More than 20,000 bowls of pho are waiting to serve visitors at the Pho Day Festival 2025

About 30 pho stalls from many provinces and cities, bringing with them regional flavors from across the country, will serve more than 20,000 people at the Pho Day 2025 festival, taking place on December 13-14 at the old Tax Trade Center area (Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City).

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, answered questions from reporters of Tin Tuc and Dan Toc Newspaper at the announcement ceremony of Pho Day Festival 2025 on the morning of December 4.

On the morning of December 4, in Ho Chi Minh City, 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, the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association and Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company organized the announcement of the program Pho Day 2025 - the 9th time with the theme "Elevating Vietnamese rice - Spreading to five continents".

Pho Day 2025 brings together about 30 typical pho stalls from the North - Central - South. Unique flavors will appear one after another, from H'Mong Ha Giang pho with pho noodles made from corn kernels, Pho Nho Pho Nui (Pleiku) also known as "two-bowl pho", to Lac Hong Pho (Nam Dinh)... In particular, the presence of Pho Khoe from Seoul (Korea) continues to show the strong spread of Vietnamese pho beyond borders.

During the two days of the festival, it is expected to serve more than 20,000 bowls of pho, attracting about 50,000 visitors. The price of each bowl of pho is set at only 40,000 VND to expand the experience opportunity for a large number of people. In addition, the organizers will deduct 10% of the revenue, along with contributions from readers and accompanying units, to be sent to the people of Dak Lak province, which suffered heavy damage after the recent storm and flood. This humanitarian activity has become a beauty of the Pho Day program for many years.

Bowls of chicken pho will be served to diners with prices starting from 40,000 VND/bowl at the festival.

On the other hand, the organizing committee also continues to promote the message "Spreading to five continents", calling on pho restaurants at home and abroad to respond to Pho Day on December 12 in many forms such as: organizing promotional programs, recreating local pho stories or promoting Vietnamese pho to the international community. These interesting stories will be recorded and spread on the program's media channels.

Mr. Tran Xuan Toan, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Tuoi Tre Newspaper, said that the journey of Pho Day has entered its ninth year since Tuoi Tre initiated December 12 as Pho Day. Nearly a decade has witnessed the strong rise of Vietnamese cuisine, in which pho plays a symbolic role and has become an inspirational ambassador for tourism, widely accepted at home and abroad.

Accordingly, pho festivals held abroad have created a big buzz among locals and international tourists such as: In 2023 in Japan, it attracted about 85,000 diners, in 2024 in Korea, there were 28,000 attendees, and in 2025 in Singapore, it reached 35,000 visitors. These numbers demonstrate the strong love of international friends for Vietnamese pho, while opening up opportunities for businesses producing spices, ingredients, and Vietnamese food for export.

According to Mr. Tran Xuan Toan, the theme of this year's festival "Elevating Vietnamese rice - Spreading to five continents" honors rice, a core ingredient that makes up the soul of Vietnamese pho. The story of artisan Do Thi Tam, owner of the Pho Since 1960 brand (Bac Giang), with chewy Chu noodles from the Bao Thai Hong rice variety, is proof of the vitality of native rice varieties when properly preserved and promoted. Therefore, Pho Day is not only a culinary festival but also a tool to promote tourism, trade and investment.

"In the near future, the organizing committee aims to maintain the annual pho festival in other countries and is expected to hold it in France, Australia and the US in 2026. These are markets with deep ties to Vietnamese culture," Mr. Tran Xuan Toan added.

Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, said that Vietnamese pho is a national brand with great influence in the market. Previously, Vietnamese instant pho was mainly exported to Thailand; now, the product has penetrated widely into Asian markets with large Vietnamese communities, even to many developed countries. The domestic rice food industry has also grown strongly, when up to 99% of rice products in retail systems in Ho Chi Minh City are Vietnamese goods, demonstrating the outstanding competitiveness of domestic enterprises.

Vietnamese pho always leaves a deep impression on international tourists.

To ensure the highest quality and food safety for each bowl of pho served at the festival, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee also assigned the Department of Food Safety and Hygiene and related units to coordinate and implement strict hygiene control procedures. All booths must ensure a clean kitchen, sterilized tools, and staff must wear masks and gloves throughout the processing process. The water source for cooking pho, blanching noodles, and cleaning tools must be tested to meet standards and monitored throughout the festival. This work is to ensure that each bowl of pho delivered to diners is safe, delicious, and authentic.

"With its large scale, diverse activities and the support of the business community, artisans and pho lovers, the Pho Day 2025 festival is expected to continue to spread the value of Vietnamese cuisine, elevate Vietnamese rice and bring Vietnamese pho further and stronger on the world map," said Mr. Nguyen Nguyen Phuong.

baotintuc.vn

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/hon-20000-to-pho-cho-phuc-vu-du-khach-tai-le-hoi-ngay-cua-pho-2025-post888193.html