South Africans and international friends come to the booth introducing pho and Vietnamese cuisine

Speaking to VNA reporters in Pretoria, Vietnamese Ambassador to South Africa Hoang Sy Cuong said that the Vietnamese Pho Day event in South Africa is also the last event in a series of events organized to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries (December 22, 1993 - December 22, 2023).

Despite the hot summer afternoon weather in the Southern Hemisphere, many South Africans, members of the diplomatic corps from other countries as well as the Vietnamese community living, working and studying in South Africa visited the booth introducing Vietnamese pho and cuisine. Here, diners were able to choose and enjoy traditional Vietnamese beef and chicken pho, and were introduced to the ingredients, cooking methods and how to enjoy the famous Vietnamese pho by officials, employees, husbands and wives of the Embassy and representative agencies of Vietnam.

The diners were very excited to learn about how to choose ingredients, cook broth and prepare side dishes. On this occasion, besides pho, South Africans and international people also had the opportunity to enjoy traditional fried spring rolls and Vietnamese coffee. Some Vietnamese branded products such as rice, coffee, rice paper, candy, etc. were also displayed at the event. About 500 servings of beef and chicken pho, along with 1,500 fried spring rolls and ready-to-drink Vietnamese coffee were served completely free of charge, satisfying the different tastes of diners.

Loving Vietnamese pho so much, Mr. Stoffel Van Zyl (South Africa) had to try both beef and chicken pho as well as traditional fried spring rolls. He also did not forget to enjoy Vietnamese coffee. Mr. Stoffel shared with VNA reporters: "This is the first time I have enjoyed Vietnamese food. The spring rolls are delicious. But I must say the pho is really great. The only problem I have is that I do not know how to use chopsticks to fully enjoy this pho like many people around me. Thank you for introducing this wonderful dish to South Africa."

Mr. Stoffel said that enjoying Vietnamese food at the event made him really want to travel to Vietnam one day. "I've watched about your country on YouTube and realized it's a beautiful country that I want to visit. And today has only reinforced my intention."

Ms. Zandile Mthimunye (South Africa) with her husband and three daughters also expressed her love for Vietnamese food. Ms. Mthimunye said: "Today my whole family came to this market and enjoyed Vietnamese food here. Vietnamese pho and spring rolls are delicious. And what I like is that my whole family gets to gather and enjoy food from a faraway country. My children are very impressed with pho and love its broth. Thank you for this event that we get to know Vietnamese cuisine here."

Another South African diner enjoys pho and fried spring rolls at the Vietnam Pho Day in South Africa 2023 event.

While wiping away the sweat after skillfully enjoying a bowl of Vietnamese pho with chopsticks, Lawrence Shields (South Africa) shared: "There are many South Africans who have traveled to Vietnam and are extremely fond of Vietnamese food. But you can see that there are not many Vietnamese restaurants here. Even if you find a few Vietnamese restaurants, the dishes do not have the right flavor. Many times you want to order pho but are served with a thick and cloudy broth, not at all clear and attractive like this. Even though today is extremely hot, I cannot refuse a wonderful and authentic bowl of pho like this."

According to Ambassador Hoang Sy Cuong, this event, although held for the first time in South Africa, was extremely successful and impressed South African friends and diplomatic corps from other countries by introducing Vietnamese culture in general and the quintessence of Vietnamese cuisine in particular.

"This is a wonderful event, concluding an impressive and complete year celebrating the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. We hope this will be the beginning of many events introducing Vietnam in the future, helping South African people and international friends better understand a beautiful, friendly and safe Vietnam," the Ambassador affirmed.