Hanoi (VNA) – The State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (SCOVA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the "We Love Pho" network on November 14 announced a Vietnamese Pho week to be held in Europe next month.
Scheduled for December 8 – 14 across Europe, the event aims to celebrate Pho Day on December 12, and promote Vietnamese culinary culture and spread the Southeast Asian nation’s traditional dish worldwide, said Mai Hai Lam, a Vietnamese in Poland, and chairman of the "We Love Pho" network.
The event will offer a chance for overseas Vietnamese and international friends to enjoy a variety of Pho dishes, including traditional beef Pho, chicken Pho, Pho rolls, mixed Pho, and vegetarian Pho, as well as modern adaptations suited to international tastes.
Participating units are encouraged to create displays showcasing images and documents on the history and development of Vietnamese Pho; offer live cooking demonstrations; and host interactions with renowned chefs and culinary experts.
Lam said that the programme aims to promote Vietnamese culinary culture worldwide, thus introducing one of Vietnam’s iconic dishes to international friends, and strengthening connections within the overseas Vietnamese community abroad.
According to Lam, in recent years, Vietnamese Pho has repeatedly been recognised as one of the world’s most delicious and famous dishes, named among the best 30 dishes of the world in 2018, the most delicious 10 soups in the world in 2021, and the 100 most popular dishes worldwide in 2022.
SCOVA Chairman Nguyen Trung Kien said culture has always served as a strong bridge, connecting Vietnamese communities around the world and fostering mutual understanding and people-to-people exchange. He noted that culinary culture in general, and Pho in particular, is a source of national pride, helping shape Vietnam’s identity in the eyes of the international friends.
Kien said he supports the initiative to organise the week, expressing his hope that the event will be successful, creating wide-reaching impact across Europe and across the world. He stated that the committee will accompany and support associations and groups in preserving and promoting Vietnam’s cultural identity and value, including the "We Love Pho" network.
The "We Love Pho" network was established in Brussels in June 2025, gathering OVs from across Europe, including Austria, Belgium, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK. Its mission is to promote and preserve Vietnam’s culinary culture, with Pho as its central symbol. It works to connect the overseas Vietnamese community with local residents through cuisine./.
