Lotus pho, cold rice and fish sauce of a Vietnamese expatriate in Singapore

As he was about to close the stall, a Vietnamese Singaporean came to ask for pho sen but there was none left. He returned a while later with a bowl of cold rice and said, 'Please sell me some fish sauce to eat with my rice because I miss home so much.'

SASCO Sen Pho welcomes guests at the Vietnamese Pho Festival in Singapore - Photo: HUU HANH

Grandfather Tran Trong Thuan - Deputy Director of SASCO Long An branch - shared the touching story of a Vietnamese person far from home on the sidelines of Vietnam Pho Festival 2025, held in Singapore on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore's largest community center.

This is the first time a pho festival has been held on the largest scale in the lion island nation, so it has received enthusiastic response from the Vietnamese community and people living and working here.

The delegation enjoyed SASCO lotus pho at Vietnam Pho Festival - Photo: HUU HANH

Vietnamese people crave Vietnamese taste in Singapore

Many stalls put up "sold out" signs earlier than expected. And many people, due to schedules and work, did not arrive until 5pm, but the pho shops were already busy packing up to leave.

Mr. Thuan said that a customer saved his stomach and did not eat all day because he wanted to go to the Vietnamese Pho Festival to enjoy a bowl of Vietnamese pho that he had always missed.

However, when he arrived, the stalls, including SASCO pho sen, were cleaning up and preparing to leave.

The SASCO pho sen crew thought the story ended there, but later, not knowing where he bought a bowl of cold rice, he said, "Then can you sell me 2 Singapore dollars worth of fish sauce to put a few drops in my bowl of rice?"

"This customer expressed his wish that Vietnamese products, including fish sauce, should be present stably in the Singapore market," Mr. Thuan recounted the story to show how much he missed the taste of his homeland.

He said "along with many pho brands, SASCO's pho sen 'went abroad' to Singapore for the first time, just because it wanted Vietnamese people far away from home to enjoy their homeland's cuisine , especially pho".

But according to him, the purpose of the Vietnam Pho Festival does not stop there. At a pho festival or at the negotiating table, a bowl of pho can start one, even many stories, as shared by Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh.

Lotus pho at Vietnam Pho Festival - Photo: HUU HANH

In pho sen there is Vietnamese cultural history

Mr. Nguyen Hoang Anh, SASCO's assistant chef, shared that in 2021, his superiors gave the chefs a difficult task: Create a dish that combines the two most traditional and quintessential elements of Vietnam.

In terms of cuisine, pho is the national dish, loved by many people around the world ; and in terms of nature, the most beautiful is the lotus - considered the national flower of Vietnam.

"Hearing the name pho sen reminds me of Vietnam. When talking about pho sen, it cannot be Korea, Japan, Singapore but definitely Vietnam", he said "to be able to create a pho sen that is different from many other types of pho, SASCO chefs spent 10 months struggling to find the recipe, both making and testing".

Delegation of guests visiting SASCO's pho sen booth - Photo: HUU HANH

Assistant chef Hoang Anh revealed the reason why pho sen is both rich and fatty, yet lightly fragrant and sweet: the broth of pho sen is made from lotus bones and roots, peeled, soaked in lemon and salt, then blanched in boiling water, then simmered in a pot of beef pho broth to absorb the flavor and richness.

"In a bowl of lotus pho, bones, beef, lotus root, sea worms, cinnamon and star anise blend together, creating a sweet taste that brings balance in flavor. The lotus pho noodles are made from rice flour, lotus root powder, wheat flour, tapioca starch... combined with cooking oil and salt. Lotus pho also has traditional fish sauce (produced in Phu Quoc) to enhance the aroma of the pho," he added.

Assistant chef Hoang Anh is adding fish sauce to pho - Photo: HUU HANH

In other words, in a bowl of pho there is the history of fish sauce, the history of lotus, the history of rice and other Vietnamese agricultural products... Along with that is the folk wisdom passed down from our ancestors for generations.

Therefore, "promoting pho means promoting an entire ecosystem and supply chain," Mr. Tran Trong Thuan assessed.

Mr. Tran Trong Thuan spoke about the significance of pho in trade promotion at the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore - Photo: HUU HANH

This representative gave an example of SASCO's product display booth at Vietnam Pho Festival 2025, in addition to traditional fish sauces (for dipping, cooking, etc.), there is also dry pho - the type of pho that when added with water becomes fresh pho.

Producing fresh pho noodles directly in a country like Singapore is very complicated, requires many procedures, and is difficult to preserve (only consumed within 1-2 days, easy to waste).

Right at the festival, a reputable F&B distributor in Singapore, introduced by Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Tran Phuoc Anh, expressed his intention to work with SASCO to export the first batch of pho noodles to the Singapore market in the near future.

SASCO representative said "Pho festivals like this are an opportunity for businesses to connect with each other in trade. A bowl of pho is no longer just a bowl of pho."

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore

Connecting cultures, promoting cooperation

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore, organized by the Vietnamese Embassy 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, will take 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.

Back to topic

BEANS

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/pho-sen-chen-com-nguoi-va-nuoc-mam-cua-mot-nguoi-viet-xa-xu-o-singapore-20251019151952938.htm