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Phở Bò
Phở Gà
Bún Riêu
Bún Ốc

Phở Bò: Vietnam’s National Noodle (beef noodle soup)

While Vietnam boasts such a repertoire of noodles and noodle dishes that it would be hard for one single variety to claim a preeminent title, phở is the noodle soup that is most emblematic of Vietnamese cuisine. This simple noodle soup, more than any other dish, is recognized around the world and both warms the hearts and satisfies the stomachs of Vietnamese and others alike. Said simply by one Vietnamese chef and food writer, “Phở is life, love and all things that matter.” The key to phở is the broth, with beef phở (phở bò) as the classic. Long hours of cooking beef bones results in a rich broth, whose flavor is further enhanced with aromatics of roasted ginger and anise, and brightened with onions and coriander. The broth and noodles are most often topped with paper thin slices of beef which are barely cooked by the steaming broth; however, you can also choose to add all manners of cooked beef brisket, tendons and other parts. 

The origins of this beloved beef soup hints at Vietnam’s colonial and historical influences. Some attribute the creation of the broth based dish to the excess of bones generated from the French love of beef steak. Others give a nod to China, where every region is anchored by at least one ubiquitous noodle soup. Fish sauce, however, gives a clear stamp of Vietnamese ownership, along with the squeeze of lime that’s added right before slurping. Although phở originated in Hanoi, it later migrated south with a million northerners during the partition of Vietnam and this austere soup dish was eagerly embraced and further “embellished”, with both added volume and additional sauces, herbs and accompaniments.

While phở is a breakfast food for many, with scores of stalls and shops opening early in the morning and serving until they run out of ingredients, often by 9AM, it is a flexible snack and many places open all day while others open early in the evening and serve until dawn.

Where to find it?
Don’t worry, there is phở a plenty on most streets and at all times of day. Ask your hotel to recommend a place nearby, as there are many that are good. 

One famous shop among locals is Phở bò Gia Truyền. This shop is well-known for its very clear broth and the beef, especially the tendon, which is soft but still chewy. Hanoians love this shop because it reminds them of traditional spaces and memories of times past. Coordinates: No. 49 Bát Đàn Street, it is the yellow building with the white balcony, to your left onto Bát Đàn as you head north from Hàng Điếu Street or Hàng Da Market, and on the south side of the street. Serving from 6AM-11:30AM, then resuming again at 6PM.

For something that challenges the standard and is equally delicious, try Phở Thìn.  The main difference here is that the phở has a very dark, rich broth as opposed to the typically prized light and clear Hanoian broth.  Coordinates: No. 13 Lò Đúc. It is on the east side of the street about 10-20 meters south of intersection with Phan Chu Trinh and Hàn Thuyên, slightly south of the Hoàn Kiếm Lake area. Just push your way in, paying 15,000 dong per bowl at the door. Find a seat on one of the communal benches, and drop your used napkins on the floor like everyone else.

For phở in the evening, Phở bò Gia Truyền (above) reopens their doors at 6PM. Or amble over to Phở Bò Đường Tàu at the end of the popular pedestrian food street, Tống Duy Tân. This popular stall starts serving up bowls at 6:30PM and stays open into the wee hours. Coordinates: No.3 Trần Phú, at the corner of Tống Duy Tân, next to the plastic tubing shop.

Hanoi phở is much sparser than the phở you get in the United States, which tends to be southern style, served with all manners of veggies, herbs and condiments. To sample Southern style phở, or if you simply prefer the richer, more abundant variety, Phở 24, a popular southern restaurant chain serving, of course, southern style phở, now has over half a dozen locations in across Hanoi. One of these outlets is conveniently located adjacent to the Temple of Literature next to KOTO  offering a good breakfast before seeing the sites, or a welcome post-touring snack and rest stop.


Phở Gà

A popular variation on phở uses chicken instead of beef. It tends to be lighter, with a bright citrus aroma from the addition of shredded lime leaves. 

Where to find it?

Where to find it?
My favorite bún riêu lady starts serving at 11AM and closes up shop once she is finished with her ingredients, usually by 2PM. What makes this spot stand out is the flavorful broth, the slightly heftier, perfectly fried tofu croutons, with a light crispy exterior and soft silky center, and the thinly shredded mixed herbs and lettuces, which make for perfect bite size additions to the noodles. Coordinates: Tucked away in a small walkway across from 36 Phố Huế, between Nguyễn Du/Lê Văn Hưu and Hàm Long, #29 Phố Huế is a narrow open doorway between an appliance shop to its south at #31 and a shoe shop to the north, also #29. There is only a small hand written sign announcing ‘bún riêu, đậu rán’ resting on the single low table outside to indicate what is being served. Or you can slide past her cooking station to sit inside along a long narrow counter mounted against the wall of the alley. 9,000 dong a bowl.

For a more convenient and still tasty bowl, try Bún Riêu Nam Bộ (Bún Riêu Southern Style) on the southwest corner of Hàng Bông and Phủ Doãn. Like southern style phở, southern style bún riêu is also a richer, more ample variety, with interesting treasures such as pig knuckle or perhaps better left unidentified parts added to the broth.  Don’t be put off by the extra bits floating in the soup—it’s both rich and delicious. Serving from 4PM to midnight.

If you are exploring the neighborhood around West Lake, or looking for an early morning bowl of bún riêu, look for the eponymous sign at 67 Xuân Diệu, just east of the intersection with đường Tây Hồ and next to a motorbike repair shop. Walk deep inside the narrow and non-descript stall front and grab a table overlooking the fields and trees in the back. Order a side of tiny and crunchy cubed tofu to dip and eat separately or throw into your bún. 10,000 dong a bowl, starting at 6:30AM.

Bún Ốc

A popular variation on bún riêu starts with the same broth, adding toothsome snails to the mix of tomatoes, chopped spring onions and fresh vermicelli noodles. The snail meat itself does not have a strong odor or taste, but it adds interesting texture to the soupy noodles. In addition, this noodle soup goes with a veggies and herb plate, which is made up of a mix of mint leaves, perilla (tía tô), basil, coriander, bean sprouts, cilantro, stripped morning glory and shredded banana flower and lettuce.

Where to find it?

Quán Bà Sáu at 73A Mai Hắc Đế, and Bún Ốc at 3 Phù Đổng Thiên Vương are both great. The broth at Quán Bà Sáu tastes light and easy, sourish with a hint of mild sweetness from the tomatoes; however, it is a relatively fattier soup than that at 3 Phù Đổng Thiên Vương Street. The shop at Phù Đổng Thiên Vương has crunchy snails and it also offers sides of snail spring roll and fried minced snail meat wrapped with lá lốt (a kind of wrapping leaf with a fragrant smell). Coordinates: Go to Phố Huế, then turn left in the crossroads with Trần Xuân Soạn at the corner of Hôm Market. Keep straight then come across the intersection between Trần Xuân Soạn and Ngô Thì Nhậm street, you will see Phù Đổng Thiên Vương Street on your right hand side. The shop is the first one in your left-hand side in a row.

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