Vietnam TravelTravel Special FeaturesHanoi - The Ancient CapitalPho - A part of Hanoi's heritage

Pho - A part of Hanoi's heritage

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If you only eat one meal in Hanoi, make sure that it's the city's famed noodle soup. Yen Ba takes us on a tour of the Capital's favorite Pho stalls.

Hanoi, Vietnam's ancient capital, is known for its quiet lakes, its long established arts scene and its beloved noodle soup, pho. Young and old, rich and poor, artists, office workers and laborers - everyone eats pho. This tasty soup is part of the city's heritage.

The late Hanoi writer Thanh Lam claimed the best pho was sold by a man in a white shirt and black vest, who carried his pot of hot soup on a bamboo shoulder pole. Nguyen Tuan, another writer in Thach Lam's circle, joked that one day, if private business ceased, the only pho available would be sold in packets. Today, people do eat packets of "instant pho". Traditionalists shudder at the thought!

The late writer Vu Bang wrote of his sweet longings for pho when he was far from home. He described the dish with great tenderness: "A pinch of noodles, a dash of thinly sliced onions and some green pickles, some slices of yellow ginger sliced as delicately as silk, a few thin slices of chili as red as a cock's comb."

Writer To Hoai, now in his eighties, wrote of the changes associated with this dish and the disappearance of traditions.

But Hanoi's favorite soup has not disappeared. While old street vendors have retired and once popular stalls have been replaced by new venues, the soup remains as popular as ever. Today, Hanoians flock to a number of shops that all bear the name "Pho Thin". There is one on Lo Duc Street, one on Le Van Luu Street and one on The Le Truc Street. Pho Nguyen Du is popular too, as are Pho Hang Dong and Pho Quan Thanh. Those who prefer pho made with well-done beef frequent shops on Ton Duc Thang Streets or Cau Go Street.

Whiter Nguyen Tuan claimed that the most authentic pho in Hanoi was served at as shop on Hang Dong Street. The surroundings are suitably old-fashioned. The shop is long, narrow and cramped with people bent over bowls of hot soup. Purists focus on their soup, not on the eatery's decor. To eat pho served by waiters in colorful outfits in as fancy restaurant is considered a travesty by traditionalists.

After the Lunar New Year festivities, when everyone has spent days gorging themselves on meat, fish and traditional cakes, the pho stall on Hang Dong Street is one of the first in the city to reopen. On a cool winter's morning it is lovely to sit here over a bowl of hot pho. Nguyen Tuan once described eating pho as "swallowing a blanket into our stomach". The pungent chili, the taste of cardamom, the sweet broth, the soft noodles and flavorful beef - it is all wonderful.

One holdover from the old days is Pho Thin. Set in an alley off Dinh Tien Hoang Street, this shop features two rows of tables on either side of a narrow alley.

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