Hanoi University of Technology student creates game that goes viral on Pho Anh Hai.

Using only an old computer, a final-year student at Hanoi University of Science and Technology created a game that has taken the internet by storm, attracting the attention of hundreds of thousands of users in Vietnam and around the world.

From 200 failed projects to unexpected fame.

In recent days, the game "Pho Anh Hai" has become a sensation on social media. Despite only launching on October 23rd, the game has attracted the attention of many users in Vietnam and around the world .

In the game, players take on the role of Anh Hai, the owner of a pho restaurant located at a fictional address, 10 Dan Phuong ( Hanoi ). Initially, players only need to cook pho, serve customers, and collect money accurately. Additionally, players must keep an eye on and care for their pet dog to prevent it from being stolen.

However, as the game progresses, secrets about the village where Anh Hai's pho restaurant is located are gradually revealed, creating surprises and drama.

Surprisingly, the creator of this game is a male student (born in 2003), currently studying at the School of Information Technology and Communications, Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

Speaking to VietNamNet , the student said he was extremely surprised by the game's overwhelming positive reception. He started developing the game on September 10th, including brainstorming, programming, designing the environment, and creating character animations, completing it within a month. On October 23rd, he uploaded it to the platform. However, in the initial stages, almost no one played the game.

By the end of October, some users had recorded gameplay footage and shared it on social media platforms. From there, the game began to spread rapidly.

Many people believe that what makes "Pho Anh Hai" different isn't its special effects or graphics, but its authentically Vietnamese setting. Every small detail evokes familiar memories: green plastic chairs, chopstick holders on the table, red signs with gold lettering, flyers advertising concrete drilling and cutting services, or anti-drug slogans on old walls… This "Vietnamese element" makes players feel like they are sitting in a pho restaurant right at the corner of the street.

According to statistics, the game has now reached 650,000 downloads and nearly 1 million views.

A male student from Hanoi University of Science and Technology creates a game that's causing a sensation. Photo: Thuy Nga.

As a former student of the Computer Science specialization at Hanoi University of Education High School for Gifted Students, the male student said he developed a passion for game programming in the 10th grade. In particular, after seeing the success of "Flappy Bird," a game developed by a former student of Hanoi University of Science and Technology, he began to explore and self-learn, and started working on various projects.

My game programming skills are entirely self-taught, mainly through free resources on YouTube, sharing and Q&A on forums, or watching existing projects to understand the structure and how to make games.

To date, the student has completed approximately 200 projects, but most were not very popular and a large number were deleted. "Pho Anh Hai" is the first project to reach hundreds of thousands of downloads.

The creator of "Pho Anh Hai" said that when making this game, he focused heavily on the storyline. Initially, players thought it was just a typical pho selling game, but the more they played, the more they were drawn into the storyline with its action and mystery elements.

In addition, the game features images that reflect authentic Vietnamese culture, making it both familiar to Vietnamese people and intriguing to international users, helping to promote the cuisine of our homeland.

"These are probably the elements that make this game stand out," the student commented.

However, due to self-study and despite having experience from previous game projects, the student still encountered some obstacles such as the game being too large and the platform having file size limitations. Reducing the game size caused errors for a small number of players because it was incompatible with their computer configurations.

"I'm still trying to overcome and resolve these issues," said the author of "Pho Anh Hai".

They make games that become a sensation, but… they don't play games.

A male student from Hanoi University of Science and Technology said that the cost of creating this game was zero. The entire process, from brainstorming and programming to design, was done by himself in his free time, only using some publicly available free resources on the internet. "I still have to dedicate most of my time to my courses at school," the student said.

Surprisingly, despite creating a hugely popular game, the student didn't play it because he felt it was a waste of time.

"I mainly watch content creators play to find ideas, partly because my computer has weak specifications."

In the game, players take on the role of Anh Hai, the owner of a pho restaurant. Photo: Thuy Nga

Since the game became popular, the student has continuously received messages of encouragement and gratitude from many people. “People said they were inspired because they used to think that making games required a whole team and media coverage. I shared with them how I taught myself and how I overcame those difficulties.”

However, the sudden fame also made the male student feel anxious because he needed to focus on his studies and didn't want it to affect his mental health.

"I've also received several offers to collaborate on game development and I'm still seriously considering them. For now, I'll listen to feedback to improve the version, while also focusing on my studies to graduate from university," the student said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-bach-khoa-ha-noi-lam-game-gay-bao-pho-anh-hai-2459726.html