{{Short description|Vietnamese noodle soup dish}} {{About|the Vietnamese soup dish|other uses|PHO (disambiguation){{!}}PHO}} {{Infobox food | name = Pho | image = Bowl of Meatball pho.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = A bowl of meatball pho with a side of Coca-Cola | alternate_name = | country = Vietnam | region = Northern Vietnam | creator = | year = 1900–1907<ref name="Trinh Quang Dung">{{cite news|title=Phở Việt - Kỳ 1: Khởi nguồn của phở|author=Trịnh Quang Dũng|work=Tuổi Trẻ|publisher=Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union|date=December 8, 2017|access-date=July 19, 2023|url= https://tuoitre.vn/pho-viet-ky-1-khoi-nguon-cua-pho-20171208100925196.htm|language=vi}}</ref> | course = Main course | type = Noodle soup | served = Hot | main_ingredient = Rice noodles, bone broth, and beef or chicken | variations = | other = | commons = Phở }}
'''Pho''' ({{langx|vi|'''phở'''}} {{Efn|In English-language dictionaries, the word is given as ''pho''.<ref name= "dictionaries" /> The Vietnamese spelling contains an O with horn and hook above.}} {{IPA|vi|fɤ˧˩˧||Phở.oga}}){{efn|English: {{IPAc-en|uk|f|ɜː}}, {{IPAc-en|us|f|ʌ|audio=LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Pho.wav}}, {{IPAc-en|f|ou}} {{respell|FUH|,_|FOH}},<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|pho|access-date=2026-03-20}} " ˈfə ˈfō".</ref><ref>{{Cite American Heritage Dictionary|pho}} "fō, fŭ".</ref> {{small|Canada also:}} {{IPAc-en|f|A:}} {{respell|FAH}}<ref>{{cite dictionary|title=Pho|dictionary=Canadian Oxford Dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press Canada|edition=2nd|year=2005|editor-first=Katherine|editor-last=Barber|isbn=9780191735219|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195418163.001.0001/m_en_ca0052246|quote=pho /fɒ/}}.</ref><ref name="intermission">{{cite web |last1=Nguyen |first1=Nam |title=A Perfect Pronunciation of Pho |url=https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/artist-perspective/a-perfect-pronunciation-of-pho-in-which-you-probably-wont-actually-learn-how-to-pronounce-pho/ |website=Intermission Magazine |access-date=20 March 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251014061756/https://www.intermissionmagazine.ca/artist-perspective/a-perfect-pronunciation-of-pho-in-which-you-probably-wont-actually-learn-how-to-pronounce-pho/ |archive-date=14 Oct 2025 |location=Toronto |language=en |date=16 July 2022 |quote=[...] well-meaning foodies who force out some variation on 'fah' [...] |url-status=live}}</ref>}} is a Vietnamese soup dish consisting of broth, rice noodles ({{lang|vi|bánh phở}}), herbs, and meat – usually beef ({{lang|vi|phở bò}}), and sometimes chicken ({{lang|vi|phở gà}}).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.rushorderapp.com/2017/06/30/pho-a-tale-of-survival/ |title=Pho: A Tale of Survival (Part 1 of 2)|last=Ha|first=Michelle|date=2017-06-30|website=The RushOrder Blog|access-date=2017-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815103519/http://blog.rushorderapp.com/2017/06/30/pho-a-tale-of-survival/ |archive-date= 2017-08-15|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name= "Scripter" /> Pho is a popular food in Vietnam<ref name= thanhnien /> where it is served in households, street-stalls, and restaurants nationwide. Residents of the city of Nam Định were the first to create Vietnamese traditional pho.<ref>{{Cite web |title=PHỞ XƯA VÀ NAY |url=https://phovietnam.vn/pho-xua-va-nay |access-date=15 October 2025 |website=Phở Việt Nam |language=vi}}</ref>
thumb|Pho Ly Quoc Su in Co Dau Park
Pho is a relatively recent addition to the country's cuisine, first appearing in written records in the early 20th century<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-04-22 |title=Pho: The humble soup that caused an outrage |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210421-pho-the-humble-soup-that-caused-an-outrage |access-date=2025-02-05 |publisher=BBC Travel |language=en-GB}}</ref> in Northern Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, refugees popularized it throughout the world. Due to limited historical documentation, the origins of pho remain debated. Influences from both French and Chinese culinary traditions are believed to have contributed to its development in Vietnam, as well as to the etymology of its name.<ref name="evolution1" /><ref name= "Greeley">{{cite journal|title=Phở: The Vietnamese Addiction|first=Alexandra|last=Greeley|journal=Gastronomica|location= Oakland, CA |publisher=University of California Press |volume=2|issue=1|date=Winter 2002|pages=80–83|issn=1529-3262|doi=10.1525/gfc.2002.2.1.80}}</ref><ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /><ref name=":0" /> The Hanoi (northern) and Saigon (southern) styles of pho differ by noodle width, sweetness of broth, and choice of herbs and sauce.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 September 2022 |title=Sự khác biệt giữa phở miền Bắc và phở miền Nam |trans-title=The difference between Northern and Southern Pho |url=https://batai.vn/su-khac-biet-giua-pho-mien-bac-va-pho-mien-nam.html |access-date=8 October 2025 |website=batai.vn |language=vi}}</ref>
In 2017, Vietnam made December 12 the "Day of Pho".<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-12-13 |title=Vietnam officially makes December 12 'Day of Pho' |url=https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/lifestyle/20181213/vietnam-celebrates-december-12-as-national-day-of-pho-official/48103.html |access-date=2024-06-02 |website=Tuoi Tre News |language=en-US}}</ref>
==History== [[File:Thành phố Nam Định xưa - Nhìn từ trên cao.jpg|thumb|Nam Định City in 1900]]
Phở originated in Northern Vietnam in the early 20th century. It either evolved independently from, or shares a similar origin with, beef noodle soups found in neighboring countries, where dishes such as kuay teow reua of Thailand or ''ngau naam ho fun'' ({{Lang|zh|牛腩河粉}}) and ''niu pahu'' ({{Lang|zh|牛扒呼}}) of Guangdong and Yunnan provinces of China, are common. While the rice noodles and the spices used in the broth of phở have a connection with Chinese culinary traditions, beef consumption was not widespread among the Vietnamese because they traditionally used water buffaloes for farming. The demand for beef only appeared under French colonial rule, leading some to attribute phở's origins to French, Chinese, or a combination of both influences.<ref name=":0" /> However, its exact origins remain a topic of debate.
During French colonial rule (1887–1954), the French introduced pot-au-feu, a slow-cooked beef stew, and the use of beef bones for broth mirrors French consommé techniques.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dish Spotlight: The Multicultural Origins of Vietnamese Beef Pho |url=https://guide.michelin.com/en/article/dining-out/%E8%A3%BD%E4%BD%9C%E5%87%BA%E8%89%B2%E8%B6%8A%E5%8D%97%E6%B2%B3pho |access-date=2025-02-04 |website=MICHELIN Guide |language=en-US}}</ref> However dishes with a similar preparation to phở using water buffalo meat, such as ''xáo trâu'' have long been staples to the rural cuisine. Villagers in {{lang|vi|Vân Cù|italic=no}} say they ate phở long before the French colonial period.<ref name="HNM Nguyen Ngoc Tien" /> The modern form emerged between 1900 and 1907 in northern Vietnam,<ref name="Trinh Quang Dung" /><ref name="evolution1" /> southeast of Hanoi in Nam Định Province, then a substantial textile market. The traditional home of phở is reputed to be the villages of {{lang|vi|Vân Cù|italic=no}} and {{lang|vi|Dao Cù|italic=no}} (or {{lang|vi|Giao Cù|italic=no}}) in Đông Xuân commune, Nam Trực District, Nam Định Province.<ref name="HNM Nguyen Ngoc Tien">{{cite news|title=Phở Hà Nội|trans-title=Hanoi Pho|author= Nguyễn Ngọc Tiến|work= Hànộimới |publisher=Communist Party Committee of Hanoi|date=2 August 2011|access-date=19 May 2013|url= http://hanoimoi.com.vn/Tin-tuc/Phong-su-Ky-su/518889/pho-ha-noi |language=vi}}</ref><ref name="ANTG An Chi">{{cite news|title=Lai lịch của món phở và tên gọi của nó|trans-title=Origin of the phở dish and its name|author=An Chi<!-- pseudonym -->|work=An Ninh Thế Giới|publisher=Vietnam Ministry of Public Security|date=2010-06-15 |access-date=2013-05-18|url=http://antg.cand.com.vn/vi-vn/ktvhkh/2010/6/72558.cand|language=vi}}</ref>
Cultural historian and researcher Trịnh Quang Dũng believes that the popularization and origins of modern pho stemmed from the intersection of several historical and cultural factors in the early 20th century.<ref name="TQD">{{citation |author=Trịnh Quang Dũng |title=100 năm Phở Việt |year=2011|journal=Văn Hóa Học|url= http://www.vanhoahoc.vn/nghien-cuu/van-hoa-viet-nam/van-hoa-ung-xu-voi-moi-truong-tu-nhien/1994-trinh-quang-dung-100-nam-pho-viet.html |access-date=2016-07-16}}</ref> These include improved availability of beef due to French demand, which in turn produced beef bones that were purchased by Chinese workers to make into a beef noodle similar to phở called {{lang|vi|ngưu nhục phấn}} (牛肉粉 or 牛腩粉) or ''ngau juk fun''.<ref name="TQD" /><ref name="NA">{{citation |last=Nguyen |first=Andrea |title=The History of Pho |journal=Lucky Peach |year=2016 |url= http://luckypeach.com/the-history-of-pho-andrea-nguyen/ |access-date=2016-07-16 |url-status=usurped |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160719133915/http://luckypeach.com/the-history-of-pho-andrea-nguyen/ |archive-date=2016-07-19 }}</ref> The Yunnan-style herbal beef soup is called ''niupahu'' (牛扒呼) or ''ngau paa fu'' in Cantonese.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://curatedkitchenware.com/blogs/soupeduprecipes/yunnan-style-beef-soup |title=Yunnan-Style Beef Soup }}</ref> The demand for this dish was initially the greatest with workers from the provinces of Yunnan and Guangdong, who had an affinity for the dish due to its similarities to that of their homeland, which eventually popularized and familiarized this dish with the general population.<ref name="NA" />
Phở was originally sold as a snack at dawn and dusk by street vendors, who shouldered mobile kitchens on carrying poles ({{lang|vi|gánh phở}}).<ref name="CVCN Nguyen Du" /> From the pole hung two wooden cabinets, one housing a cauldron over a wood fire, the other storing noodles, spices, cookware, and space to prepare a bowl of phở. The heavy {{lang|vi|gánh}} was always shouldered by men.<ref name="Vu Hong Lien">{{cite book|title=Rice and Baguette: A History of Food in Vietnam|author=Vu Hong Lien|location=London|publisher=Reaktion Books|year=2016|page=147|isbn=9781780237046|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UJGEDQAAQBAJ&pg=PT147|via=Google Books|quote=Mobile ''phở'' was always sold by men, probably because the stockpot was too heavy for a woman to shoulder.}}</ref> They kept their heads warm with distinctive felt hats called {{lang|vi|mũ phở}}.<ref name="Bui Minh Duc" />
Hanoi's first two fixed phở stands were a Vietnamese-owned Cát Tường on Cầu Gỗ Street and a Chinese-owned stand in front of Bờ Hồ tram stop. They were joined in 1918 by two more on Quạt Row and Đồng Row.<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 2">{{cite news |author=Trịnh Quang Dũng |date=15 January 2010 |title=Phở muôn màu muôn vẻ |trans-title=Pho has various colors and numerous different styles |url=http://www.khoahocphothong.com.vn/newspaper/detail/4156/100-nam-pho-viet.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220343/http://www.khoahocphothong.com.vn/newspaper/detail/4156/100-nam-pho-viet.html |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=22 May 2013 |work=Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông |publisher=Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations |language=vi}}</ref> Around 1925, a Vân Cù villager named Vạn opened the first "Nam Định style" pho stand in Hanoi.<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung" /> Peddler {{lang|vi|phở gánh}} declined in number around 1936–1946 in favor of stationary eateries.<ref name="Bui Minh Duc" />
===Development=== thumb|right|Southern-style phở served with basil and mung bean sprouts
In the late 1920s, various vendors experimented with {{lang|vi|húng lìu}}, sesame oil, tofu, and even ''Lethocerus indicus'' extract ({{lang|vi|cà cuống}}). This "{{lang|vi|phở cải lương}}" failed to enter the mainstream.<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 2" /><ref name="Thach Lam">{{cite wikisource |author=Thạch Lam |authorlink=Thạch Lam |chapter=Phụ thêm vào phở |trans-chapter=Adding to pho |title=Hà Nội băm sáu phố phường |trans-title=Hanoi: 36 streets and districts |publisher=Đời Nay Publishing House |year=1943 |wslanguage=vi |wslink=Hà Nội băm sáu phố phường}}</ref>
{{lang|vi|Phở tái}}, served with cooked beef, had been introduced by 1930. Chicken pho appeared in 1939, possibly because beef was not sold at the markets on Mondays and Fridays at the time.<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 2" />
With the partition of Vietnam in 1954, over a million people fled North Vietnam for South Vietnam. Phở, which was relatively less consumed in the South, suddenly became popular.<ref name="ANTG An Chi" /> No longer confined to northern culinary traditions, variations in meat and broth appeared, and additional garnishes, such as lime, mung bean sprouts ({{lang|vi|giá đỗ}}), culantro ({{lang|vi|ngò gai}}), cinnamon basil ({{lang|vi|húng quế}}), Hoisin sauce ({{lang|vi|tương đen}}), and hot Sriracha sauce ({{lang|vi|tương ớt}}) became standard fare.<ref name="evolution1"/><ref name="ANTG An Chi" /><ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 2" /> {{lang|vi|Phở tái}} also began to rival fully cooked {{lang|vi|phở chín}}{{what|date=May 2025}} in popularity. Migrants from the North similarly popularized {{lang|vi|bánh mì}} sandwiches.<ref name="Lê Văn Nghĩa">{{cite news|title=Chuyện xưa – chuyện nay: Bánh mì Sài Gòn trong thơ|trans-title=Then and now: Saigon sandwiches in poetry|author=Lê Văn Nghĩa|work=Tuổi Trẻ|publisher=Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union|date=June 11, 2017|access-date=April 3, 2018|url= https://dulich.tuoitre.vn/du-lich/chuyen-xua-chuyen-nay-banh-mi-sai-gon-trong-tho-1329645.htm|language=vi}}</ref>
Meanwhile, in North Vietnam, private phở restaurants were nationalized ({{lang|vi|mậu dịch quốc doanh}})<ref name="Gibb" /> and began serving phở noodles made from old rice. Street vendors were forced to use noodles made of imported potato flour.<ref name="Xuan Phuong">{{cite book|title=Ao Dai: My War, My Country, My Vietnam|author=Xuan Phuong|first2=Danièle|last2= Mazingarbe|editor1-first=Jonathan E.|editor1-last=Myers|translator= Lynn M. Bensimon|location=Great Neck, New York|publisher=Emquad International|year=2004|orig-year=2001|isbn=0-9718406-2-8|pages= 169–70|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=RHK3Y82MJ5YC&pg=169|quote=The soup that was presented to replace it was made of rotten rice noodles, a little bit of tough meat, and a tasteless broth. … As for the small street peddlers, they no longer had the right to sell ''pho'', but instead, a vile soup in which there were noodles made of potato flour.}}</ref><ref name="Peters Defusing" /> Officially banned as capitalism, these vendors prized portability, carrying their wares on {{lang|vi|gánh}} and setting out plastic stools for customers.<ref name="Guardian Renton">{{cite news|title=Good morning, Vietnam|first=Alex|last=Renton|work=The Observer|publisher= Guardian Media Group|date=May 16, 2004|access-date=December 26, 2014|url= https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2004/may/16/soup.foodanddrink}}</ref>
During the so-called subsidy period following the Vietnam War, state-owned pho eateries served a meatless variety of the dish known as pilotless pho ({{lang|vi|phở không người lái}}),<ref name="BBC Hoàng Linh">{{cite news|title=Tản mạn về Phở|trans-title=Ramblings about Phở |author=Hoàng Linh|work=BBC Vietnamese|date=March 5, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2013 |url= https://www.bbc.com/vietnamese/culture/2009/03/090305_pho_hoanglinh |language=vi}}</ref> in reference to the U.S. Air Force's unmanned reconnaissance drones. The broth consisted of boiled water with MSG added for taste, as there were often shortages of various foodstuffs like meat and rice during that period.<ref name="ThanhNien Thanh Thao">{{cite news|title=Từ bát phở 'không người lái'|trans-title= From a bowl of pho, 'no pilot'|author=Thanh Thảo|work=Thanh Nien |publisher=Vietnam United Youth League|date=19 August 2012|access-date= 19 May 2013|url= http://www.thanhnien.com.vn/pages/20120819/tu-bat-pho-khong-nguoi-lai.aspx|language=vi}}</ref> Bread or cold rice was often served as a side dish, leading to the present-day practice of dipping {{lang|vi|quẩy}} (deep-fried wheat flour dough) in pho.<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 3">{{cite news|title=Phở theo thời cuộc|trans-title=Pho in the present day|author=Trịnh Quang Dũng|work=Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông|publisher=Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations|date=22 January 2010|access-date=22 May 2013|url=http://www.khoahocphothong.com.vn/news/detail/4157/100-nam-pho-viet.html|language=vi|archive-date=13 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413040848/http://khoahocphothong.com.vn/news/detail/4157/100-nam-pho-viet.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Pho eateries were privatized as part of Đổi Mới. Many street vendors must still maintain a light footprint to evade police enforcing the street tidiness rules that replaced the ban on private ownership.<ref name="Guardian Renton" />
=== Globalization === [[File:Pho Banh Cuon - Restaurant vietnamien.jpg|thumb|left|A phở and {{lang|vi|bánh cuốn}} restaurant in Paris]]
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, Vietnamese refugees brought phở to many countries. Restaurants specializing in phở appeared in numerous Asian neighborhoods and Little Saigons, such as in Paris and in major cities in the United States, Canada, and Australia.<ref name=georgia/><ref name="LAT Loh">{{cite news|title=The Next Ethnic Dish of the Day: Vietnamese Pho|first=Laura|last=Loh|work=Los Angeles Times|date=13 May 2002|access-date=27 May 2013|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-may-13-fi-pho13-story.html}}</ref> In 1980, the first of hundreds of phở restaurants opened in the Little Saigon in Orange County, California.<ref name="OCRegister Nguyen">{{cite news|title= Vietnamese Noodle Soup 'Pho' Scores Cross-Cultural Hit, Like Tacos, Sushi|first=Katherine|last=Nguyen|work=Orange County Register|location=Santa Ana, CA |publisher=Freedom Communications|date=May 1, 2003|id={{ProQuest|464233345}}}}</ref>
In the United States, phở began to enter the mainstream during the 1990s, as relations between the U.S. and Vietnam improved.<ref name="LAT Loh" /> At that time Vietnamese restaurants began opening quickly in Texas and California, spreading rapidly along the Gulf and West Coasts, as well as the East Coast and the rest of the country. During the 2000s, phở restaurants in the United States generated US$500 million in annual revenue, according to an unofficial estimate.<ref name="SGTT Ngu Yen">{{cite news|title=Phở Sài Gòn |author=Ngữ Yên |work=Báo điện tử Sài Gòn Tiếp Thị |publisher=SGTT Media |date=3 November 2005 |access-date=26 May 2013 |url= http://sgtt.vn/Thoi-su/107299/Pho-Sai-Gon.html |language=vi |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131219122141/http://sgtt.vn/Thoi-su/107299/Pho-Sai-Gon.html |archive-date=19 December 2013 }}</ref> Phở can now be found in cafeterias at many college and corporate campuses, especially on the West Coast.<ref name="LAT Loh" />
The word "pho" was added to the ''Shorter Oxford English Dictionary'' in 2007.<ref name="SDUT Schuman" /> {{lang | vi | Phở |italic=no}} is listed at number 28 on "World's 50 Most Delicious Foods", compiled by ''CNN Go'' in 2011.<ref name="CNN" /> The Vietnamese Embassy in Mexico celebrated Phở Day on April 3, 2016, with Osaka Prefecture holding a similar commemoration the following day.<ref>{{cite news|title=April 4 Pho Day in Japan|author=Nhi Linh|work=Vietnam Economic Times|date=April 4, 2016|access-date=July 16, 2018|url=http://www.vneconomictimes.com/article/society/april-4-pho-day-in-japan|archive-date=July 17, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180717013012/http://www.vneconomictimes.com/article/society/april-4-pho-day-in-japan|url-status=dead}}</ref> Phở has been adopted by other Southeast Asian cuisines, including Lao and Hmong cuisine.<ref name="Scripter" /> It sometimes appears as "Phô" on menus in Australia.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://vocal.media/journal/beef-noodles-pho-or-pho-in-usa |title= Beef noodles (Phở or Pho) in USA |author= Tho Le |date= May 21, 2025 |publisher= vocal.media |access-date=October 23, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20251023134756/https://vocal.media/journal/beef-noodles-pho-or-pho-in-usa |archive-date=October 23, 2025 }}</ref>
=== Modern era === In recent decades, phở has evolved beyond its traditional form, with new variations emerging to cater to modern tastes and preferences. One notable innovation is {{lang|vi|phở cuốn}},<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-09 |title=Phở : A Complete History of Vietnam's Most Renowned Dish |url=https://amthuchiendai.vn/en/pho-a-complete-history-of-vietnams-most-renowned-dish/ |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Ẩm Thực Hiện Đại |language=en-US}}</ref> where the ingredients of phở are wrapped in fresh rice noodles, creating a new dish that has gained popularity in Hanoi.
Phở's influence has even extended into the cocktail scene, with bars like Nê offering phở-inspired cocktails that incorporate the soup's signature spices.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-12 |title=Pho cocktail based on Vietnamese beef noodle soup a hit at Hanoi bar |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2141096/pho-glass-cocktail-based-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup-hip |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=South China Morning Post |language=en}}</ref>
Additionally, chefs such as Peter Cung have brought phở into the realm of fine dining, as exemplified by his Michelin-starred restaurant Anan Saigon, where phở is deconstructed into a multi-course meal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-26 |title=Michelin-starred restaurant in HCM City among world's best |url=https://english.vov.vn/en/travel/michelin-starred-restaurant-in-hcm-city-among-worlds-best-post1091620.vov |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=VOV.VN |language=en}}</ref>
Official recognition has followed suit, with the Vietnamese government designating December 12 as the 'Day of Phở' in 2018, and in 2024, Hanoi and Nam Định-style phở were recognized as national intangible cultural heritage.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-13 |title=Local noodle soup designated as national intangible cultural heritage |url=https://vietnamnews.vn/life-style/1661093/local-noodle-soup-designated-as-national-intangible-cultural-heritage.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=vietnamnews.vn |language=en}}</ref> These developments reflect the dish's enduring relevance and its continued reinvention in both local and international culinary landscapes.
==Etymology and origins== {{Infobox Chinese | qn = phở | chunom = 頗<ref name=tran>Trần Văn Kiệm, ''[http://nomfoundation.org/nom-tools/Giup-Doc? Giúp đọc Nôm và Hán Việt]'' (Nôm and Sino-Vietnamese Pronunciation Guide, 2004). Entry 頗. This dictionary was published by the Vietnam Nôm Preservation Foundation.<br />Vũ Văn Kính, ''Từ Điển Chữ Nôm'' (Nôm Dictionary, 1992), p. 613.</ref> }}
Reviews of 19th and 20th-century Vietnamese literature have found that pho entered the mainstream sometime in the 1910s. Georges Dumoutier's extensive 1907 account of Vietnamese cuisine omits any mention of phở.<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu">{{cite web|author=Vương Trung Hiếu|author-link=Vuong Trung Hieu|title=Nguồn Gốc Của Phở|trans-title=The Origins of Phở|work=Văn Chương Việt|date=July 17, 2012|access-date=May 16, 2013|url=http://www.vanchuongviet.org/index.php?comp=tacpham&action=detail&id=18940|language=vi}}</ref> The word appears in a short story published in 1907.<ref name=Huynh>Huỳnh Tịnh Của,''Tống Tử Vưu truyền'' [Legend of Tong Tu Vuu] (1907). ''Lòng mừng phời phở'' [頗] ''bang ngân ra đi'' (“I'm glad that the pho is gone”). This passage is cited in ''Đại Từ Điển Chữ Nôm'' (Great Nôm dictionary, 1998) by Vu Van Kinh.</ref> Nguyễn Công Hoan recalls its sale by street vendors in 1913.<ref name="Nguyen Cong Hoan">{{cite book|title=Nhớ và ghi về Hà Nội|author=Nguyễn Công Hoan|publisher=Youth Publishing House|year=2004|page=94}}</ref> A 1931 dictionary is the first to define {{lang|vi|phở}} as a soup: "from the word {{lang|vi|phấn}}. A dish consisting of small slices of rice cake boiled with beef."<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /><ref name="Bui Minh Duc">{{cite journal|title=Tô phở Bắc và đọi bún bò Huế trên bình diện văn hóa đối chiếu|trans-title=‘Phở’ of the North and Beef Noodle of Huế as Compared Under a Cultural View|author=Bùi Minh Đức|journal=Tạp chí Nghiên cứu và Phát triển|year=2009|volume=1|issue=72|issn=1859-0152|url=http://3www.vjol.info/index.php/ncpt-hue/article/view/4237|language=vi|archive-date=2014-03-10|access-date=2013-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140310004150/http://3www.vjol.info/index.php/ncpt-hue/article/view/4237|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="VNN Vu Duc Vuong">{{cite news |author=Vũ Đức Vượng |date=14 November 2005 |title=Phở: tấm danh thiếp của người Việt |url=http://vnn.vietnamnet.vn/60nam/2005/11/511360/ |work=VietNamNet |publisher=Vietnam Ministry of Information and Communications |language=vi}} Translated into English: {{cite news |date=14 November 2005 |others=Translated by Quang Hung |title=Pho: Common "name card" of Vietnamese |url=http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Flavor_of_Vietnam/2010/12/87992/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130407130034/http://www.saigon-gpdaily.com.vn/Flavor_of_Vietnam/2010/12/87992/ |archive-date=7 April 2013 |access-date=4 April 2013 |work=Sài Gòn Giải Phóng |publisher=Communist Party Committee of Ho Chi Minh City}}</ref>
Possibly the earliest English-language reference to pho was in the book ''Recipes of All Nations'', edited by Countess Morphy in 1935: In the book, pho is described as "an Annamese soup held in high esteem ... made with beef, a veal bone, onions, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and a small teaspoon of ''nuoc-mam'' (fish sauce)''.''"''<ref name="morphy">{{cite book| last=Morphy| first=Marcelle (countess)| year=1935|chapter=Dishes from many lands|title=Recipes of All Nations|publisher=Wm. H. Wise & Co.| location=New York|page=802|hdl=2027/coo.31924003591769?urlappend=%3Bseq=816|chapter-url=http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924003591769;view=1up;seq=816|quote=PHO is the name of an Annamese soup held in high esteem. It is made with beef, a veal bone, onions, a bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and a small teaspoon of {{sic|nuo|c-man}}, a typically Annamese condiment that is used in practically all their dishes. It is made from a kind of brine exuding from decaying fish, and in former days six years were required before it had reached full maturity. But in modern times the preparation has been put on the market and can be made by chemical processes in a very short time.}}</ref>''
There are two prevailing theories on the origin of the word {{lang|vi|phở}} and, by extension, the dish itself. As author Nguyễn Dư<!-- no relation to Nguyễn Dữ --> notes, both questions are significant to Vietnamese identity.<ref name="CVCN Nguyen Du">{{cite journal|title=Phở, phởn, phịa ...|trans-title=Pho, euphoria, innovation...|author=Nguyễn Dư|journal=Chim Việt Cành Nam|date=February 2001|access-date=18 May 2013|url=http://chimviet.free.fr/nddg/nddg061.htm|language=vi}}</ref>
===From French===
Some historians suggest a connection to the French due to the introduction of beef as a staple ingredient during French colonial rule.<ref name=":0" /> French settlers commonly ate beef, whereas Vietnamese traditionally ate pork and chicken and used cattle primarily as beasts of burden.<ref name="Gibb" /><ref name="NYT Apple">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/13/dining/asian-journey-looking-up-an-old-love-on-the-streets-of-vietnam.html|title=Asian Journey; Looking Up an Old Love On the Streets of Vietnam|last=Apple| first=Raymond Walter Jr. |date=13 August 2003|work=The New York Times|author-link=R. W. Apple, Jr.}}</ref> Gustave Hue (1937) equates {{lang|vi|cháo phở}} to the French beef stew {{lang|fr|pot-au-feu}} (literally, "pot on the fire").<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /> Accordingly, Western sources generally maintain that {{lang|vi|phở}} is derived from {{lang|fr|pot-au-feu}} in both name and substance.<ref name="dictionaries" /><ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /><ref name="Bloom">Bloom, Dan, [http://taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2010/05/29/2003474148 "What's that Pho? - French loan words in Vietnam hark back to the colonial days]" ''Taipei Times'', May 29, 2010.</ref> However, several scholars dispute this etymology, pointing to the significant differences between the two dishes.<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /><ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung">{{cite news|title=Khởi nguồn của phở|trans-title=Origins of pho|author=Trịnh Quang Dũng|work=Báo Khoa Học Phổ Thông|publisher=Ho Chi Minh City Union of Science and Technology Associations|date=8 January 2010|access-date=21 May 2013|url=http://www.khoahocphothong.com.vn/news/detail/4155/100-nam-pho-viet.html|language=vi|archive-date=13 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130413040819/http://khoahocphothong.com.vn/news/detail/4155/100-nam-pho-viet.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Nguyen Du">{{cite book|title=Khơi Lại Dòng Xưa: Nghiên cứu - biên khảo văn hóa dân gian Việt Nam|trans-title=Dredging up the past: Researching Vietnamese folk culture|author=Nguyễn Dư|location=Hanoi|publisher=Nhà xuất bản Lao động|date=2006|page=110|language=vi|quote=Tản Đà gọi nhục phấn là phục phơ. Chữ phấn chuyển qua phơ trước khi thành phở. Phơ của nhục phơ (chứ không phải feu của pot-au-feu) mới là tiền thân của phở.}}</ref> Another suggestion of a separate origin is that phở in French has long been pronounced {{IPA|fr|fo|}} rather than {{IPA|fr|fø|}}: in Jean Tardieu's {{Lang|fr|Lettre de Hanoï à Roger Martin Du Gard}} (1928), a soup vendor cries "Pho-ô!" in the street.<ref name="Peters Defusing" />
Many Hanoians explain that the word {{lang|fr|phở}} derives from French soldiers' ordering "{{lang|fr|feu}}" (fire) from {{lang|vi|gánh phở}}, referring to both the steam rising from a bowl of phở and the wood fire seen glowing from a {{lang|vi|gánh phở}} in the evening.<ref name="Bui Minh Duc" />
Food historian Erica J. Peters argues that the French has embraced phở in a way that overlooks its origins as a local improvisation, reinforcing "an idea that the French brought modern ingenuity to a traditionalist Vietnam".<ref name="Peters Defusing">{{Cite journal | last1 = Peters | first1 = Erica J. | title = Defusing Phở: Soup Stories and Ethnic Erasures, 1919–2009 | doi = 10.1080/17409291003644255 | journal = Contemporary French and Francophone Studies | volume = 14 | issue = 2 | pages = 159–167 | year = 2010 | s2cid = 191343325 }}</ref> The connection between phở and the French culinary tradition remains widely debated but remains a prominent theory in discussions of its origins.<ref name=":0" />
===From Cantonese===
Another possible origin links phở to Chinese influences. Hue and Eugène Gouin (1957) suggest that {{lang|vi|phở}} may be a shortened form of {{lang|vi|lục phở}} and that it is derived from {{lang|vi|ngưu nhục phấn}} ({{Lang-zh|c=牛肉粉|cy=ngàuh yuhk fán}}), which means "beef noodles". This dish was sold by Chinese immigrants in Hanoi. This etymology is supported by the 1931 dictionary definition of phở and the influence of Chinese culinary traditions, including the use of rice noodles and spices in the broth.<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /> ({{IPA|[ɲ]}} is an allophone of {{IPA|/l/}} in some northern dialects of Vietnamese.)
Some scholars argue that phở (the dish) evolved from {{lang|vi|xáo trâu}}, a Vietnamese dish common in Hanoi at the turn of the century. Originally eaten by commoners near the Red River, it consisted of stir-fried strips of water buffalo meat served in broth atop rice vermicelli.<ref>{{cite book|title=Trăm Năm Truyện Thăng Long – Hà Nội|author=Siêu Hải|publisher=Youth Publishing House|year=2000|pages=373–375|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZzdwAAAAMAAJ|language=vi|quote=Nguồn gốc của nó là món canh thịt trâu xáo hành răm ăn với bún. Bà con ta thường gọi là xáo trâu rất phổ biến ở các chợ nông thôn và các xóm bình dân ở Hà Nội.}}</ref> Around 1908–1909, the shipping industry brought an influx of laborers. Vietnamese and Chinese cooks set up {{lang|vi|gánh}} to serve them {{lang|vi|xáo trâu}} but later switched to inexpensive scraps of beef<ref name="Vuong Trung Hieu" /><ref name="HNM Nguyen Ngoc Tien" /> set aside by butchers who sold to the French.<ref name="Peters Appetites" /> Chinese vendors advertised this {{lang|vi|xáo bò}} by crying out, "Beef and noodles!" ({{CJKV|cy=ngàuh yuhk fán|v=ngưu nhục phấn}}).<ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung" /> Eventually, the street cry became "Meat and noodles!" ({{CJKV|t=肉粉|s=肉粉|cy=yuhk fán|v=nhục phấn}}), with the last syllable elongated.<ref name="ANTG An Chi" /><ref name="Bui Minh Duc" /> Nguyễn Ngọc Bích suggests that the final "n" was eventually dropped because of the similar-sounding {{lang|vi|phẩn}} ({{CJKV|t=糞|s=粪|l=excrement}}).<ref name="Greeley" /><ref>{{cite dictionary|title=pho|dictionary=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|edition=5|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company|date=2018|access-date=July 16, 2018|url=http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=pho|quote=A soup of Vietnamese origin typically consisting of rice noodles, onions, herbs, seasonings, and thinly sliced beef or chicken in a clear broth.}}</ref> The French author Jean Marquet refers to the dish as "{{lang|fr|Yoc feu}}!" in his 1919 novel ''Du village-à-la cité''.<ref name="Peters Appetites">{{cite book|title=Appetites and Aspirations in Vietnam: Food and Drink in the Long Nineteenth Century|first=Erica J.|last=Peters|publisher=Rowman Altamira|date=16 October 2011|isbn=978-0759120754|page=204|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o_P1ig12re4C&pg=204|quote=Networks of Chinese and Vietnamese who cooked or butchered meat for the French most likely diverted beef remnants to street soup vendors …. By 1919, Jean Marquet reports hearing ‘Yoc Pheu!’ called out on the streets of Hanoi by Vietnamese selling beef soup …. ''Du village à la cité'', Marquet’s novel about Vietnamese urbanization and radicalism, …. may be the earliest use of the word in print, and the earliest effort to label {{lang|vi|phở}} a uniquely Vietnamese dish.}}</ref> This is likely what the Vietnamese poet Tản Đà calls "{{lang|vi|nhục-phở}}" in "{{lang|vi|Đánh bạc}}" ("Gambling"), written around 1915–1917.<ref name="CVCN Nguyen Du" /><ref name="Nguyen Du" />
==Ingredients and preparation== {{Cookbook|Phở}}
Phở is served in a bowl with a specific cut of flat rice noodles in clear beef broth, with thin cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations feature slow-cooked tendons, tripe, or meatballs in southern Vietnam. Chicken pho is made using the same spices as beef, but the broth is made using chicken bones and meat, as well as some internal organs of the chicken, such as the heart, the undeveloped eggs, and the gizzard.<ref name="town"/><ref name="pho-mytran"/>
When eating at phở stalls in Vietnam, customers are generally asked which parts of the beef they would like and how they want it done.
Beef parts include: *'''Tái băm''': Rare beef patty, beef is minced by a chopping knife right before serving *'''Tái''': Medium rare meat *'''Tái sống''': Rare meat *'''Tái chín''': Mixture of medium rare meat and pre-cooked well-done meat, the default serving in most pho restaurants *'''Tái lăn''': Meat is sauteed before adding to the soup *'''Tái nạm''': Mix of medium rare meat with flank *'''Nạm''': Flank cut *'''Nạm gầu''': Brisket *'''Gân''': Tendons *'''Sách''': Beef tripe *'''Tiết''': Boiled beef blood *'''Bò viên''': Beef ball *'''Trứng tái''': Poached chicken egg (served in a separate bowl)
For chicken phở, options might include: *'''Đùi gà''': Chicken thigh *'''Lườn gà''': Chicken breast *'''Lòng gà''': Chicken innards *'''Trứng non''': Immature chicken eggs *'''Trứng chần:''' chicken egg yolk
===Noodles=== thumb|right|Bags of {{lang|vi|bánh phở tươi}} at an Asian American grocery store
The freshly made rice noodles which are usually used are called {{lang|vi|bánh phở tươi}}, {{lang|vi|sợi phở tươi}} or for short, {{lang|vi|phở tươi}} in Vietnamese, while the dried rice noodles are called {{lang|vi|bánh phở khô}}, {{lang|vi|sợi phở khô}} or for short, {{lang|vi|phở khô}}.<ref>{{cite web |author=Hằng Lâm |date=2022-09-29 |title=Bánh phở làm từ bột gì, nấu món gì ngon và phổ biến nhất? |trans-title=What flour is pho noodles made from, with which delicious and popular dishes can be made? |url=https://yeutre.vn/bai-viet/banh-pho.38482/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241229004515/https://yeutre.vn/bai-viet/banh-pho.38482/ |archive-date=2024-12-29 |website=yeutre.vn |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Phạm Trang |date=2021-01-11 |title=Bí Quyết Về Quy Trình Sản Xuất Phở Khô Ngon, Chất Lượng Và an toàn |trans-title=The Secret to the Production Process of Safe, Quality and Delicious Dried Pho noodles |url=https://bunkhophuonganh.com/nhung-thong-tin-khac-ve-bun-kho-phuong-anh/bi-quyet-ve-quy-trinh-san-xuat-pho-kho-ngon-chat-luong-va-an-toan.html |website=bunkhophuonganh.com |language=vi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Herbst |first1=Sharon Tyler |title=The New Food Lover's Companion: More Than 6,700 A-to-Z Entries Describe Foods, Cooking Techniques, Herbs, Spices, Desserts, Wines, and the Ingredients for Pleasurable Dining |last2=Herbst |first2=Ron |date=2007 |publisher=Barron's snippet |isbn=978-0-7641-3577-4 |quote=Medium-wide noodles (known as rice fettuccine, ban pho, ho fun, haw fun, gway tio, kway teow, kui teow, lai fen and sen lek) are considered an all-purpose noodle. They're used in a wide variety of dishes (stir-fries, soups, and salads) and as an accompaniment to meat dishes.}}</ref> In North America, the semi-dried pho noodles are labeled on the packaging as {{lang|vi|bánh phở tươi}} (fresh pho noodles).<ref>{{cite web|title=Our Noodles|publisher=Sincere Orient|access-date=July 15, 2018|url=https://www.sincereorient.com/our-noodles/about/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=Cuong Huynh |date=2016-02-23 |title=A Discussion On Fresh Banh Pho Quality |website=lovingpho.com |url=https://www.lovingpho.com/pho-ingredients-garnishes/a-discussion-on-fresh-banh-pho-quality/}}</ref> Pho noodles are usually medium-wide; however, people from different regions of Vietnam prefer different widths.
===Broth=== [[File:Pho-Beef-Noodles-2008.jpg|thumb|right|Phở served with beef brisket in Australia]] The soup for beef phở is generally made by simmering beef bones, oxtails, flank steak, charred onion, charred ginger, and spices. For a more intense flavor, the bones may still have beef on them. Chicken bones also work and produce a similar broth. Seasonings can include Saigon cinnamon or other kinds of cinnamon as alternatives (may be used usually in stick form, sometimes in powder form in pho restaurant franchises overseas), star anise, roasted ginger, roasted onion, black cardamom, coriander seed, fennel seed, and clove.<ref>{{Cite AV media| people = Jamie Oliver| title = Vietnamese 'Pho Ga' Chicken Noodle Soup | accessdate = 2018-07-15| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHapXkBNuTc}}</ref> The broth takes several hours to make.<ref name="pho-mytran" /> For chicken phở, only the meat and bones of the chicken are used in place of beef and beef bone. The remaining spices remain the same, but the charred ginger can be omitted since its function in beef phở is to subdue the quite strong smell of beef.
thumb|left|upright|A typical phở spice packet, sold at many Asian food markets, containing a soaking bag plus various necessary dry spices. The exact amount differs with each bag.
The spices, often wrapped in cheesecloth or a soaking bag to prevent them from floating all over the pot, usually contain cloves, star anise, coriander seed, fennel, cinnamon, black cardamom, ginger, and onion.
Careful cooks often roast ginger and onion over an open fire for about a minute before adding them to the stock, to bring out their full flavor. They also skim off all the impurities that float to the top while cooking; this is the key to a clear broth. {{lang|vi|Nước mắm}} (fish sauce) is added toward the end.
===Garnishes=== [[File:Phingredients in Ho Chi Min City.jpg|thumb|Typical garnishes for {{lang|vi|phở Sài Gòn}}, clockwise from top left are: onions, chili peppers, culantro, lime, bean sprouts, and Thai basil.]]
Different regions have different ways of eating pho that suit their taste and practice. The Northern pho is typically served with scallions, onions, and cilantro (coriander leaves). The Southern variant also adds Thai basil and bean sprouts. Thai chili peppers, lime wedges, fish sauce, chili oil, hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha sauce), pickled garlic (Northern style), or hoisin sauce (Southern style) may be added to taste as accompaniments.<ref name="BBC">{{cite journal|last=Leung|first=Iris|title=A pilgrimage for perfect pho|journal=BBC|date=9 December 2016|access-date=2 February 2023|url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20161205-a-pilgrimage-for-perfect-pho}}</ref><ref name="pho-mytran" /><ref name="BonAppetit Gross">{{cite journal|last=Gross|first=Matt|title=The Annoying Food Snob's Guide to Eating Pho With Sriracha|journal=Bon Appétit|publisher=Condé Nast|date=6 March 2014|access-date=2 January 2015|url=http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/pho-with-sriracha|archive-date=3 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103095247/http://www.bonappetit.com/restaurants-travel/article/pho-with-sriracha|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Central pho is more special. On the table, they prepare pickled papaya, and sate sauce.<ref>{{cite web |last=Liễu Chi |date=30 December 2022 |title=Món phở của người Hội An |trans-title=Pho dish of people from Hoi An |url=https://hoianheritage.net/vi/trao-doi-chuyen-nganh/chuyen-de-nghien-cuu-trao-doi/mon-pho-cua-nguoi-hoi-an-1042.html |website=Hoianheritage.net |language=vi}}</ref>
Several ingredients not generally served with phở may be ordered by request. Extra-fatty broth (''nước béo'') can be ordered and comes with scallions to sweeten it. A popular side dish ordered upon request is ''hành dấm'', or vinegared white onions.
==Styles of pho== ===Regional variants=== thumb|upright|Chicken phở at a typical street stall in Hanoi. The lack of side garnishes is typical of northern Vietnamese-style cooking.
There are several regional variants of pho in Vietnam, particularly divided between "Northern phở" ('''{{lang|vi|phở Bắc}}''') or "Hanoi phở" ('''''phở Hà Nội'''''), and "Southern phở" ('''''phở Nam''''') or "Saigon pho" ('''{{lang|vi|phở Sài Gòn}}'''). Northern Vietnamese phở uses a savoury, clear broth, blanched whole green onion, and garnishes offered generally include only diced green onion and cilantro, pickled garlic, chili sauce and ''quẩy''. The Northern pho is often described as subtle and light on spices while having a deep savory taste from beef bones. Side dishes with the Northern pho are poached eggs (in the pho broth, served in a separate bowl) and fried dough, which can be either chewey of crunchy. <ref name="BBC Travel">{{cite web|title = A pilgrimage for perfect pho|url = https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20161205-a-pilgrimage-for-perfect-pho|website = BBC| date=25 February 2022 |access-date = 10 March 2023}}</ref><ref name="BBC Travel 2">{{cite web|title = Pho: The humble soup that caused an outrage|url = https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210421-pho-the-humble-soup-that-caused-an-outrage|website = BBC| date=22 April 2021 |access-date = 10 March 2023}}</ref> On the other hand, southern Vietnamese phở broth is sweeter and cloudier, and is consumed with bean sprouts, fresh sliced chili, hoisin sauce, and a greater variety of fresh herbs. Phở may be served with either phở noodles or kuy teav noodles ({{lang|vi|hủ tiếu}}).<ref name="Nguyen 101">{{cite web|title = Vietnamese Noodles 101: Banh Pho Flat Rice Noodles - Viet World Kitchen|url = http://www.vietworldkitchen.com/blog/2010/03/vietnamese-noodles-101-banh-pho-flat-rice-noodles.html|website = Viet World Kitchen| date=26 March 2010 |access-date = 12 November 2015}}</ref> The variations in meat, broth, and additional garnishes such as lime, bean sprouts, ''ngò gai'' (culantro), ''húng quế'' (Thai basil), and ''tương đen'' (hoisin sauce), ''tương ớt'' (chili sauce) appear to be innovations made by or introduced to the South.<ref name="evolution1"/> Another style of northern phở is '''phở Nam Định''' from Nam Định city which uses more fish sauce in the broth and wider noodles.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Vnexpress |title=Khác biệt phở bò Hà Nội và Nam Định |url=https://vnexpress.net/khac-biet-pho-bo-ha-noi-va-nam-dinh-4268027.html |website=vnexpress.net |access-date=1 December 2021 |language=vi}}</ref> Other provincial variations exist where pho is served with delicacy meats other than beef or chicken, such as duck, buffalo, goat, or veal.
===Other phở dishes=== Phở has many variants including many dishes bearing the name "phở", many are not soup-based: thumb|Phở xào *'''Phở sốt vang''': ''Wine-sauced pho'', with beef stewed in red wine. *'''Phở tái lăn''': pho with rare beef quickly stir-fried before serving. *'''Phở xào''': sauteed pho noodles with beef and vegetables. *'''Phở áp chảo''': similar to ''phở xào'' but stir-fried with more oil and gets more burned. *'''Phở cuốn''': ''rolled pho'', with ingredients rolled up and eaten as a gỏi cuốn. *'''Phở trộn''': ''mixed pho'', noodles and fresh herbs and dressings, served as a salad. *'''Phở chấm''': ''dipping pho'', with the noodles and broth served separately. *'''Phở chiên phồng''': This variant is the same as the previous but without eggs and looks like pillows *'''Phở chiên trứng''': This means a variant that pho is deep-fried with eggs. *'''Lẩu phở''': Using deconstructed phở ingredients and eaten as a hotpot.
Other local variances or dishes called phở: thumb|Phở khô Gia Lai thumb|Phở vịt *'''Phở chua''': meaning ''sour phở'' is a delicacy from Lạng Sơn city.<ref name="TTVH Vu The Long">{{cite news|title=Phát hiện mới về phở (Bài 2): 'Giải phẫu' một bát phở bò|trans-title=New discoveries about pho (2nd article): 'Dissecting' a bowl of beef pho|author=Vũ Thế Long|work=Báo Thể thao & Văn hóa|publisher=Vietnam News Agency|date=18 September 2009|access-date=26 May 2013|url=http://thethaovanhoa.vn/van-hoa-toan-canh/phat-hien-moi-ve-pho-bai-2-giai-phau-mot-bat-pho-bo-n20090918105435486.htm|language=vi}}</ref> *'''Phở khô Gia Lai''': an unrelated noodle dish from Gia Lai, similar to hủ tiếu. *'''Phở sắn''': a tapioca noodle dish from Quế Sơn District of Quảng Nam. *'''Phở sa tế''': phở noodles with chili and peanut sauce and venison meat, came from Teochew immigrants in southern Vietnam. *'''Phở vịt''': duck phở, a specialty of Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn provinces. *'''Phở gan cháy''': meaning grilled liver pho, a specialty found in Bắc Ninh city. *'''Phở trâu''': ''Buffalo pho'', a specialty of Nam Định and Hà Nam provinces. *'''Phở dê''': ''Goat pho'', a specialty of Ninh Bình province. *'''Phở đỏ''': made from red rice, a specialty of Hà Giang highland. *'''Phở xíu chấm''': a dish served with grilled pork, a specialty of Nam Định city. *'''Phở Lào''' or Laos phở is the Vietnamese name of Khao piak sen.
Vietnamese beef soup can also refer to {{lang|vi|bún bò Huế}}, which is a spicy beef noodle soup associated with {{lang|vi|Huế|italic=no}} in central Vietnam.
===Outside Vietnam=== After the Fall of Saigon in 1975, the Philippines welcomed refugees into its territories, resulting in thousands of Vietnamese from southern Vietnam taking shelter on the Filipino island of Palawan. The Vietnamese immigrants brought with them part of their culture which influenced the Filipinos of the island, and vice versa. A notable culinary legacy is a pho-like Filipino dish popular in Palawan island that locals call chao long (not to be confused with the Vietnamese porridge called ''cháo lòng''). The Filipino ''chao long'' is a noodle dish, which is a combination of broth, protein (beef, pork, and/or chicken), rice noodles, mung bean sprouts, and basil leaves. It is accompanied by a Filipino citrus called ''calamansi'' and served with a bread similar to Vietnamese bánh mì, which the locals refer to as "French bread".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/food/893084/what-is-chao-long-and-why-vietnamese-food-so-popular-in-palawan/story/ | title=What is Chao Long and why is Vietnamese food so popular in Palawan? | date=4 January 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theculturetrip.com/asia/philippines/articles/the-importance-of-chao-long-in-palawan | title=The Importance of Chao Long in Palawan | date=19 December 2019 }}</ref>
==Notable restaurants== [[File:Seattle Thanh Vi 06.jpg|thumb|right|Tables at phở restaurants abroad are set with a variety of condiments, including Sriracha sauce, and eating utensils.]] Famous phở shops in Hanoi are Phở Bát Đàn, Phở Thìn Bờ Hồ, Phở Thìn Lò Đúc, Phở 10 Lý Quốc Sư. In 2016, BBC noted Pho 10 Ly Quoc Su to be among the best pho addresses in Vietnam.<ref name="BBC Travel"/> Phở Thìn Lò Đúc has also opened foreign branches in Australia, Japan and the U.S.<ref>{{cite web | last1=Times | first1=Vietnam | url=https://vietnamtimes.org.vn/after-japan-famous-hanoi-noodle-restaurant-pho-thin-is-now-present-in-australia-16624.html&mobile=yes&=1 | title=After Japan, famous Hanoi noodle restaurant 'Pho Thin' is now present in Australia | work=Vietnam Times | date=12 September 2019 }}</ref>
Famous phở shops in Saigon included {{lang|vi|Phở Bắc Hải}}, {{lang|vi|Phở Công Lý}}, {{lang|vi|Phở Tàu Bay}}, {{lang|vi|Phở Tàu Thủy}}, and {{lang|vi|Phở Bà Dậu}}. Pasteur Street ({{lang|vi|phố phở Pasteur}}) was a street famous for its beef phở, while Hien Vuong Street ({{lang|vi|phố phở Hiền Vương}}) was known for its chicken phở.<ref>{{cite web|title=Phở Saigon xưa và nay|author=Phan Nghị|url=http://www.luanhoan.net/Bai%20Moi%20Trong%20Ngay/html/bm%2024-8-14.htm|language=vi}}</ref> At Phở Bình, American soldiers dined as National Liberation Front agents planned the Tết Offensive just upstairs.<ref name="IHT Abt">{{cite news|title=Restaurant in Vietnam remembers role in Tet offensive|first=Samuel|last=Abt|work=International Herald Tribune|publisher=New York Times Company|date=7 February 2008|access-date=15 August 2013|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/07/world/asia/07iht-tet.2.9828874.html|quote=Upstairs above Pho Binh, the Tet offensive was planned and ordered to begin.}}</ref><ref name="Time Cain">{{cite magazine|title=Ho Chi Minh City's Secret Noodle Shop|first=Geoffrey|last=Cain|magazine=Time|publisher=Time Inc.|date=4 November 2010|access-date=15 August 2013|url=http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,2029390,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101107153922/http://www.time.com/time/travel/article/0,31542,2029390,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=November 7, 2010}}</ref> Nowadays in Ho Chi Minh City, well-known restaurants include: Phở Hùng, Phở Hòa Pasteur,<ref name="NYT Gross">{{cite news|title=Learning to Love 'the People's Food'|first=Matt|last=Gross|work=The New York Times|date=5 May 2013|page=TR8|url=http://travel.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/travel/learning-to-love-the-peoples-food-in-ho-chi-minh-city-vietnam.html|quote=At lunch, for example, I’d often order pho at the renowned Pho Hoa Pasteur.}}</ref> and Phở 2000, which U.S. President Bill Clinton visited in 2000.<ref name="LAT Loh" /><ref name="NYT Apple" />
One of the largest phở chains in Vietnam is Pho 24, a subsidiary of Highlands Coffee, with 60 locations in Vietnam and 20 abroad.<ref name="Forbes Nguyen">{{cite journal|title=Starting From Scratch|first=Lan Anh|last=Nguyen|journal=Forbes Asia|date=14 February 2011|access-date=27 May 2013|url=https://www.forbes.com/global/2011/0214/companies-pho24-ly-qui-trung-franchise-home-cooking.html}}</ref>
===In the U.S.=== [[File:Saigon style chicken phở.jpg|thumb|upright|A homemade bowl of phở Sài Gòn made overseas in New York City]]
The largest phở chain in the United States is Phở Hòa, which operates over 70 locations in seven countries.<ref name="LAT Loh" /><ref name="LAT Hsu">{{cite news|title=Cooking up a growth plan|first=Tiffany|last=Hsu|work=Los Angeles Times|date=21 March 2008|access-date=27 May 2013|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-mar-21-fi-howimadeit21-story.html}}</ref><ref name="Pho Hoa">{{cite web |title=Company Information |publisher=Phở Hòa |date=3 July 2012 |access-date=27 May 2013 |url=http://www.phohoa.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529204553/http://www.phohoa.com/ |archive-date=29 May 2013 }}</ref> A similar restaurant named Pho 75 serves in the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, areas in the United States.<ref>{{citation|title=Than Van Thien: Soupmaker, Pho 75|newspaper=Washington Post|date=September 17, 1989|first=Nina|last=Killham}}.</ref> Numbers in the restaurant name are "lucky" numbers for the owners: culturally lucky numbers or to mark a date in Vietnam or their personal history.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Zimmer |first1=Erin |title=Why Do Phở Restaurant Names Usually Involve Numbers? |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/why-do-pho-restaurant-names-have-numbers-vietnamese |access-date=16 October 2021 |work=Serious Eats |date=10 August 2018}}</ref>
Many phở restaurants in the United States offer oversized helpings with names such as "train phở" ({{lang|vi|phở xe lửa}}), "airplane phở" ({{lang|vi|phở tàu bay}}), or "California phở" ({{lang|vi|phở Ca Li}}).<ref name="CVCN Nguyen Du" /><ref name="Bui Minh Duc" /><ref name="KHPT Trinh Quang Dung 3" /> Some restaurants have offered a phở eating challenge, with prizes for finishing as much as {{convert|10|lb}} of phở in one sitting,<ref name="PioneerPress Brewer">{{cite news|title=Fooled by pho: Big white guy thought he was up to down a 10-pound bowl of Vietnamese soup, but ...|first=John|last=Brewer|work=St. Paul Pioneer Press|location=St. Paul, Minnesota|publisher=MediaNews Group|date=August 4, 2010|id={{ProQuest|734897510}}}}</ref> or have auctioned special versions costing $5,000.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.laweekly.com/worlds-most-expensive-pho-goes-on-auction-block/ |title= World's Most Expensive Pho Goes on Auction Block |author= Shatkin, Elina |date= May 11, 2011 |publisher= LA Weekly |access-date= April 9, 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20260409120948/https://www.laweekly.com/worlds-most-expensive-pho-goes-on-auction-block/ |archive-date= April 9, 2026 }} </ref><ref name="LAist William-Ross">{{cite web|title=Is There Such a Thing in L.A. as a $5,000 Bowl of Pho?|first=Lindsay|last=William-Ross|work=LAist|publisher=Gothamist|date=May 18, 2011|access-date=March 30, 2015|url=http://laist.com/2011/05/18/is_there_such_a_thing_as_a_5000_bow.php|archive-date=June 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624083758/http://laist.com/2011/05/18/is_there_such_a_thing_as_a_5000_bow.php|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==See also== {{portal|Vietnam|Food}} {{div col|colwidth=30em}} * Bánh mì * List of soups * List of noodle dishes * List of Vietnamese culinary specialities * List of Vietnamese dishes * Vietnamese cuisine {{div col end}}
==Notes== {{Notelist}}
==References== {{reflist|30em|refs= <ref name="dictionaries"><p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho, n.|dictionary=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=3rd|publisher=Oxford University Press|date=March 2006}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho (British & World English)|dictionary=Oxford Dictionaries|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=23 August 2013|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pho|quote=a type of Vietnamese soup, typically made from beef stock and spices to which noodles and thinly sliced beef or chicken are added. '''Origin:''' Vietnamese, perhaps from French ''feu'' (in pot-au-feu)|archive-date=7 August 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807070401/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/pho|url-status=dead}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho (American English)|dictionary=Oxford Dictionaries|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=13 July 2012|url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/pho|archive-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120731001302/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/american_english/pho|url-status=dead}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho|dictionary=The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language|edition=5|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|year=2011|url=http://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=pho|quote=A soup of Vietnamese origin typically consisting of rice noodles, onions, herbs, seasonings, and thinly sliced beef or chicken in a clear broth.}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho|dictionary=Random House Dictionary|publisher=Random House|year=2013|access-date=23 August 2013|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/pho}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=pho|dictionary=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=23 August 2013|url=http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pho}}</p>
<p>{{cite dictionary|title=Pho|dictionary=Canadian Oxford Dictionary|publisher=Oxford University Press Canada|edition=2nd|year=2005|editor-first=Katherine|editor-last=Barber|isbn=9780191735219|url=http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195418163.001.0001/m_en_ca0052246}}</p></ref>
<ref name=thanhnien>{{cite news|title=Vietnamese street food a gourmet's delight|url=http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/pages/20120203-vietnamese-street-food-a-gourmet-delight.aspx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130204001253/http://www.thanhniennews.com/2010/pages/20120203-vietnamese-street-food-a-gourmet-delight.aspx|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 4, 2013|access-date=15 October 2012|newspaper=Thanh Nien News|date=3 February 2012|author=Thanh Nien staff|quote=A visit to Vietnam would never be complete, Lister said, without the taste of food on the street, including phở - beef noodle soup,...}}</ref>
<ref name="town">Johnathon Gold Pho Town; Noodle stories from South El Monte Dec. 12-18 2008 ''LA Weekly''</ref>
<ref name="Scripter">{{cite book|first1=Sami|last1=Scripter|first2=Sheng|last2=Yang|title=Cooking from the Heart: The Hmong Kitchen in America|publisher=University of Minnesota Press|year=2009|page=25|isbn=978-1452914510|quote=''Phở'' is made with small (<sup>1</sup>/<sub>16</sub>-inch-wide) linguine-shaped rice noodles labeled ‘''bánh phở''’.}}</ref>
<ref name="Gibb">{{cite book|first1=Camilla|last1=Gibb|title=The Beauty of Humanity Movement: A Novel|url=https://archive.org/details/beautyofhumanity0000gibb|url-access=registration|year=2011|page=[https://archive.org/details/beautyofhumanity0000gibb/page/4 4]|publisher=Doubleday Canada |isbn=9780385663236 |quote=The history of Vietnam lies in this bowl, for it is in Hanoi, the Vietnamese heart, that phở was born, a combination of the rice noodles that predominated after a thousand years of Chinese occupation and the taste for ...}}</ref>
<ref name="evolution1">{{cite web|url=http://vietworldkitchen.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/the-evolution-of-pho.html|title=History of Pho Noodle Soup|author=Nguyen, Andrea Q.|work=San Jose Mercury News|via= Viet World Kitchen|access-date=2011-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118005142/http://vietworldkitchen.typepad.com/blog/2008/10/the-evolution-of-pho.html|archive-date=2012-11-18|url-status=dead}}</ref>
<ref name = georgia>"[https://www.straight.com/article-142816/for-fantastic-pho-proof-soup For Fantastic Pho, The Proof is in the Soup], Georgia Straight. April 2008.</ref>
<ref name="pho-mytran">{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=83ZV1J3oAccC&pg=PA53|title=The Vietnamese Cookbook|series=Capital Lifestyles|author=Diana My Tran|edition=illustrated|publisher=Capital Books|year=2003|isbn=1-931868-38-7|pages=53–54|access-date=2011-10-22}}</ref>
<ref name=CNN>CNN Go. [http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535 World's 50 most delicious foods] {{Webarchive|url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111008014820/http://www.cnngo.com/explorations/eat/worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-067535 |date=2011-10-08 }}. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2012-09-09.</ref>
<ref name="SDUT Schuman">Schuman, Kate, "[http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/20070919-1502-britain-newwords.html Oxford's short dictionary adds hundreds of new words, including 'carbon footprint'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018092719/http://legacy.utsandiego.com/news/world/20070919-1502-britain-newwords.html |date=2012-10-18 }}", ''U-T San Diego'', September 19, 2007.</ref> }}
==External links== {{Wiktionary|pho}} * {{cite news|title=What is Vietnamese pho?|first1=Michelle|last1=Warwicker|first2=Anna-Louise|last2=Taylor|publisher=BBC Food|date=2013-09-27|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/24288422|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928122022/http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/0/24288422|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 28, 2013}} * [https://dearhanoi.com/pho-sot-vang-ha-noi Pho with Hanoi wine sauce]
{{Noodle}} {{Beef}} {{Street food}} {{Vietnamese cuisine}} {{Noodle soups}}
Pho Category:Beef dishes Category:Food and drink introduced in the 1910s Category:French fusion cuisine Category:National dishes Category:Noodle soups Category:Street food in Vietnam Category:Vietnamese fusion cuisine Category:Vietnamese noodle dishes Category:Vietnamese soups Category:Vietnamese-American cuisine