must include minced pork or shredded chicken and crispy fried shallots. The broth consists of clear chicken stock or rare beef or beef meatballs, depending on the customer's preference, topped with chopped scallions and cilantro, a sprinkle of black pepper, and thinly sliced chili peppers.

Pho (pho served in two bowls) is a dish you absolutely must try when visiting Gia Lai.

The saltiness can be adjusted by the diner to suit their taste. Enjoying a bite of dry pho, you'll experience the perfect combination of chewy noodles, the rich, sweet flavor of the black bean sauce, the crisp blanched bean sprouts, tender fresh beef, and a sweet, savory broth… That's when you'll understand why Gia Lai's two-bowl pho has been officially recognized and established by the Asian Record Organization according to the criteria for establishing "Asian Culinary Value," along with 12 other Vietnamese specialties.
In 2022, Ms. Thao Nguyen won the "Creative Star Anise Award" in the "Searching for the Best Pho Chef" competition held in Nam Dinh . During the recent holiday, representing Gia Lai cuisine, the "Pho Nho Pho Nui" restaurant introduced and promoted Gia Lai dry pho during the Cultural and Culinary Festival in Quang Tri, receiving enthusiastic and much-loved reception from diners. At this event, the Gia Lai dry pho booth was one of the most impressive and attractive spots, drawing a large number of customers who came to experience it, not just once but repeatedly. These recognitions and encouragements further confirm that Ms. Thao Nguyen is on the right track and is becoming increasingly dedicated to her chosen profession. It can be said that establishments like "Pho Nho Pho Nui" are ambassadors connecting local culinary specialties with diners across the country.
Ms. Thao Nguyen stated, "'Pho Nho Pho Nui' is one of four pho brands in Gia Lai that have been granted a Certificate of Right to Use the 'Gia Lai Dry Pho' certification mark by the Provincial Department of Science and Technology. She hopes that not only her restaurant, but also other pho restaurants in the province, even those already known and well-received, should register their trademarks and work together to promote, boost, and spread the value of Gia Lai dry pho, a dish with a unique flavor of the highland region, further elevating its status in Vietnamese and global cuisine."
From a tourism development perspective, cuisine is one of the most important factors in creating a lasting impression on tourists about a destination. Therefore, with the "Pho 2 Bowls" brand, Gia Lai's cuisine has left a lasting impression on tourists as a delicious and flavorful dish.

Vo Thanh Thao – Dam San National Theatre

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