Pho Museum: Where the memories of Vietnamese Pho find a home

On January 15, the Pho Museum officially opened in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, marking the debut of Vietnam's first culinary museum.

On January 15, the Pho Museum opened in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, becoming Vietnam's first culinary museum. It doesn't just display artefacts; it tells the century-long story of the "national dish", from street vendors to its journey onto the global stage.

Located on a bustling tourist route, opposite the Sen Vàng Stage and the lush 23/9 Park at 211 Nguyen Thai Hoc, Ben Thanh Ward.

The museum is designed as a thematic museum, centring on photos to narrate cultural stories. Through a system of artefacts, documents, images, installations, and film screenings, the journey of pho comes alive, closely tied to the rhythm of Vietnamese life across generations.

Mr. Tran Van Bac, Founder of the Pho Museum, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Tourism Destination Joint Stock Company.

The idea of building the Pho Museum, according to Mr. Tran Van Bac, the museum's founder, began with a simple question: Why doesn't pho, a quintessential Vietnamese dish, have a worthy space to tell its story? He carried this question for over 10 years, from his visits to culinary museums in Japan to the idea's maturation into reality.

With a capacity to welcome about 1,500 to 2,000 visitors daily, the founder expects 60% of the guests to be foreigners and international tour groups. This is the "gateway" for Vietnamese pho to step onto the world stage in a comprehensive, heartfelt way.

"We hope the Pho Museum is a place where every Vietnamese finds a piece of their memory. And for international friends, it's a way to understand that pho is not just a dish, but a part of the Vietnamese cultural soul," Mr. Bac shared.

The package tour price is 750,000 VND/adult and 500,000 VND/child, including a visit and a special bowl of pho. For those not on the tour, the museum still serves pho at the counter, starting at 125,000 VND per bowl.

According to Mr. Le Nhat Thanh, Director of the Pho Museum, the story of pho is also the story of Vietnamese social life, activities, and identity.

According to Mr. Le Nhat Thanh, Director of the Pho Museum, the story of pho is also the story of Vietnamese social life, activities, and identity.

"The museum not only preserves the history of a dish but also the folklore, community memories, and cultural values associated with everyday life," Mr. Thanh said.

With an area of about 800 m², comprising 3 experiential floors, the Pho Museum operates on a closed-tour model lasting about 60 minutes.

The journey is designed as a narrative, guiding visitors from historical contexts and cultural spaces to culinary experiences that help them understand and feel pho with all their senses and emotions.

The highlight of the museum is the display space featuring hundreds of artefacts and documents related to the pho culture of three regions, combined with interactive forms that help viewers understand more about the ingredients, preparation process, and craftsmanship behind each bowl of pho.

The culinary experience is placed at the end of the journey to conclude the story with a personal perspective.

For many visitors, the Pho Museum is not just for viewing but for remembering. Ms. Thanh Huong (Hanoi) shared that entering the museum felt like walking through her own memories. The scent of wood, spices, old utensils, and the arrangement reminded her of mornings following her mother to the street corner for pho when the city was still quiet.

"Sitting down to eat a bowl of pho at the end of the journey, I suddenly realised that pho is not only delicious in taste but also in the familiar, warm feeling of being home," she said.

The end of the heritage journey is the culinary area on the ground floor, where visitors can realise their perceptions of pho through their taste buds.

Similarly, Ms. Nguyet Anh (Ho Chi Minh City) said she had visited many culinary museums abroad and was very excited to learn that Saigon now has the Pho Museum.

"The most impressive thing is understanding more about the origin and cultural significance of pho, something I had eaten many times but never thought deeply about."

Enjoying a "Museum Pho" bowl is not just about eating a delicious dish, but experiencing the essence distilled from the flavours of three regions.

Sharing the same sentiment while enjoying pho at the Pho Museum, Mr. Tran Khoi (Ho Chi Minh City) said the Pho Museum opens a space for experience and is a place where visitors can listen, touch, and savour pho as an emotional journey.

Because pho is delicious not only in taste but also in the story behind each bowl, the story of family, craft villages, livelihoods, and the pride when Vietnamese pho is recognised on the global culinary map.

"Pho Museum" serves as a bridge between the city's modern pulse and traditional values.

According to the Pho Museum's management, international tourists are a key audience in their development strategy. With its central location in Ho Chi Minh City, the Pho Museum is expected to become a new cultural stop, narrating Vietnam's story in a very real way, starting with a steaming bowl of Pho.

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