Overseas Vietnamese and the aspiration to elevate Vietnam's global profile (Part I): Mapping Vietnamese Cuisine
WVR - When creating the We Love Pho network abroad, members were not only expressing their love for pho, but also for the people who share the same ideals, for Vietnamese culture, and for the desire to share it with the world.
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| Editor's Note: Vietnam is entering a new era with the aspiration to become a powerful nation with influence and status in the region and the world. With a deep love for the homeland, the community of over 6 million overseas Vietnamese not only accompanies but also nurtures the aspiration to position an image of Vietnam rich in identity, youthful, and resilient in international integration. In addition to many contributions to the homeland, overseas Vietnamese are also working together to promote their role as cultural ambassadors, spreading the soft power of the national brand. |
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| Members of We Love Pho organize promotional activities. (Source: We Love Pho) |
For overseas Vietnamese, a steaming bowl of pho always carries the flavor of memory. Amid the cold of Europe and the hustle of urban life, finding an authentic bowl of pho is a simple happiness that brings back the taste of home.
Using pho as a cultural anchor, We Love Pho, created by Vietnamese in Europe, has built a meaningful cultural exchange space that attracts the interest of both overseas Vietnamese and international friends.
Behind the dish is a whole story
The idea of establishing We Love Pho began at the European Vietnamese Business Forum in October 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, where participants discussed the concept of a “Pho Week in Europe.”
From those meetings and exchanges, the Vietnamese community in various countries came together to build a structured organization. It officially launched online at the end of 2024, bringing together a large membership of entrepreneurs, artists, intellectuals, and young people of Vietnamese descent who share a love for pho and a desire to promote Vietnamese culture.
We Love Pho organizes many creative activities, from community pho cooking sessions to large-scale cultural events. In Brussels, during the celebration of the 35th anniversary of Vietnam–EU diplomatic relations, members co-hosted the seminar “We Love Pho and the Map of Vietnamese Cuisine in Europe”, introducing a map of Vietnamese restaurants to international friends.
From Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), to Prague (Czech Republic), pho festivals attracted large crowds. While overseas Vietnamese brought their children to enjoy pho, hear stories, and practice Vietnamese, locals found pho to be a friendly, approachable, and easily embraced cultural symbol.
In July, pho also appeared at Pohoda Festival—Slovakia’s leading arts event, featuring more than 130 artists and tens of thousands of audience members from across Europe, Japan, and other countries.
As an active member of We Love Pho, PhoCkaren brought dishes rich in Vietnamese flavor to the event, such as beef pho, Southern-style beef vermicelli, and banh mi.
Attention to detail in each dish, combined with friendly service, helped PhoCkaren become a highlight of the festival’s food court. Among hundreds of booths, the We Love Pho representation was a vivid example of how a traditional dish can blend into a modern, multicultural space.
Each restaurant as a cultural stop
As the initiator of activities promoting Vietnamese pho in Europe and beyond, Mr. Mai Hai Lam, Chairman of We Love Pho, believes that the support of Vietnamese representative offices abroad and European associations has been a valuable driving force, helping the network quickly gain the backing of overseas Vietnamese communities across countries.
So far, We Love Pho has established a presence in 17 European countries—from Western to Eastern Europe, from Northern Europe to the Mediterranean. Each pho restaurant serves as a cultural stop for international diners.
Currently, the project “Map of Vietnamese Cuisine in Europe” is being actively implemented by We Love Pho, gathering nearly 5,000 Vietnamese restaurants and eateries. The campaign “500,000 Bowls of Pho for the World” is also being promoted, with a target set for 2028.
Despite challenges in funding, members consistently share, support one another, and find ways to make projects a reality—such as bringing pho to locals through music festivals and fairs, or using the WLP App to connect the pho-loving community.
Most importantly, We Love Pho aims to harness the power of cuisine to become a cultural bridge, bringing the image of Vietnam closer to international friends.
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| International guests at the PhoCkaren booth, representing We Love Pho at the Pohoda Festival – Slovakia's leading art event. (Source: We Love Pho) |
Mr. Nguyen Le Khanh, a representative of We Love Pho in Germany, shared that the projects go beyond organizing events and food festivals. They also include online activities, sharing knowledge about pho—from its history and ingredients to cooking methods—helping foreigners not only enjoy pho but also understand the cultural values behind each bowl.
The Vietnamese community actively uses digital platforms to spread their message, organize online exchanges, and collaborate with Vietnamese restaurants in Europe to enhance quality and promote pho more professionally.
Recently, when invited back to Vietnam to participate in the seminar “Positioning Vietnam: Promoting the National Image in a New Era”—co-hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam News Agency—representatives of We Love Pho proposed a national-level program to support overseas communities in promoting Vietnamese culture and cuisine.
The program would include media training, high-quality resources, and professional images. With these, overseas Vietnamese—independent storytellers with deep love for their homeland and strong cultural knowledge—could serve as the most effective cultural ambassadors, directly connecting with local communities.
To spread the brand of Vietnamese cuisine, We Love Pho members aim to develop a diverse media toolkit, including high-quality photos and videos, QR codes linking to detailed information, and multilingual brochures.
This toolkit would be used at Vietnamese restaurants abroad, business venues, cultural events, and especially on social media platforms. Standardizing and providing professional communication materials will make it easier for the overseas community to promote Vietnamese cuisine and culture consistently and effectively.
From a simple idea born of love for their homeland, the We Love Pho network has become a bridge linking overseas Vietnamese with their roots and with international friends—through pho, the traditional dish deeply embedded with national identity. This journey not only helps affirm pho’s position as a cultural symbol of Vietnam but also demonstrates the soft power of overseas Vietnamese in promoting the country’s image.
Although many resource challenges lie ahead, what We Love Pho has achieved proves that when the community unites, Vietnamese identity can be powerfully spread across Europe—and beyond.
Part II: Building a Literary Bridge
