Pho, one of the most popular dishes in Vietnam, consists of fresh rice noodles with beef or chicken in flavorful broth.
The ‘Pho for Mountainous Children 2023’ event, organized to bring joy to children in the Central Highlands region of Vietnam, will take place in Da Lat City, Lam Dong Province on Saturday and Sunday.
The Day of Pho is an annual event initiated by the Youth newspaper in 2017.
It went international for the first time with the Vietnam Pho Festival 2023 in Tokyo, Japan on October 7th and 8th.
Through the event, locals in Lam Dong will have the opportunity to join a pho cooking class, rice noodle-making activities, a game show, a zero-dong market, and enjoy art performances.
The event will also include a scholarship ceremony for outstanding students from low-income families.
Attendees will be able to taste delicious bowls of pho cooked by renowned chefs and winners of the Golden Star Anise award, which is given annually during the Day of Pho to honor pho chefs from all over Vietnam.
Nguyen Tu Tin, co-founder of the Pho’S brand and a winner of the Golden Star Anise award, said that three other winners will also attend the Pho for Mountainous Children 2023 event.
To prepare for the event, 30 kilograms of beef bones, 40 kilograms of local grass-fed beef, fresh rice noodles, and ginseng are being transported to Da Lat City from nearby Kon Tum Province. Tin will also participate in another food-based function in the days before the Pho for Mountainous Children 2023 event.
Privileged students in Thieng Lieng Island Hamlet, Can Gio District, Ho Chi Minh City are presented with scholarships at an event on the ‘Day of Pho.’
Cao Van Luan, the owner of a pho eatery in Australia, and his culinary apprentice will provide the event with 1,000 bowls of pho made with beef imported from Australia.
“I am excited for the event so that I can bring 1,000 bowls of pho to children and locals in Da Lat,” Luan shared, expressing his hope to promote Vietnamese pho culture through his international cooking style.
“Da Lat has a diverse culinary culture because people from different regions of Vietnam reside there,” Luan said.
“Pho has a wide range of regional styles and each pho brand has a unique taste. My international cooking style adds an exotic flavor to the dish.
“I cook the broth for pho with fruits like apple, coconut, and pineapple to enhance the appetite of eaters.”
For the past six years, Tuoi Tre has launched various community-driven initiatives to celebrate the annual Day of Pho. These programs have brought this iconic noodle dish to children and underprivileged households in Binh Phuoc, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa Provinces, as well as Ho Chi Minh City.