Pho Nghi has only been in operation for 3 years but is very popular in Can Tho - Photo: Provided by the owner.
This is the first time this pho brand has participated in Pho Day. Previously, Le Ngoc Huong Giang participated in the "Searching for the Best Pho Chef" competition initiated by Tuoi Tre newspaper and won the Silver Star Anise award.
"On Pho Day, Pho Nghi wants to promote pho from the Mekong Delta region. That's also the restaurant's slogan," Giang shared.
Hoping to put Western-style pho on the map of Vietnamese pho.
Born in Can Tho in 1993 and returning to Vietnam after graduating with a degree in Interactive Marketing Communication in Australia, Le Ngoc Huong Giang has 8 years of experience in the F&B industry, but it wasn't until three years ago that she fully dedicated herself to pho.
Why pho and not other dishes?
Giang's grandmother was a well-known bánh cống (a type of Vietnamese rice cake) vendor in Can Tho; she was also a food lover, capable of cooking anything, often preparing meals for her children and grandchildren, including pho.
Later, when Giang went to Australia to study, pho was the dish that evoked the most memories of her grandmother and her homeland.
The pho business originated from cooking it for her children during the COVID-19 pandemic. After people found it delicious, she researched how to scale up and refine the process.
"Pho Nghi was created, named after my two children, to remind myself to maintain dedication and kindness in every bowl of pho I cook, whether for customers or for my own children," Giang recounted.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre ( Youth) magazine , Giang confided that no one taxes dreams, and her dream is "to gradually put Western-style pho on the map of Vietnamese pho."
Giang shared that while she knew pho originated in the North, over time it spread throughout the country. Pho has become a national dish, a symbol of Vietnamese culinary identity, regardless of region.
"Why is it that when talking about pho, or mentioning Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, we often overlook the Mekong Delta? I hope that one day, pho from the Mekong Delta will also be recognized," she said.
Kitchen area of Pho Nghi - Photo: Provided by the owner
People from the Mekong Delta also really like pho.
Pho Nghi has the distinctive flavor of pho from the Mekong Delta, but it has been refined to suit everyone's taste while still retaining the region's identity – not too sweet, just right, and still rich in flavor.
Pho restaurants often offer entertainment activities for customers while they dine - Photo: Provided by the owner.
In terms of ingredients, Pho Nghi uses two traditional rice varieties, Ben Tre dwarf rice and Ham Chau rice, to make its pho noodles. These two rice varieties have small, sticky grains with a moderate amylose content. When mixed in a specific ratio, they create pho noodles that are naturally soft, chewy, and subtly fragrant without the need for any additives.
On weekdays, the shop sells around 500-800 bowls, and this can increase to 1,000-1,100 bowls on weekends.
"I thought only people from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City liked pho, but actually, people in the Mekong Delta are also very fond of pho," Giang said.
Le Thi Huong Giang, owner of Pho Nghi - Photo: Provided by the owner.
Le Ngoc Huong Giang (left) receives the Silver Star Anise Award along with Do Thi Tam, winner of the Gold Star Anise Award, at the "Searching for the Best Pho Chef 2025" competition - Photo: Provided by the interviewee.
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.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/sao-chi-nhac-pho-ha-noi-hoac-pho-sai-gon-nguoi-mien-tay-cung-me-pho-nha-20251211152850008.htm
![[Image] Close-up of the newly discovered "sacred road" at My Son Sanctuary](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2025%2F12%2F13%2F1765587881240_ndo_br_ms5-jpg.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)