Hanoi (VNA) - The Pho Festival 2025 officially opened at the Thang Long Imperial Citadel on April 18 night with the theme “The essence of Vietnamese pho - A heritage in the digital era”.
In a special area of the citadel, diners and visitors have opportunities to taste typical pho styles from different parts of the country such as the Northwest, Nam Dinh, Hanoi, Central and Southern regions.
Among the big names are Pho Thin Bo Ho and Pho Tu Lun from Hanoi, Pho Hoang Gia and Pho Van Cu of Nam Dinh.
In addition to enjoying phơo, visitors will also witness chefs directly demonstrate the cooking of pho and frying of quay (dough sticks). They will introduce every step from choosing ingredients, making noodles, to cooking broth and serving a delicious bowl of pho.
At the three-day festival, people will also find different varieties of pho such as pho made of corn from Ha Giang province, pho with roasted duck from Lang Son, pho with burnt livers from Bac Ninh, and pho made of artichoke flowers from Da Lat.
Many international friends were also excited to have their pho in an outdoor area with music and performances available.
A highlight of the festival is that all booths apply a common price of 40,000 VND (1.55 USD) per bowl. Customers will buy tickets from the chatbot which will guid them to restaurants and help choose the right pho flavour and style that they expect.
This is the first time AI technology has been applied in a culinary festival in Vietnam.
Within the framework of the festival, locals and tourists can also visit the exhibition “Pho Story”, recreating the development journey of Vietnamese dish through each historical period.
Visitors will see its development from the old pho stalls on the streets and the subsidy-era pho restaurants to the world-class phở brands. In addition, there is also a space for Hanoi lotus tea and an old-style beer stall, which recreate the culinary culture of the old capital.
In particular, the festival also includes a conference where experts discuss the plans to turn pho into a global culinary heritage, as well as the process and challenges in building a dossier to submit to UNESCO./.
