Thanis Lim

All Rounder Chef and Food Journalist

Vietnam Food Guide: The quest for the ultimate best Pho Bo in Vietnam! Best Pho in Ho Chi Minh and best Pho in Hanoi.

There’s nothing that represents Vietnamese food more than the iconic Pho Bo, an aromatic beef soup, the thin slices of beef, the silky thin rice noodles and the fresh herbs you add to enhance the flavour. Having enjoyed so much Pho is other countries, I was really excited to finally savour pho from where it came from! Before I visited Vietnam, I made a point to research where are the best places to have Pho so I could personally experienced it while introducing it into one article where my readers can also follow my quest for the ultimate Pho Bo! So here are the best pho in Ho Chi Minh City and best pho in Hanoi!

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh Pho (Saigon) pho is the one we are more used to seeing in other countries, which is a beef broth, usually mix in with other ingredients like dried squid and seasonings to give it a flavoursome broth. Another special trait of Saigon Pho is the amount of condiments on the side for you to enjoy your Pho, usually in the form of basil, beam sprouts, rice paddy herb, sawtooth herb, lime, chili sauce and hoisin sauce. This is something that is not common with Hanoi Pho, which you will see more later in this post. After trying numerous places – ranging from mediocre pho to good ones – I’ve narrowed down my three favourite Pho in Ho Chi Minh to the three. Pho Le, Pho Anh and Pho Hoa Pasteur.

Pho Le

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Pho Le wasn’t in my original list of Pho to try but I walked past it while trying to locate Mi Sui Cao, a famous Wonton mee place in District 3. I noticed the restaurant was packed with the locals and using my gut feeling that if the locals like it, it must be good.

 

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What will arrive on your table as soon as you order is this mountain of herbs and bean sprouts. Quite a sight really!

 

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More lime and chilies for you to spice up your broth.

 

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Glorious beef slices ~~ to enjoy – of course you add in lots of the herbs to add flavour and texture ~~ with a squeeze of lime and chilies to add some kick to it. The beef slices are tender while the broth is a little more on the sweeter side.

 

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Pho Le, 413-415 Nguyen Trai is the branch I went to. Easily found using google map. Type in Pho Le or 413 Nguyen Trai.

 

Pho Anh

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Pho Anh was another Pho establishment that wasn’t mentioned much in my research but was recommended by a local. You will see them in their blue uniforms and again – place packed full of people.

 

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The herbs at Pho Anh is served on a basket ~~ different from the mountainous herbs at Pho Le.

 

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They are more generous with the beef slices in Pho Anh. I personally prefer the beef at Pho Le and more choices in terms of the herbs. It’s still a very good bowl of Pho compared to other Pho places I’ve tried in Ho Chi Minh.

Pho Anh, 8-10A Ky Dong, W.9, District 3

 

Pho Hoa Pasteur

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Pho Hoa Pasteur is the one that get’s the most reviews and recommendations from my research and it’s also the easiest to visit if you are staying at district 1. Pho Hoa has a long history of being run by the same family and its secret recipe is passed down from generation to generation. I see more tourists in this place than any other Pho establishments I’ve visited in Ho Chi Minh City.

 

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The herbs and other side condiments (not free) such as the quay which is charkueh or fried dough to dip with the soup.

 

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The Hoisin sauce and Chili sauce that you add to your soup ~~ this is the most familiar type of Pho we’ve grown accustomed to eating in many parts of the world.

 

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In terms of the overall Pho experience, Pho Hoa gets my vote for my favourite Pho in Ho Chi Minh. The broth is still on the sweeter side and the rice noodles are thin and silky to slurp up. Beef wise I still prefer Pho Le, but overall taste this is my favourite in Ho Chi Minh.

Pho Hoa Pasteur is located at 260C Pasteur Street, District 1.

 

Pho Phu Vuong

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Picture taken from foody.vn

In my instagram, someone commented and said that the best pho in Ho Chi Minh belongs to Pho Phu Vuong – and upon research through social media and from blogger Eating Saigon. Pho Phu Vuong does receive rave reviews. Unfortunately, it was too late for me to visit this place – considering also the traffic and it’s an actual 19 minutes drive from district 1 where most tourists stay. I regret to say I haven’t tried this place yet. Perhaps you can continue my foodie adventures and give this a try if you have the time. You can actually google map “Pho Phu Vuong” or just the address which is 339 Le Van Sy, Tan Binh District.

 

Hanoi

For some history of Pho, most argued that it originated from Hanoi while purists say it originates from Nam Dinh which is just 50 miles away from Hanoi. Pho is different in Hanoi compared to Ho Chi Minh, the broth tends to be clearer while there’s no need for condiments of herbs to be added to the soup. Those who tasted Pho overseas might be wondering where’s all the extra herbs needed for the soup but let me assure you – you won’t miss the herbs when you tasted the ones in Hanoi. I hope I won’t offend anyone by saying I prefer the Pho in Hanoi compared to Ho Chi Minh as I prefer the broth here which is less sweet and has a more cleaner taste. I did the same thing in Hanoi by trying out many recommended Pho places – and was disappointed with some of them especially a very famous one but I will not post them here. My three favourites in Hanoi were Pho Thin, Pho Vui and Pho Gia Truyen.

Pho Vui

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Pho Vui is an interesting place as it looks more like a butchery rather than a pho store. You can see lots of raw meat hanging there – and the boss slicing the beef while you are slurping your bowl of pho.

 

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I sat right next to the action – watching the boss slicing the beef with his knife skills

 

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Would you look at the size of that hunk of meat! *drools*

 

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It’s quite a hearty portion of beef slices in this bowl of Pho and I quite enjoyed it.

 

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There was an article online that rated Pho Vui quite low and criticized the consistency of the cuts of meats as well as hygiene but my personal experience is a positive one and I really enjoyed this bowl of pho. Enjoy at night with a nice glass of Hanoi Beer!

Pho Vui, 25 Hang Giay. Open at night

Pho Thin by the Hoan Kiem Lake

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On my research – there’s two Pho Thin’s – one at Lo Duc which is quite far and another one jus by the Hoan Kiem Lake. Despite having the same name, they both serve different types of Pho – the one in Lo Duc street stir fries the beef first before adding to the rice noodles, then laden with broth, which gives it a very different taste to traditional Hanoi Pho. I prefer the one by Hoan Kiem lake which opens very early in the morning.

 

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A very down to earth bowl of goodness. You can never fault Pho Thin’s gorgeous flavours and texture of the meat. This is my 2nd favourite Pho in the whole of Vietnam.

Pho Thin, 61 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem only opens in the morning.

 

Pho Gia Truyen

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Imagine at 6am in the cold Hanoi winter morning, you walked towards the restaurant, hungry for pho and then you realize there’s about 20 more local Vietnamese having the same idea as you. It’s amazing to see such a long queue so early in the morning and its no surprise that many hailed this place as having the best pho in Vietnam.

 

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Pots of delicious broth kept piping hot for the pho ~~ *drools*

 

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The beef is freshly sliced and then added to your delicious pho!

 

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This is in my opinion – the best Pho I’ve tasted in Vietnam. The soup has just the right amount of sweetness and the beef slices tender and delicious. If you visit Hanoi and failed to have a bowl of this pho – you’ve failed your trip in Hanoi and committed a serious #foodcrime! Die die also must wake up early just to eat this bowl of heaven! You hear me?!

Pho Gia Truyen, 49 Bat Dan, Hanoi – go there around 6am. They should close around 9am or earlier if they finished.

 

Special Mention: Madame Hien

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Madame Hien restaurant is a classy establishment with great ambience and good wine list to match with the upscale Vietnamese food they serve but they do serve quite a good bowl of Pho. One interesting must try is their version of Foie Gras Pho, which is pretty unique and delicious. It’s around 178,000 vnd ++ so one bowl can easily get you five bowls of pho elsewhere but that is around 10-12 sgd for a gourmet style of Pho you probably won’t get anywhere else!

Madame Hien, 15 Cham Cam, Hanoi

 

My final conclusion is that I generally prefer the pho from Hanoi rather than Ho Chi Minh in terms of quality of broth and the beef. It is also important to note that I really enjoyed the one I had in Melbourne, Australia which can boast better quality beef than the ones served in Vietnam. My friend who has visited Paris has even claimed that the Pho in Paris is even better. I can say Pho in Vietnam is generally better tasting than the ones I’ve had in others parts of Asia but the ones from Melbourne can definitely give Vietnam a run for its Pho. The Pho places listed here are based on my preferences and might not suit yours but hey – I dare say that 90 percent of diners would agree that Gia Truyen from Hanoi has the best Pho in Vietnam. Stay tuned for more Vietnam write-ups!

Ho Chi Minh City

Pho Le, 413-415 Nguyen Trai, District 3

Pho Anh, 8-10A Ky Dong, W.9, District 3

Pho Hoa Pasteur, 260C Pasteur Street, District 1

Pho Phu Vuong, 339 Le Van Sy, Tan Binh District.

 

Hanoi

Pho Vui, 25 Hang Giay. Hanoi

Pho Thin, 61 Dinh Tien Hoang, Hoan Kiem

Pho Gia Truyen, 49 Bat Dan, Hanoi

Madame Hien, 15 Cham Cam, Hanoi

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