Pho Festival 2025: Celebration of Hanoi’s iconic dish
THE HANOI TIMES — The Hanoi People's Committee has announced that the "Pho Festival 2025" will be hosted at the UNESCO-recognized Thang Long Imperial Citadel in the capital city from April 18 to 20, offering a unique opportunity to explore the dish's history, regional variations, and cultural significance.
The festival helps preserve Hanoi's traditional food culture and highlights the city's role as a premier culinary and cultural tourism destination.
A dish of Hanoi Pho. Photo: Duy Khanh/ The Hanoi Times
This year’s theme, “Pho and AI Technology,” combines traditional Vietnamese cuisine with modern innovation. Using AI technology, visitors will be able to find pho stalls based on their personal preferences, offering a new way to experience the dish while reflecting the growing intersection of food and technology.
Over 50 pho stalls will showcase a variety of pho flavors from different regions of Vietnam. While Hanoi’s pho will be the highlight, visitors will also have the chance to sample pho from other parts of the country, including Nam Dinh, the highlands and the southern regions, each offering their own unique flavors and preparation methods. The festival will also feature cooking demonstrations, allowing visitors to learn more about how the dish is prepared and its cultural significance.
The process of making a pho dish. Photo: Duy Khanh/ The Hanoi Times
In addition to the food, the event will include discussions and performances that focus on the role of pho in Vietnamese culture. The Pho Heritage Story Space will present the history of the dish and how it has evolved from a street food to a symbol of Vietnamese identity. There will also be workshops where visitors can try their hand at making pho and other popular street foods, such as quay (fried dough sticks) often served alongside pho.
The Pho Festival will enable locals and tourists to immerse themselves in the culture and tradition of one of Hanoi's most famous dishes.
Famous at home and abroad, Hanoi Pho has earned the title of National Intangible Heritage. The designation raises the prestige of the dish and set additional framework for preserving and promoting pho recipes and pho culture.
