Haru (from Japan) recently traveled to Vietnam, visiting many famous destinations such as Hanoi, Ha Long (Quang Ninh), Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa), etc.

Since Haru flew directly from Kansai International Airport (Osaka, Japan) to Noi Bai Airport, she chose Hanoi as her first stop on her journey to explore Vietnam.

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Haru traveled to Vietnam at the end of July.

After a five-hour flight and arriving at Noi Bai Airport at nearly 7 PM, Haru said she was "too hungry to do anything." Therefore, she decided to have dinner at a restaurant located in the airport's waiting area.

“It’s 7:30 PM now. If I take a taxi from the airport to the hotel, it will take me about 30 minutes to an hour. That’s quite late, and many restaurants might already be closed. So, I decided to have dinner here,” Haru said.

Upon arriving at Noi Bai Airport, the young woman was impressed by the wide variety of delicious food available, with menus written in multiple languages.

The Japanese tourist had dinner at a restaurant specializing in traditional Vietnamese pho. There, she ordered a combo meal (a set menu including food, drinks, and dessert) consisting of a bowl of beef pho (with one type of beef), a mixed fruit platter, and a soft drink, priced at 830 yen (approximately 150,000 VND).

When the food was served, Haru was immediately impressed by the beautifully presented pho, complete with bean sprouts, herbs, lime, and chili peppers. "Wow, this is a dish I absolutely must try when I come to Vietnam," she exclaimed.

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A close-up view of the "airport pho" meal enjoyed by a Japanese passenger at Noi Bai Airport.

Haru shared that Japanese people place great importance on food culture, so "it's really not good at all to slurp pho in the usual way." Therefore, she skillfully scoops the pho onto a spoon and slowly brings it to her mouth to enjoy.

The female tourist commented that the beef pho was delicious, with thin, soft, and chewy noodles, and a sweet, flavorful broth. The beef used was entirely from Australian cattle. The broth was simmered from beef bones for 24 hours, combined with various spices such as onions, roasted ginger, cardamom, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, cinnamon sticks, etc.

To enhance the flavor of the dish, Haru also added bean sprouts, herbs, and slices of fresh chili peppers to the bowl of pho.

“The bean sprouts are crunchy, and the herbs smell like lemongrass. There are many bean sprouts in Japan too, but I’ve never eaten them raw like this before. I know that chili peppers in Vietnam are very spicy, so just a small piece in a bowl of pho is enough,” she said.

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A Japanese female tourist commented that the beef pho was so delicious she couldn't stop eating it.

The Japanese customer commented that the price of 150,000 VND for a full meal including soup, drinks, and dessert was reasonable. "I just tried the pho at the airport and found the food here quite cheap. If I ate at local restaurants, the cost would probably be even cheaper," Haru added.

Besides being impressed with the local cuisine , the young woman also revealed why Hanoi is a worthwhile destination, citing several reasons such as: convenient transportation with many direct flights from Japan; visa validity of up to 45 days; free Wi-Fi everywhere; and reasonable cost of living.

Photo: Haru Daily

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