A hot bowl of beef pho in the middle of a chilly day in Ho Chi Minh City - Photo: LAN HUONG
That is the story of Mr. Bui Yasin (45 years old), owner of the Pho Nhat Vi chain of stores. He said that when he was a child, his grandparents and parents owned a small pho restaurant in Go Vap (HCMC). That pho restaurant had no name, no age, but it attracted a strange amount of customers, some people still remember it decades later.
Growing up surrounded by the rich aroma of pho, his love for pho began to blossom. At the age of 6, he and his family moved to Norway to settle down, far from home, he longed for the taste of pho from his hometown.
Nhat Vi is the best in my heart
30 years later, the boy has grown up. His love and longing for pho urged Bui Yasin to return to his homeland. So he gave up his stable life in Norway to return home to take over the family business.
Pho Nhat Vi is not the first pho chain that Bui Yasin has established. Before that, he started a business with Pho Trang. The difference between these two pho brands is that one is more Northern in flavor, the other specializes in Southern pho.
Mr. Bui Yasin is preparing pho for customers - Photo: LAN HUONG
Explaining the reason for giving up a stable job abroad to return home to sell pho, he smiled: "What drew me back to Vietnam was pho. It came from a great concern to continue developing my family's pho business. Before, my family had a tradition of selling pho but mainly operated in the traditional way."
His decision also met with doubts from his relatives. When he started working, he realized the limitations in operating the pho model of the previous generation.
Everything is based on experience, no clear process, not daring to expand, not used to recruiting staff.
Having lived abroad since childhood, Bui Yasin never thought of doing business with European dishes because, to him, we should bring the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine abroad, not necessarily bring foreign dishes to Vietnam.
Pho counter, toppings are placed separately, hot pot of broth simmers on the stove for hours - Photo: LAN HUONG
"That's my point of view. Since I was little, I've wanted to bring pho abroad. Currently, I'm still researching opportunities to bring my pho abroad. Even now, I'm supporting some restaurants in Norway and Thailand with pho broth," he said.
Although he sells Northern pho, he also admits that he "cannot be sure that this is 100% the authentic Northern pho flavor". "Nhat Vi" here means the best flavor in his opinion, the best in his heart.
According to him, food is a matter of taste, some people like it, some don't. The chef's job is to make the pho dish as easy to eat as possible, suitable for most diners. "The main recipe is passed down from family, and I only adjust small details to better suit today's tastes," he added.
The beef is medium rare, retaining the sweet and aromatic flavor of the meat, soft but still has natural toughness - Video : LAN HUONG
Stunned by the menu of 100 pho dishes
Similar to many Northern pho restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, the pho at Nhat Vi has a clear broth that is neither bland nor harsh. The first spoonful of the soup allows you to feel the natural sweetness from the long-stewed beef bones, with a hint of cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom.
The broth is simmered for many hours, maintaining its clarity and sweetness without any chemical seasoning. The pho noodles are soft but not mushy, the beef is tender, retaining its natural flavor.
But what makes Pho Nhat Vi different from other Northern pho restaurants is the vegetables, blanched bean sprouts, and chili sauce served with it. The vegetables are fresh and lush green, the bean sprouts are blanched just right, not losing their natural sweetness, and the chili sauce is mixed according to a special recipe, moderately spicy, not overwhelming the broth.
Pho at Nhat Vi is served with blanched bean sprouts, vegetables, satay, Northern chili sauce, pickled garlic... - Photo: LAN HUONG
Besides the traditional beef and chicken pho, Pho Nhat Vi's menu also has more than 100 pho dishes, including mixed pho. Mr. Bui Yasin said that he did not dare to claim to be the first restaurant, but at the time he added mixed pho to the menu, no other restaurant had this dish.
On Google Maps review page, Pho Nhat Vi branch at 21B4 Nguyen Dinh Chieu received 4.8 stars from 406 reviews, while branch at 116 Nguyen Thi Thap also received a similar score.
Thu Thuy commented: "Today, I happened to take shelter from the rain so I stopped by the restaurant. Unexpectedly, the food was better than expected. I ordered pho tai lan and bun bo, both dishes were rich in flavor, the meat was tender, and the broth was fragrant."
Nguyen Ngo Sang commented on the delicious and worth-the-money pho salad: "The sauce is just right, the pho noodles are boiled just right so even if you eat it slowly, the pho noodles will not expand. The soup is clear and fragrant, the Northern chili sauce and satay are very delicious. The price is higher than the popular segment but the quality is excellent."
Not only Vietnamese customers, many foreign diners also come to Pho Nhat Vi to enjoy - Photo: NVCC
Talk about participating in Pho Day Organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper, he said: "Participating in the Pho Day program has been my long-time wish. I have registered to participate many times before but was not lucky enough. Luckily, this time, Tuoi Tre newspaper called me at the last minute.
I often read Tuoi Tre newspaper to update news and really enjoy the newspaper's programs about pho, so being able to accompany Pho Day makes me very happy."
The Pho Day 12-12 program, now in its 9th year with the theme "Elevating Vietnamese Rice - Spreading Across Five Continents," will take place over two days, December 13th and 14th, at the former Tax Department Store area, 135 Nguyen Hue Street, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.
Participating in the program is the presence of nearly 30 famous and unique pho brands from North to South, converging many diverse types of pho with characteristics of regions and local cultures.
With a price of 40,000 VND/bowl, the Pho Day festival on December 12, 2025, is expected to serve more than 20,000 servings in 2 days. The organizers will allocate at least 10% of the revenue from pho sales to implement the Pho Yeu Thuong program, cooking and serving pho to people in the "flood center" area in Dak Lak province (formerly Phu Yen ), which has just suffered damage from the recent natural disaster.
The Pho Day Program 12-12 is supported and implemented by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Trade Promotion - Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City and the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association with the diamond companionship of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company for many consecutive years and this year with the additional companionship of Ho Chi Minh City Development Joint Stock Commercial Bank (HDBank), Cholimex Food Joint Stock Company, Saigon Trading Group Limited (SATRA)...
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/hon-100-mon-pho-o-nhat-vi-khach-bao-gia-cao-chut-nhung-chat-luong-xuat-sac-20251208130535332.htm
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