[tintuc]
Cuisine is a mirror that truthfully reflects the culture of every nation. The Italians take pride in their pizza, the Chinese in their steamed buns, the Japanese in their sushi... and for Vietnam, it is phở.
“A dish made of rice noodles cooked with beef” — (Definition of phở in the Khai Trí Dictionary, 1930)
“Phở” – Neither Chinese nor Western
Scholars trained in Confucian traditions often claim that phở has Chinese origins, asserting that it derives from the Cantonese dish fan (rice noodles). They argue that the word phở evolved from fan, particularly from zhu rou fen (pork noodle soup).
However, the cooking techniques of zhu rou fen differ entirely from the Vietnamese phở, both in flavor and preparation. Another theory proposes that phở came from the French dish pot-au-feu — and that the word phở was a “broken” pronunciation of feu (meaning “fire” in French).
Yet, according to the Larousse Dictionary of French cuisine, pot-au-feu is a mixed beef stew cooked with carrots, leeks, turnips, and other vegetables — bearing no resemblance to Vietnamese phở in either form or taste. Moreover, pot-au-feu is typically eaten with bread, not noodles.
In contrast, Vietnamese oral tradition aligns more closely with historical evidence from the early 20th century: phở evolved from xáo trâu (water buffalo stew), a humble dish popular among laborers along the banks of the Red River in the early 1900s.
At that time, phở was a working-class meal, filling and affordable. By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, after the French had established their protectorate across Vietnam, only a few beef shops existed in Hanoi serving French residents. These shops often had trouble selling beef — especially the bones, which went to waste.
It was during this period, around 1908–1909, that phở began to take shape. Steamship routes connected Hanoi to Hải Phòng, Nam Định, and Phủ Lạng Thương, while sailing boats from Thanh Hóa and Nghệ An carried fish sauce and dried goods up the river — making the Red River wharves vibrant and bustling.
Street food vendors flocked to the area, but xáo trâu (buffalo stew) was the crowd favorite — cheap and hearty. When beef bones became abundant, vendors began substituting buffalo meat with beef. Because beef develops a strong odor when cold, cooks kept the broth simmering gently over small charcoal fires — and from there, a new dish was born.
Soon, this aromatic beef noodle soup spread across Hanoi, from Ô Quan Chưởng Gate to Hàng Mắm Street. The French ethnographer Henri Oger even documented a phở street vendor in his invaluable illustrated book Techniques du peuple Annamite (1908–1909).
The Mystery of the Name “Phở”
The word phở has an intriguing etymology. When phở first appeared in the early 20th century, Confucian learning still dominated Vietnamese society. Two French Vietnamologists, P. Huard and M. Durand, analyzed the Nôm character for phở as being composed of three Chinese radicals:
- Mễ (米) — rice,
- Ngôn (言) — speech, and
- Phổ (普) — common, popular.
Thus, phở in Nôm could mean “a rice-based dish popular among the people,” and its pronunciation was phổ.
Hanoi’s street vendors were famous for their melodic calls, often sung with rhythm and emotion. It is believed that the word phở evolved naturally from these cries — “Phố đây, phố ơ!” then “Phớ ơ!”, and eventually “Phở!” through the natural play of sound over time.
This explanation — that phở originated from the Vietnamese Nôm sound — remains one of the most logical and culturally grounded theories.
Phở — Over a Century of History
The word phở first appeared officially in print in the Vietnamese Dictionary (1930), published by the Khai Trí Tiến Đức Society in Hanoi. But how old is phở itself?
While no formal historical record marks its invention, several credible sources help estimate its age. Renowned writer Nguyễn Công Hoan (1903–1977) recalled:
“In 1913, when I lived at No.8 Hàng Hài Street, I sometimes had phở (from a street vendor’s basket). Each bowl cost two xu — three or five for a larger portion.”
Another witness was Nguyễn Văn Vĩnh (1882–1936), who wrote in a letter from Paris in 1906:
“Hearing the cries of street vendors here reminds me of home — of the morning calls of the phở sellers in Hanoi.”
Meanwhile, French researcher G. Dumoutier, known for his meticulous work on Vietnamese culture, affirmed that:
“Phở did not exist in Vietnam before 1907.”
These references collectively point to phở’s birth between 1900 and 1907, giving it a confirmed history of more than a century.
Supporting this, French artist Maurice Salge painted “The Phở Vendor of Hanoi” in 1913 — a vivid and convincing depiction of Hanoi’s nighttime street food culture.
Earlier dictionaries, such as Alexandre de Rhodes’ Vietnamese–Portuguese–Latin Dictionary (1651), Huỳnh Tịnh Của’s Vietnamese Dictionary (1895), and Genibrel’s French–Vietnamese Dictionary (1898), all lacked the word phở. It wasn’t until 1930 that it appeared in print, defined precisely as:
“A dish made of thin rice noodles cooked with beef.”
This further reinforces that phở could only have emerged in the early 20th century — confirming its proud age of over 110 years.
“Phở Day” — December 12
Japan celebrates April 4 as “Vietnam Phở Day.” So why shouldn’t Vietnam — the homeland of phở — have its own day to honor this national treasure of cuisine?
For that reason, on December 12, 2017, Tuổi Trẻ newspaper, in collaboration with Acecook Vietnam, launched the first “Day of Phở”, featuring seminars, exhibitions, and cultural events at White Palace, Ho Chi Minh City.
Since 2018, December 12 (12-12) has been celebrated annually as Vietnam’s Day of Phở — a festival honoring not just a dish, but a symbol of Vietnamese identity and soul.
Source: Tuoi Tre News
D-Plate – The “Phở Bowl” of Heavy Industry
[/tintuc]
.jpg)
