Revealing the decision to keep the Pho Hanoi brand

Kinhtedothi – Hanoi has about 700 pho shops, appearing in almost every district; but there are not many pho shops that have existed for more than 10 years. Most of the famous delicious pho shops in Hanoi are often passed down from generation to generation, with their own secret recipes.

Passed down through generations

Famous pho brands in Hanoi such as: Pho Thin, Pho Nho, Pho Suong, Pho Ngoc Vuong… all have their own unique flavors. This is only known to the owners and their spouses, others cannot know the dosage and some special spices to put in the broth, the craft is only passed down to family members (or clan) through hands-on training.

Pho Thin, Dinh Tien Hoang Street, Hanoi. Photo: Lai Tan

Ms. Nguyen Bich Thuy - Owner of Pho Nho brand (27 Huynh Thuc Khang, Dong Da district, Hanoi) shared: “The Pho profession and Pho Nho shop were passed down to me by my parents. The previous shop was called Pho Bo Nguyen Hong. After decades, many diners who had been away from home had the opportunity to return to the shop and share their memories of the shop’s unique flavor, and advised the family to name it Pho Nho. Therefore, my family decided to change the shop’s name to Pho Nho.”

Pho Nho restaurant has existed for nearly 30 years. Since then, Ms. Nguyen Bich Thuy has always kept the taste of pho that her parents passed down from the first day.

Pho Nho shop (27 Huynh Thuc Khang, Dong Da district, Hanoi).

According to many pho restaurant owners in Hanoi, passing on the profession to children is also a matter of "choosing the right person to entrust the gold" because not everyone is taught the profession and has the passion to learn it. Normally, when parents sell pho, their children will help with small tasks such as picking vegetables, washing dishes, serving, and when they are older, they will learn how to slice meat, stand to sell pho, and gradually learn how to make broth from their parents. There are very few exceptions that can be passed on to outsiders.

Ms. Bui Thanh Loan - the 3rd generation of Pho Thin Bo Ho family shared: Pho Thin or Pho Thin Bo Ho has been passed down through 3 generations. The characteristic of Pho Thin Bo Ho is clear, light broth, sweet aftertaste; full of delicious beef flavor; there is a long-standing family secret of using ginger to enhance the beef flavor.

Efforts to preserve traditional professions

Nowadays, most of the younger generation is the next generation that tends to choose other jobs that are in line with the trend of the times instead of continuing the traditional pho selling profession of the family. On the other hand, hiring labor outside the family to help sell pho is also a difficult problem for many shop owners in maintaining the family profession.

Mr. Pham Van Linh - Pho Bo Hoa Cua (No. 4 Lam Du Ward, Bo De Ward, Long Bien District, Hanoi) shared: “Pho Bo Hoa Cua has been around for 30 years. My family sells directly at home, so to maintain the quality, ingredients, and pho making methods, the family members choose the input food, pre-process and prepare. The staff only participates in the cleaning process.”

Sharing this view, Ms. Nguyen Bich Thuy - Owner of Pho Nho brand said, "Making pho is hard work, you have to be dedicated to the job because you often have to stay up late and wake up early. For beef pho, the bones and meat must be soaked and washed. If only the staff are in charge, the quality will definitely not be guaranteed, the shop owner must be the one who takes care of it meticulously."

In addition to the above difficulties, according to the owners of some pho restaurants in Hanoi, maintaining the pho profession is facing many difficulties due to the increasingly expensive rental costs in the capital, and many times they have to close their doors, such as during the time affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. However, they still strive every day to maintain the traditional profession.

“There are times when I feel discouraged because of the hardship. But because this is the profession my parents left me, and I am loved and encouraged by many customers, I try my best to keep the shop and the profession,” said Nguyen Bich Thuy.

Therefore, many pho practitioners expressed their joy when they learned that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had decided to list the dish “Pho Hanoi” in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage List. This is not only a recognition of the historical, cultural and scientific value of the heritage but also opens up opportunities to preserve and sustainably develop the traditional culinary quintessence of the capital.

On the other hand, that is also the motivation for owners of traditional pho brands to constantly improve the quality of their dishes, preserve traditional flavors, and fully convey the cultural quintessence through each bowl of pho.

From December 1, 2024, the Economic and Urban Newspaper will launch the column "Quintessence of Hanoi Cuisine", in coordination with the Hanoi Department of Culture and Sports, and the accompaniment of Acecook Vietnam.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/he-lo-bi-quyet-giu-thuong-hieu-pho-ha-noi.html