Thanh Hà

Việt Nam’s noodle bowls are stirring the pot on the world stage, with phở chay (vegan noudle soup) and phở hải sản (seafood noodle soup) named among the 98 tastiest noodles globally by food guide TasteAtlas, alongside the nation’s beloved phở bò (beef noudle soup), bún bò Huế (Huế beef soup) and bún cua (crab noodle soup).

Based on traditional phở, seafood noodle soup — locally known as phở hải sản — has gained popularity in coastal provinces and major cities, including Hà Nội, Đà Nẵng, Nha Trang and HCM City.

The dish keeps the familiar style of beef phở but swaps the meat for shrimp, crab, squid, clam and fish, giving it a distinctly ocean flavour, the website noted.

Broth has varied from beef bones to fish and crab bones, shrimp shells and heads and dried squid, combined with spicy phở, tomato, lemongrass and chilli to create a light, sour and sweet flavour. This flavour has been evaluated as a new broth version with tasty richness. This helps to preserve the Vietnamese phở identity and reflects creativity in the national cuisine, the website said.

An addict of seafood noodles in HCM City, Phan Ngọc Hương, told Việt Nam News and Law that although the dish is savoury and has an amazing taste, its price is affordable for different eaters, ranging from VNĐ50,000-70,000 per bowl at ordinary stalls and VNĐ100,000-150,000 in restaurants.

“I’m interested in seafood noodle soup with a fresh sea crab, shrimp and clam so much,” said Hương, adding that the dish not only becomes breakfast of locals but also a popular option for office employees and family diners. Her mother often cooks the seafood noodle soup at weekends to unite family members.

The dish also attracts many foreign visitors and travellers to the country, said Hương.

Apart from seafood noodle soup, vegan noodle soup, locally known as phở chay, is also among the varieties of phở favoured by many foodies, including foreign guests to Việt Nam.

As the number of vegetarians has been increasing, supplying phở chay has also become a trend in big cities like Hà Nội and HCM City.

A culinary expert in Hà Nội’s Old Quarter, Lê Thị Hòa, 67, said phở chay is a long-term traditional dish of Việt Nam along with beef and chicken noodle soups.

Ingredients to cook phở chay include chicken mushroom and brown oyster mushroom, large onion and rice noodles cut into threads. Other ingredients used to cook the broth include white radish, carrot, shiitake mushroom, cinnamon, purple onion, ginger, pepper, bay leaves and vegan fish sauce (which is available in supermarkets) or soya bean sauce, anise, salt and broth mix.

These vegetables and roots are rich in vitamins, minerals and protein, said Hòa, adding that the dish is often cooked at Buddhist festivals to express respect to Buddha and deities.

Hòa told Việt Nam News and Law that to cook a tasty and standard phở chay, the cook has to carefully choose the ingredients. For example, the mushrooms should be fresh and not too big or too small.

Phở chay, with low fat and low cholesterol, helps to purify the body and is good for human digestion and the cardiovascular system, said Hòa, noting that it is very suitable not only for vegetarians but also for those wishing to reduce weight gained.

Phở is a national culinary symbol of Việt Nam recognised globally for its unique flavours and comforting qualities, said Hòa.

She noted that seafood noodle and vegan noodle soups in particular help to popularise the rich culinary culture of Việt Nam to the world. VNS