If you’re planning on travelling through Vietnam, whether you’re starting in Hanoi and heading south or starting in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and heading north be ready to eat Pho at least 5 times a week if not more! It’s the staple food in every major, minor, and one shop town throughout Vietnam.

Pho, and most commonly Pho Bo (‘Bo’ meaning Beef) is a Vietnamese noodle soup made from linguine-shaped white rice noodles, green onions, lemongrass, beef or chicken, and a delicious broth that can be spiced with a few chili’s and some soy sauce. The broth is generally made from beef bones, ginger, and onions. It’s usually garnished with many greens including Thai basil, bean sprouts, and cilantro. My personal preference is ‘Medium’ cooked or Thai Bo, whereby the beef is chopped into fine thin pieces and simply thrown right into the soup and cooked by the boiling water. It’s served up perfectly cooked, hot, flavourful, and filling.

Pho Bo is a popular breakfast dish for most Vietnamese, and it seems a popular dish for almost every meal. Whether you’re in a fancier restaurant, a nice street spot, or you come across a little booth on a random side street, Pho is everywhere! And for good reason, because it’s simply delicious, and goes from anywhere between 20,000dong ($1) to 50,000dong ($2.50)

After a couple weeks, you’ll likely grow tired of constant noodle soups in all their variety, so take a few days off, eat a pizza, dabble into some rice dishes, but you’ll soon find yourself thinking about the distinct taste of Pho yet again. Plus, it’s be simply impossible to try and avoid! IT’S GOOD PHO YOU!