Singaporeans line up at Vietnam Pho Festival: Yesterday was crowded, today even more crowded

Vietnam Pho Festival on the second day continued to welcome an increasing number of visitors to the festival to enjoy pho as well as Vietnamese dishes.

Many Singaporean customers wait to buy vouchers to enjoy pho - Photo: HUU HANH

The first day of Vietnam Pho Festival was already crowded, but this morning, thanks to word of mouth and the spread of social media, newspapers and radio, the number of people coming to the festival to eat pho on the morning of October 19 was even larger.

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 takes place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore's largest community center.

Vietnamese Pho 'causes a fever' in Singapore: Diners jostle to enjoy

Pho Thin has a long line of people waiting their turn - Photo: HUU HANH

The second day of Vietnam Pho Festival was even more crowded than the first day.

The restaurant didn't open until 10am, but learning from yesterday's "failure", many customers were at Our Tampines Hub very early, lining up to buy vouchers to enjoy Vietnamese pho cooked by chefs from 5-star hotels as well as big brands.

This is the first time in Singapore that there is a festival that gathers so many brands and chefs from Vietnam, so the Vietnamese community and international friends living and working here welcomed it very warmly.

Standing at the head of the line waiting for the pho stalls at the Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 to open, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Nga said she lined up early to buy pho for many of her colleagues, because she was afraid that by the time she got off work, the pho would be gone.

Having lived in Singapore for 6 years, Ms. Nga came to the Vietnam Pho Festival wearing an ao dai, carrying two small national flags of both countries.

She said she missed the taste of pho from her homeland, and that as Vietnamese, she had to wear ao dai.

"The program is very meaningful, I am very happy to eat the taste of my hometown pho, and I also really want to spread Vietnamese food to international friends," she shared, "When I arrived at 10:30, the tables were already full."

Many Singaporeans were excited to try on Ao Dai for the first time, an activity within the framework of Vietnam Pho Festival - Video : Bao Duy

Queuing up to eat pho early, when the stalls haven't finished cooking the broth yet - Photo: HUU HANH

Seeing an interesting festival, take a photo and let your family know when you come to visit.

Among the group of guests who arrived early in the queue was Mr. Chua (76 years old, Singaporean). Thanks to being held at Our Tampines Hub, Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 has "profited" a lot because people often come here.

Having never been to Vietnam or tried pho, Mr. Chua was very excited. "Do you have any recommendations for me?", he excitedly asked the reporter.

Pho is warmly welcomed in Singapore, which is a surprise to many chefs - Photo: HUU HANH

Another Singaporean, Mr. C., visited Our Tampines Hub this morning and saw a lot of people and the aroma of food. He was very curious so he quickly took a picture and sent it to his family.

"I found the festival very interesting so I wanted to share it with my family. I have never eaten pho and have never been to Vietnam, but the Vietnam Pho Festival will motivate me and my family to visit your country in the near future," he added.

Many people gather at Our Tampines Hub to eat pho for breakfast - Photo: HUU HANH

Ms. Do Mai Huong (from Hanoi ) has lived here for 25 years and now brought 8 people including her husband, children and friends to the festival.

"I learned about the Vietnam Pho Festival through the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore. I hope there will be more programs like this to spread and promote Vietnamese culture," she said, adding that her family has pho at least once a week, with important ingredients brought from Vietnam.

Today, Ms. Huong and her family plan to eat not only a bowl of pho but also many other Vietnamese dishes because there are not many opportunities to enjoy authentic Vietnamese food in this foreign land.

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore

Connecting cultures, promoting cooperation

Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 in Singapore, organized by the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore, Tuoi Tre newspaper and Saigontourist Group in collaboration with the Department of Industry and Trade of Ho Chi Minh City, the Liaison Committee of Vietnamese in Singapore under the direction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, will take place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub, Singapore.

The festival was held in the context of Vietnam and Singapore upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership, affirming the program's significance and stature.

With the message "Pho - Enjoying together, growing together", Vietnam Pho Festival 2025 hopes that the event will not only invite international friends to enjoy a typical Vietnamese dish, which was listed by CNN in the list of 50 must-try dishes worldwide in 2011, but also convey the desire to connect - share - accompany the development of Vietnam.

Through the festival, pho will be introduced as a "cultural ambassador", serving as a bridge for Vietnam and Singapore, as well as international friends, to work together towards a prosperous and sustainable future.

The most important activity of the festival is to bring Singaporeans and tourists the opportunity to enjoy the "authentic" taste of Vietnamese pho. At Our Tampines Hub, attendees will be able to enjoy pho prepared directly by top artisans and chefs from Vietnam.

The main chefs of the 5-star hotels in the Saigontourist Group system, including four luxury hotels Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon and the brand Pho Thu Duc Golf Restaurant (Vietnam Golf & Country Club), along with famous pho brands such as Pho Sen Sasco, Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, Ba Ban Pho... will bring diversity in cooking methods and ways of enjoying.

In addition to pho, attendees will also have the opportunity to enjoy many other traditional Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Saigontourist's 5-star chefs, creating a vibrant "culinary symphony".

In particular, along with the Pho Festival, a large-scale investment forum was also held, namely the Vietnam - Singapore Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum 2025, affirming the substance of the event. The forum took place right after the opening ceremony (morning of October 18), expected to attract about 150 businesses from both countries to participate.

At the forum, management agencies and businesses will discuss new cooperation trends in green processing and logistics, tourism and aviation services, import and export of Vietnamese agricultural products and specialties, digital transformation and e-commerce.

In particular, the Business Matching program (1-1 business connection) will create conditions for Vietnamese and Singaporean businesses to meet directly and seek practical cooperation opportunities.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/nguoi-singapore-xep-hang-o-vietnam-pho-festival-hom-qua-da-dong-nay-cang-dong-hon-20251019101920132.htm