Pho Minh has been honored by Michelin for three consecutive years, and the story has become a sensation throughout the city.

Phở Minh - Ảnh 1. — Pho Minh in 1957 - Photo: Provided by the owner.

When talking about pho, the people of old Saigon had a poem that went: "The news spreads throughout the city/Tran Minh's Northern-style pho is famous/Featuring rare, well-done beef brisket, flank, and cartilage/Seasoning includes soy sauce, vegetables, chili, fish sauce, and lime..."

The poems of Mr. Tran Rac are now carefully preserved by Mr. Tran Ba Di, the third generation of Pho Minh, framed in glass and displayed in the most prominent spot in the restaurant as a reminder of their roots.

In this small but tidy space, the framed picture becomes a special focal point that anyone entering will easily notice.

Pho Minh restaurant has weathered many ups and downs throughout history.

To tell the whole story of Pho Minh, we would probably have to go back almost 100 years.

In the 1930s, Mr. Tran Minh, then still young, had to leave his hometown of Ha Dong to make a living, traveling overland through Laos and Cambodia to Tay Ninh , and finally settling in the "promised land" of Saigon.

After arriving in Saigon, Mr. Tran Minh coincidentally connected with a relative from the Tran family who had also moved from the North. This relative had a small pho stall near Ben Thanh Market, with a small table set up on Le Lai Street. He went to help out at the stall, learning the trade while he worked.

Phở Minh - Ảnh 2. — Mr. Tran Minh and his youngest daughter - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.

A few years later, having become more skilled, Mr. Minh asked to strike out on his own. Mr. Tran Ba Di recounted that back then, his grandparents' family was very poor, they had to rent a house, and his grandmother had to work as a domestic helper in exchange for a place to live.

The house was rented, located in a narrow alley, so how could they open a pho restaurant? His grandfather bought a wooden cart and set it up at the entrance of Pasteur alley to sell pho. There were no tables or chairs; customers either stood or sat under a tree, leaving their bowls there for his grandfather to clean up. Yet, the place was always bustling with customers.

Back then, pho wasn't yet a popular dish in Saigon. People were used to eating hu tieu or mi go (noodle soup) with all the vegetables, bean sprouts, beef meatballs, black sauce, and red sauce – ingredients not found in Northern pho.

So, Mr. Minh made the bold decision to "reform" the pho dish. He added blanched bean sprouts, vegetables, sauces, etc., to suit the taste of the people here. And that's how Southern pho, Saigon pho, was born.

"It can be said that Mr. Tran Minh, the owner of Pho Tran Minh restaurant at that time, was practically the 'father' of Southern-style Pho, or perhaps Saigon-style Pho," affirmed Mr. Tran Ba Di.

Phở Minh - Ảnh 3. — The interior of Pho Minh restaurant when it first opened - Photo: Provided by the owner.

After many years of selling pho from a mobile stall, the shop started to attract many customers. Thanks to that, Mr. Minh saved enough money to buy two plots of land, one to open the shop, and the other to provide temporary accommodation for the construction workers.

From 1955 to 1957, the main house was built. While it was under construction, Mr. Minh continued to push his cart to the end of the alley to sell pho. At this time, Pho Minh became so famous that he was considered a "tycoon" because he was one of only five people in Saigon at that time who owned a private car.

But those decades weren't always smooth sailing. There were times when Mr. Minh was forced to temporarily close his business for one or two years, reduce its scale, and even when it seemed like he would have to shut it down completely...

However, thanks to the collective efforts of generations to preserve and develop the family brand, Pho Minh has overcome all ups and downs to survive to this day.

Phở Minh 3 năm liền được Michelin vinh danh và câu chuyện 'nô nức đồn vang khắp thị thành' - Ảnh 5. — Mr. Tran Ba Dung, the third-generation chef at Pho Minh - Photo: LAN HUONG

Pho Minh is synonymous with the word 'simple'.

Currently, Pho Minh is run by three grandchildren of Mr. Tran Minh, each with their own responsibilities. Ms. Tran Thi Mai Dung handles serving, Mr. Tran Ba Dung is in charge of the kitchen and the pho pots, and Mr. Tran Ba Di is the "storyteller" and handles external relations.

Speaking about Pho Minh's enduring popularity over the past 80 years, Mr. Tran Ba Di believes the biggest reason still lies in the bowl of pho itself. The pho must be delicious, high-quality, and clean to keep customers coming back. Customers might find the broth a little bland the first time they visit Pho Minh, but once they get used to the taste, they become addicted.

At Pho Minh, a regular bowl costs 75,000 VND, and a large bowl costs 100,000 VND - Photo: LAN HUONG

For over 80 years, Pho Minh has maintained its recipe almost entirely, not following trends, not "modernizing," and not altering the flavor.

Mr. Tran Ba Di "reveals" the secret to recognizing an authentic bowl of "Pho Minh" pho: simplicity - a word not usually associated with pho.

The broth is simmered only from beef bones and radishes to extract a natural sweetness, without cinnamon, star anise, or cardamom like many other restaurants. It is this simplicity that helps the pho's flavor remain consistent and stable, leaving a lasting impression on diners.

The piping hot broth and fresh beef create a truly enticing bowl of pho - Video : LAN HUONG

To date, Pho Minh has been honored by Michelin for three consecutive years. Mr. Tran Ba Di said this is the result of the efforts of three generations to preserve and develop Pho Minh. This makes him very proud.

"In the first year we received the Michelin award, my sister kept it a secret, not daring to show it off because too many customers came, and we couldn't serve them all. Everyone came to eat and asked about it. It wasn't until I decided to renovate the restaurant six months ago that we finally put up the award plaque," he recounted.

Pho Minh is one of the pho brands that will participate in the Pho Day 2025 festival, taking place on December 13th and 14th in Ho Chi Minh City. This is also the first year Pho Minh has participated in Pho Day organized by Tuoi Tre newspaper.

"The reason Pho Minh is participating this year is because we don't want to keep the story of the pho profession, both pho in general and Pho Minh's story in particular, to ourselves, but want to share it so that everyone can understand it better," he added.

Phở Minh - Ảnh 7. — Pho Minh's "best seller" is the full bowl of pho - Photo: Provided by the owner.

The Pho Day 12-12 program, now in its 9th year with the theme "Elevating Vietnamese Rice - Spreading Across Five Continents," will take place over two days, December 13th and 14th, at the former Tax Department Store area, 135 Nguyen Hue Street, Saigon Ward, Ho Chi Minh City.

The program features nearly 30 famous and unique pho brands from North to South Vietnam, showcasing a diverse range of pho dishes reflecting the characteristics of different regions and local cultures.

With a price of 40,000 VND per bowl, the Pho Day festival on December 12, 2025, is expected to serve more than 20,000 servings over two days. The organizers will donate at least 10% of the pho sales revenue to the "Pho of Love" program, cooking and serving pho to people in the flood-stricken areas of Dak Lak province (formerly Phu Yen ), which recently suffered damage from natural disasters.

The Pho Day 12-12 program is supported and coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Trade Promotion - Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade, and the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, with the diamond partnership of Acecook Vietnam Joint Stock Company for many years, and this year with the additional support of Ho Chi Minh City Development Commercial Bank (HDBank), Cholimex Food Joint Stock Company, Saigon Trading Corporation Limited (SATRA), Suntory Pepsico Beverage Company Limited, etc.