Hanoi Pho Festival: Pho cuisine in digital age
Taking place from April 18 to 20 at Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Pho Festival 2025 gathers more than 50 booths of businesses and pho brands across the country.
THE HANOI TIMES — For the first time, artificial intelligence (AI) is being used to assist festival-goers at a food fair, the Pho Festival, to streamline organizational processes and help customers find the booth and pho dish they want, aiming to enhance their experience.
This is one of many new features that showcase a unique culinary journey from traditional street pho stalls to smart experiences, while honoring and promoting Vietnam's pho heritage at home and abroad.
Representatives of the government and Hanoi kick off the festival on April 18. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times
Pho Festival brings together more than 50 booths of businesses and pho culinary brands from all three regions, besides many Hanoi pho brands that have made a name for the capital's cuisine, such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Tu Lun, Pho Hoang Gia, Pho Van Cu... The chefs will demonstrate the process of cooking pho.
At the Nam Dinh Province area, artisan Le Thi Thiet, President of the Nam Dinh Culinary Culture Association, is busy preparing bowls of signature pho for diners.
"We introduce famous Nam Dinh pho dishes such as rare flank pho and rare minced pho. All ingredients are carefully preserved and cut by machine to ensure food hygiene and safety. The festival is a precious opportunity to promote the quintessence of pho culinary heritage, a dish that has won the hearts of many international tourists," said artisan Le Thi Thiet.
Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee Tran Sy Thanh (second from left) visits pho stalls. Photo: Duy Khanh/The Hanoi Times
At the program, people can experience the exhibition space "Pho Story", which recreates the evolution of Vietnamese pho through historical periods; experience the space of old pho stalls and pho shops during the period of the centrally planned economy, as well as famous pho brands abroad.
Apart from pho stalls, there is also space for Hanoi lotus tea and Hanoi beer stalls.
As part of the festival, the seminar "Pho becomes UNESCO heritage and spreads internationally" will be held with the participation of researchers and artisans, focusing on the evolution of pho from traditional dishes to global culinary heritage; the process of preparing a profile nominating pho for UNESCO's World Heritage designation.
Below are some photos from the opening ceremony of the Pho Festival:
Indispensable spices for cooking pho. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
Pho with beef braised in red wine. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
Pho Festival attracts many foreigners. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
Festival-goers can buy ingredients to make pho at home. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
Chefs prepare ingredients to make pho bowls for diners. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
People from the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang offers pho with noodles made from corn. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
A bowl of corn noodles and beef broth. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
A foreign tourist learns how to make pho noodles. From the rice paper, the chef will cut them into threads. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
A corner of Pho Thin Bo Ho, a time-honored Hanoi brand. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
A band play traditional music at the three-day festival. Photo: Ngo Minh/The Hanoi Times
