Guests discuss in the talkshow "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together", an activity of the Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 - Photo: HUU HANH
On the afternoon of October 19 at Our Tampines Hub, the talk show "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together" was held to emphasize the theme of Vietnam Pho Festival: enjoying pho together, but also discussing the story of bringing pho and Vietnamese cuisine far and wide.
Standardization will be needed
Starting the story of pho outside of Vietnam, Ms. P., a Thai tourist interested in pho, said she has a good impression of Vietnamese cuisine and always pays attention to Vietnamese restaurants when traveling to other countries.
From Ms. P's story, it can be seen that pho or Vietnamese cuisine receives great attention from international diners, but in addition to large-scale programs like Vietnam Pho Festival, pho brand owners or businesses must also calculate and consider carefully when bringing their brands abroad.
Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Board of Members of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, emphasized that standardization is necessary for pho to go far - Photo: HUU HANH
Mr. Nguyen Huu Y Yen, Chairman of the Board of Members of Saigontourist Travel Service Company, said that in order for pho to reach far, besides flavor, attention must be paid to factors such as training, standardization and geographical indications.
Mr. Yen said training means unifying how pho should be served, how to eat it properly, along with standardizing recipes.
With the richness of pho, the representative of Saigontourist Travel Service Company also suggested that there should be symbols for tourists to recognize Southern pho, Northern pho, traditional pho and modified pho.
In addition to knowing about pho, tourists also need to learn thoroughly about pho, experience from the stages of buying ingredients, cooking, and enjoying. “From there, pho will spread more and more widely, and spread sustainably,” Mr. Yen said.
Sharing the same approach to the "standardization" factor necessary to bring Vietnamese cuisine abroad, Mr. Tran Nhat Quang - Founder of La Viet Coffee - said that La Viet coffee itself is also built on the standardization factor.
PhD student, master Nguyen Thuy Tinh Ca, lecturer at Swinburne University in Vietnam, host of the talk show "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together", has helped coordinate many exchanges at Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 - Photo: HUU HANH
According to Mr. Quang, standardization is necessary for products to achieve a basic quality value, as in the case of La Viet coffee, which has been standardized according to the best coffee standards in the world today.
“For pho, we expect that the value of pho will be standardized so that whether in Vietnam or anywhere in the world, the quality standards of pho will be recognized,” said Mr. Quang.
Journalist Tran Xuan Toan, Head of the Organizing Committee of Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 (right), and Mr. Tran Nhat Quang, Founder of La Viet Coffee, discuss the ecosystem surrounding a bowl of pho - Photo: HUU HANH
Integrate but do not dissolve
In addition to the standardization factor, Mr. Quang also mentioned the requirements for internationalization and localization in products.
Regarding product adjustment to integrate with international markets, Ms. Le Thi Giau - Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Binh Tay Food - said that the enterprise, based on experience in contacting markets, has researched to produce products suitable to the requirements of each country.
Surveying the Singapore market through the Vietnam Pho Festival, Ms. Giau said this is a very potential but very demanding market. Pho products entering this market will need to be rich and must select the highest quality input materials.
In addition to the story of quality, Vietnamese cuisine when conquering the international market must also pay attention to adapting to consumer habits.
Ms. Le Thi Giau, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of Binh Tay Food, shares the company's experience in penetrating foreign markets - Photo: HUU HANH
Ms. Han Lam Tu Quynh, owner of the Society Bread brand in Singapore, commented that Vietnamese bread in this island nation is warmly welcomed because it is quick, convenient, and suitable for the "fast food" culture.
However, Vietnamese sandwiches themselves, in terms of flavor and ingredients, emphasize the difference compared to products from chains like Subway or McDonald's, from the special pate flavor to the hams that have a more distinctive flavor than regular cold cuts.
“When talking about Vietnamese bread, Singaporeans as well as Vietnamese people in Singapore can immediately imagine what the taste is like, and they have a certain expectation for this taste,” said Ms. Quynh.
Ms. Han Lam Tu Quynh, owner of the Society Bread brand in Singapore, said that bread has won over Singaporeans thanks to its distinctive taste but still comes with the convenience - Photo: HUU HANH
Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore - Connecting cultures, promoting cooperation
Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore is organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore, Tuoi Tre newspaper and Saigon Tourist Group in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Singapore under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, taking place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.
The festival was held in the context of Vietnam and Singapore upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, affirming the program's significance and stature.
With the message "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together", Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 hopes that the event will not only invite international friends to enjoy a typical Vietnamese dish, which was listed by CNN in the list of 50 must-try dishes worldwide in 2011, but also convey the desire to connect - share - accompany the development of Vietnam.
Through the festival, pho will be introduced as a "cultural ambassador", serving as a bridge for Vietnam and Singapore, as well as international friends, to work together towards a prosperous and sustainable future.
The most important activity of the festival is to bring Singaporeans and tourists the opportunity to enjoy the "authentic" taste of Vietnamese pho. At Our Tampines Hub, attendees will be able to enjoy pho prepared directly by top artisans and chefs from Vietnam.
The main chefs of the 5-star hotels in the Saigontourist Group system, including four luxury hotels Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon and the brand Pho Thu Duc Golf Restaurant (Vietnam Golf & Country Club), along with famous pho brands such as Pho Sen Sasco, Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, Ba Ban Pho... will bring diversity in cooking methods and ways of enjoying.
In addition to pho, attendees also have the opportunity to enjoy many other traditional Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Saigontourist's 5-star chefs, creating a vibrant "culinary symphony".
In particular, along with the Pho Festival, a large-scale investment forum was also held, namely the Vietnam - Singapore Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum 2025, affirming the substance of the event. The forum took place right after the opening ceremony (morning of October 18), expected to attract about 150 businesses from both countries to participate.
At the forum, management agencies and businesses will discuss new cooperation trends in green processing and logistics, tourism and aviation services, import and export of Vietnamese agricultural products and specialties, digital transformation and e-commerce.
In particular, the Business Matching program (1-1 business connection) will create conditions for Vietnamese and Singaporean businesses to meet directly and seek practical cooperation opportunities.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lam-gi-de-pho-viet-dung-chan-o-singapore-20251019201420731.htm
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