Pho Heritage: Traditional values ​​“accelerate” to keep up with creative trends

If we know how to exploit the "gold mine of pho" with cultural industry, pho will not only dominate the domestic market, attracting tourists to enjoy the culinary heritage, but pho will also reach out more deeply internationally.

The series of activities “Pho - The story of intangible cultural heritage in the flow of creativity” to honor and spread the cultural value of “Pho Hanoi ,” honoring the artisans and practitioners who hold and pass on the knowledge, skills, techniques, and secrets of making Pho just opened this morning, October 11 and will last until October 12, at Tasco Mall, Hanoi.

In particular, the roundtable discussion within the framework of the event is an opportunity for researchers, artisans, culinary experts, businesses and managers to share perspectives, stories and propose initiatives to affirm the cultural and historical values ​​of pho; find new directions in promoting and developing Vietnamese pho on the world culinary map; connect pho with the creative, tourism, media and cultural industries.

The event was organized by the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Economic & Urban Newspaper in coordination with partner units.

Enhancing the status of Vietnamese culture in the international arena

Deputy Director of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, Ms. Le Thi Anh Mai, assessed that Hanoi pho is the crystallization of folk knowledge, processing skills and typical eating habits of Hanoi people, containing the cultural quintessence of the capital, reflecting the length of history, ingenuity and sophistication in Hanoi's culinary culture.





"As the third generation of the Pho Thin brand, my mission and responsibility is to continue to preserve the family's profession, while spreading the cultural and historical story of Hanoi pho," Thanh Loan, the third generation of the Pho Thin brand, served customers at the newly opened Pho space this morning before sharing at the discussion. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

In 2024, the folk knowledge of “Pho Hanoi” was included in the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. This is not only the official recognition of the State for the cultural, historical and scientific values ​​of the heritage; at the same time, it also sets out requirements for the work of protecting, teaching, promoting and developing the value of the heritage in the current context.

According to the Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Management (Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports), Dr. Pham Thi Lan Anh: “Pho or other dishes are all associated with a cultural space, where they were born, where they were passed down and developed. The issue of development is what we have to solve now. Last year, Hanoi piloted 'digital pho' by using AI and robots to perform some stages. But in reality, robots cannot replace the core knowledge and secrets of artisans. Therefore, the Department of Heritage and many experts have accompanied Hanoi to find out what the most core values ​​are, what the knowledge of artisans is, folk knowledge and how to preserve it…”

Space where the discussion about pho took place. (Photo: Contributor/Vietnam+)

As the official companion of the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports in this series of activities honoring pho, representative of Acecook Vietnam, Mr. Yokoyama Hiroya emphasized: “We are deeply aware that each bowl of pho introduced, each activity associated with pho carried out, is part of the journey to preserve and spread traditional cultural values. In more than 30 years of presence in Vietnam, Acecook has continuously researched and improved to bring pho flavor closer to consumers, both preserving the original essence and meeting modern needs.”

In particular, in 2025, Acecook has “joined hands” with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, committing to a long-term journey, with the ultimate goal of joining hands to make Pho an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity recognized by UNESCO. “This is not only an honor for Vietnam, but also an affirmation of the position of Vietnamese culture in the international arena,” said Mr. Yokoyama Hiroya.

How to develop Pho brand sustainably?

Experts at the event all acknowledged that pho is not only a dish but also the soul of Vietnam, a mark, a Vietnamese brand, and even pho is a "gold mine." If we know how to exploit this "gold mine" with cultural industry, pho will not only dominate the domestic market, attracting tourists to enjoy the culinary heritage, but pho will also reach out more deeply internationally.

“In the coming time, we need to build a creative ecosystem to support pho to further promote its value, build a sustainable pho brand and spread it around the world. To build a brand, we must start with a story with a space for pho to develop. There, pho is told in a creative, attractive and inspirational way,” Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Culture and Society Committee, emphasized.

According to this expert, Vietnam needs to have events to honor pho such as Vietnamese Pho Day, Hanoi Pho Day organized domestically or internationally; need to have competitions to honor pho; apply technology to increase the value of pho, such as digitizing pho, bringing pho to social platforms such as Tiktok, Facebook...

Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Hoai Son, Standing Member of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture and Society.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Le Thi Anh Mai affirmed: “In implementing Resolution No. 09 of the Hanoi Party Committee on developing cultural industries in the capital for the period 2021-2025, with a vision to 2030 and a vision to 2045, protecting and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage, Pho plays a particularly important role. Linking the traditional value of Pho with the trend of creativity and innovation in the cultural industry is a sustainable direction, helping the heritage to both promote its value and preserve its traditional identity, thereby contributing to realizing the strategic goals of cultural, economic and social development of the capital.”

Last September, the Hanoi People's Committee proposed to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to ask for the Prime Minister's permission to allow Hanoi to coordinate with provinces and cities with "Pho" heritage to build a scientific dossier to request UNESCO to list Pho on the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This is an important step demonstrating the determination to protect and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage, while positioning the "Pho" culinary brand not only domestically but also internationally.

“Pho deserves to stand on par with many other intangible cultural heritages in the culinary category that have been recognized by UNESCO in countries such as Korea, China, Southeast Asian countries, or France… I am confident that with the level, experience and efforts of artisans, authorities at all levels, and researchers in the process of building the dossier, Vietnam will have a quality dossier to submit to UNESCO,” said Dr. Le Thi Thu Huong, Director of the Institute of Hanoi Studies and International Training./.

Experts say that Vietnam needs to have events to honor pho such as Vietnamese Pho Day, Hanoi Pho Day organized domestically or internationally... (Photo: Vietnam+)

During the 2 days of October 11-12 at Tasco Mall, the following activities will take place: Display of Pho spice space; Exhibition of history and cultural space of Hanoi Pho; Traditional art performance; Exhibition of sketches about the intangible heritage "Pho" by students of Hanoi University of Industrial Fine Arts.

Especially at the space to introduce and enjoy Hanoi's intangible cultural heritage held outdoors, there will be participation in demonstrations of pho cooking processes and experiences of dishes from famous pho brands such as: Pho Thin Hang Tre, Pho Long Bich, Pho Khoi Hoi... Booths of businesses such as Acecook Vietnam show the creative journey from traditional pho to convenient gifts in today's busy life.

(Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/di-san-pho-gia-tri-truyen-thong-tang-toc-de-bat-nhip-xu-huong-sang-tao-post1069670.vnp