Out of six meals in Ho Chi Minh City, two had me tucking into big bowls of Pho – rice noodles in beef broth has got to be the first thing most people think about when talking about Vietnamese cuisine. One was at Pho 24, a chain which sells tourists mediocre rice noodles. I had this out of convenience on the first day i arrived in Ho Chi Minh. The other was at Pho Hua at Pasteur Road which came highly recommended by my fellow foodie friends and colleagues.
Interior of Pho Hoa; Many more Vietnamese than tourists is always a good sign
I was lucky to be driven in comfort to the stall during lunch. I suspect though if you hopped onto any taxi and said to the driver Pho Hua (pronounced “Fer Hua”) and mimed eating noodles, they’ll get you there. In this heat, trust me, you don’t really want to trek the entire Pasteur Road to get to Pho Hoa. On the way, my Taiwanese colleague who has been filling me in on the HCMC’s culture, tells me the boss of Pho Hua “赚大钱了！搬去美国了!” – which essentially means the owner made it rich and moved to the USA. Impressive for a man who only has only two branches in Vietnam selling these huge steamy bowls of noodles.
perpetually peckish 