There will be a foreigner cooking traditional beef pho at Pho Day.

Manuel Sponton, a famous Western chef who made headlines in food magazines more than three years ago, was persuaded to stay in Vietnam by Thu Trang, the owner of Pho Ong Tay restaurant and also his girlfriend.

Manuel Sponton and Thu Trang cooking pho together - Photo: HUU HANH

At the press conference introducing the Pho Day 2025 event, which will take place on December 13th and 14th, many journalists requested an interview with Sponton, but he laughed and said, "I've said it all in previous years, what more is there to say...?"

Yes, that's right. If you Google the three words "Western-style pho," you'll find countless articles and videos about this person. Some say Sponton is a professional chef in Italy who has worked in 5-star restaurants.

Having accepted an invitation from a major restaurant in Vietnam, he came to Vietnam. However, the beginning of his time in Vietnam was not very happy for him, as he experienced failure – a failure not stemming from his culinary career but from the pitfalls of life.

Then, with only a backpack on his shoulder, he went to look for a job and met Thu Trang – a girl from Hue who ran a food business in Ho Chi Minh City. This cheerful girl teased Manuel Sponton: "Do you know how to cook pho?"

Of course not, but Sponton said he was ready to learn. Thu Trang wanted to challenge this Italian guy with the childlike smile: "OK, come early tomorrow morning to learn how to cook pho!"

At 4:30 the next morning, Sponton was standing outside Trang's restaurant. So she took him to Cu Chi, to a pho restaurant she liked, and asked if this Italian chef could apprentice there.

Of course, being a professional chef, Sponton quickly mastered the craft.

Three years ago, when I was asked to write and make a video about Pho Ong Tay (a type of Vietnamese pho), I heard from culinary experts that "the first thing to do to test a chef is to go shopping for ingredients with him/her."

Sponton seemed pleased with the offer, so he readily agreed. And indeed, at a small market in the former District 2, we observed Sponton shopping.

The female vendors were familiar with this foreigner, so they greeted him warmly, but he didn't seem to understand much Vietnamese, responding only with a childlike smile. However, when choosing meat or vegetables, the smile disappeared, replaced by a scrutinizing gaze to ensure everything was fresh and delicious.

After the shopping trip came the culinary show. Truly a professional chef. Sponton performed effortlessly, from roasting spices like cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom… to slicing the meat neatly and precisely with each stroke of the knife.

A foreigner meticulously selects meat, vegetables, and spices at the market to cook pho - Photo: HUU HANH

I tried all the different types of pho that Spontan makes. The traditional beef pho is very good. But honestly, the creative pho with salmon is just too much for me.

Speaking of culinary creativity, Sponton chuckled and said, "It's just like how Americans created the Italian Carbonara."

Yes, Carbonara pasta is very famous, but most restaurants in Vietnam make it the American style with a rich, creamy sauce and bacon, while authentic Italian Carbonara uses smoked pork cheek and doesn't overuse the rich, creamy sauce.

Although Sponton found the American-style Carbonara very unpleasant, he shrugged and said, "After all, the name Carbonara is Italian, not someone else's."

I steered the conversation from American-style Carbonara to Vietnamese pho, noting that there are many types of pho that are different from traditional pho, such as Spontan's salmon pho, for example. Because whatever it is, it has to be associated with the word "Pho"! Spontan laughed and said, "Right, right..."

So, what will the couple bring to introduce to diners at the Pho Day 2025 festival? Thu Trang chimed in: "Just traditional beef pho. I think seeing a 100% Italian man scooping pho would be interesting enough."

Yes, it's normal for Vietnamese people to stand and cook or sell Vietnamese pho, but if Manuel Sponton were to stand there, it would certainly be a fantastic image promoting Vietnamese pho internationally.

Please read the related information about Pho Day here.

The 9th annual Pho Day program, themed "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 program on December 12th is supported and coordinated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Cultural Diplomacy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Trade Promotion Department - 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)...

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HUY THO

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/se-co-mot-ong-tay-nau-pho-bo-truyen-thong-o-ngay-cua-pho-2025120920513944.htm