The one place to find phenomenal pho in Vietnam

1 hour ago 1

Ben Groundwater

If you could only eat in one place in: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Pho Phu Vuong: phenomenal pho.

Where

Pho Phu Vuong

Why

You are looking for this place, even if you don’t know it. You’ve surely come to Ho Chi Minh City in search of the perfect spot to eat pho, the Vietnamese noodle dish that is served all over the country, with slight variations and differing quality. After checking the blogs and doing a Google search, you’ve found tourist favourites like Pho Viet Nam, Pho Pasteur and Pho Phuong 25. All of these are great choices.

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But I have tried them all, and my pick of the bunch by far is Pho Phu Vuong. There’s nothing fancy: it’s just stainless-steel tables and plastic chairs, a few bubbling vats of stock and meat out front near the parked scooters. But the pho is phenomenal. Arrive early in the morning, as the city wakes, grab a table and order a bowl. The soup is fragrant and perfectly balanced, a touch of sweetness with those distinctive spices. The noodles are fresh and slippery, the beef nicely rare, the emerald mountain of sawtooth coriander and basil the perfect accompaniment. Is this the best pho in Ho Chi Minh City? Who can say. But it’s the one you’ve been dreaming of.

Order this

Options at Pho Phu Vuong range from standard beef and tripe to additions such as oxtail or flank, or the choice of having soup without noodles, all in three sizes: regular, large, and “special”. First-timers should go for the classic, pho tai, with noodles and thin slices of rare beef.

Eat it here

We could argue long into the night about the best pho in Australia’s capital cities. In Sydney, let’s go for Pho Tau Bay in Cabramatta. In Melbourne, try Pho Hung Vuong Saigon in Footscray. In Adelaide, go for Viet Hoa in Woodville Gardens.

Pho Phu Vuong is in District 1, about a 10-minute walk from Ben Thanh Market, and is open from 6am to 10pm daily. We advise going for breakfast before the crowds. A large pho tai will set you back 75,000 dong, or about $4. Find it at 120 Nguyen Thai Binh, Ben Thanh, Ho Chi Minh City.

Ben Groundwater is a Sydney-based travel writer, columnist, broadcaster, author and occasional tour guide with more than 25 years’ experience in media, and a lifetime of experience traversing the globe. He specialises in food and wine – writing about it, as well as consuming it – and at any given moment in time Ben is probably thinking about either ramen in Tokyo, pintxos in San Sebastian, or carbonara in Rome. Follow him on Instagram @bengroundwaterConnect via email.