Papaken (born in 1989) is a Japanese content creator who has been living in Hanoi for over two years.

On his personal YouTube channel with hundreds of thousands of followers, Papaken regularly shares videos about his travel and culinary experiences in Hanoi and several other provinces and cities in Vietnam that he has had the opportunity to visit.

In a recently uploaded video, Papaken takes his two children to a pho restaurant located quite far from the city center. This is a dining spot that some YouTube users recommended to him on his personal channel.

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Papaken and his two children went to a famous pho restaurant located far from the center of Hanoi.

The pho restaurant is located on An Duong Vuong Street (Tay Ho District), about 10km from the Old Quarter. It also received many positive reviews on Google, so Papaken decided to visit and try the pho there.

Arriving at the restaurant at midday, Papaken and his two children, Michan and Kaikun, were surprised to see that it was still very crowded. All the seats were taken, and many customers had to stand in long lines to wait for their turn to order.

"The shop only sells from morning until 1 PM. There's about an hour left until closing time, but there are still a lot of customers. The fact that it's so popular with the locals means it must be delicious," Papaken said.

Customers lined up in long queues waiting for their turn to order.

At the restaurant, Papaken ordered two servings of rare and well-done beef pho, totaling 80,000 VND, and one special pho for 70,000 VND, plus three glasses of iced tea for 15,000 VND.

When the steaming hot bowl of pho was served, Michan and Kaikun exclaimed with delight, "It looks delicious!" Papaken said that the pho here uses thin rice noodles, which is exactly to his liking.

While enjoying the dish, the Japanese guest repeatedly exclaimed in delight, praising the pho for its delicious taste, rich broth, and distinctive aroma of beef.

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The Japanese guest continuously showed expressions of satisfaction while enjoying the delicious pho.

He revealed that he had tried many pho restaurants in the Old Quarter, finding each one to have its own unique flavor. However, he considered the pho here to be the most flavorful and to his liking.

"The flavor of pho varies from restaurant to restaurant. Some places have pho with strong spice aromas like star anise and cinnamon, while others have a rich beef flavor. This restaurant hardly has any of those spice aromas; you can clearly taste the beef. This is the kind of pho I really like," Papaken shared his impression.

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Papaken's daughter also praised the beef pho, saying it was delicious and had plenty of meat.

The father of two also praised the beef for its variety, large pieces, freshness, and rich flavor. "The pho is incredibly delicious, and the beef is also great," he added.

Papaken commented that the special bowl of pho was generously portioned with plenty of meat, so the price of 70,000 VND per serving was quite reasonable. He suggested that perhaps the restaurant's smaller location contributed to the affordable prices.

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The pho restaurant that the Japanese tourist visited was always crowded, even though it was located quite far from the center of Hanoi. Photo: Linh Trang

Speaking to reporters, Ms. Ho Thi Mai Hoa, the owner of the pho restaurant that Papaken and his two sons visited, said that making delicious pho requires meticulous and thorough preparation of ingredients.

The restaurant uses thin, chewy, and flavorful rice noodles that absorb the broth well. The fried dough sticks are homemade by the owner's younger brother's family. The beef is also sourced from a familiar supplier early in the morning.

The pho at this restaurant has a cloudy, slightly fatty, and rich broth. Photo: Linh Trang

According to Ms. Hoa, the pho broth is simmered for 18 hours. For the bones, she selects fresh, high-quality bones, soaks them for 4-5 hours with ginger, lemon, and salt, then rinses them thoroughly and blanches them in boiling water mixed with rice wine and ginger to remove any unpleasant odor.

"To make the best broth, you definitely need plenty of bones and meat. I personally prepare the pho broth every day. Besides simmering bones, I add pure fish sauce, seasoning powder, rock sugar, roasted ginger, shallots, various herbs, cinnamon, and star anise," she said.

Currently, the restaurant serves a variety of pho dishes, from rare beef, well-done beef, brisket, flank, to beef stew, stir-fried beef, beef tenderloin, and braised ribs. The price per bowl of pho ranges from 40,000 to 70,000 VND, and is publicly displayed for customers to easily choose from.

Photo: Papaken - family Life in Vietnam

Located 70km from Hanoi, the ancient temple boasts a century-old 'green treasure' that attracts tourists . Situated approximately 70km from Hanoi, Luu Xa Temple is a prominent spiritual tourism destination in Canh Tan commune, Hung Ha district, Thai Binh province.