Vietnamese noodle soup is 'country's greatest culinary gift to the world'

Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) was named the country's greatest culinary gift to the world by Sydney Morning Herald, which said "the aroma is transcendent and the taste is perfection".

"Pho is a fragrant, subtly powerful dish that's even greater than the sum of its considerable parts. Its broth is a gently simmered stock of beef bones with onion, ginger and spices; it arrives pooled around banh pho, or flat rice noodles, and rare beef slices, topped with bean sprouts, fresh herbs, lemon and chilli," Ben Groundwater, a columnist and feature writer for the Australian newspaper wrote.

According to Groundwater, people can argue long into the night about the world's best soup. Maybe it's ramen, maybe laksa, maybe bouillabaisse or caldo verde, or even Moroccan bessara.

"However, Vietnam's most famous soup, pho, is in the conversation. This has to be Vietnam's greatest culinary gift to the world, among many delicious donations," he added.

In August, pho was one of three dishes named among Asia's 50 best street foods by U.S. cable news channel CNN.

CNN’s Kate Springer wrote that few street foods could compete with the international fame of pho. "Roadside stalls and cafes serve up bowl after bowl of this hearty noodle soup, which is known for its aromatic and nuanced broth, springy rice noodles and tender protein (usually beef or chicken)."

The noodle soup is “typically served alongside a selection of fresh garnishes, like herbs, bean sprouts, lime, chili sauce and chili slices so you can tailor the noodle soup to your liking”.

Pho has received rave reviews from global travel magazines for decades, and no visitor to Vietnam fails to mention it. Vietnam’s signature dish was ranked fifth in the world by The Travel readers in July.

In 2021, CNN named pho bo (beef noodle soup) second on its list of the 20 best soups in the world. The news channel described it as a bowl of flat, soft rice noodles dipped in a fragrant beef or chicken broth flavoured with condiments.

In 2018, major American travel guide book publisher Lonely Planet recommended it as one of the best hangover cures on the road. The U.K.-based travel site Rough Guide also named pho among the world’s 15 best foods that are easy on the pocket.

Though this dish is now ubiquitous throughout Vietnam, it has only been around little over a century. Pho was developed in the north of the country during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, influenced by Chinese traders but also by French colonisers, who popularised the consumption of beef. The pho obsession spread to the south in the 1950s, when the country was divided and millions of northern Vietnamese migrated south, bringing their soup recipe with them.

On the busy streets of Hanoi's Old Quarter, Pho Gia Truyen Bat Dan (49 P. Bat Dan, Ha Noi) can trace its origins back to the accepted inventors of pho in the village of Nam Dinh. In Ho Chi Minh City, try Pho Hung (243 Nguyen Trai, District 1).

For Sydneysiders, there are plenty of famous pho shops in Cabramatta and Bankstown, but our surprise favourite is Pho Ha Noi Quan in Marrickville (346B Illawarra Road). In Melbourne, Pho Bo Ga Mekong Vietnam (241 Swanston Street, CBD) is a classic.