Vietnam’s first pho museum set to open in Ho Chi Minh City.

Pho is Vietnam’s most iconic noodle soup, made with flat rice noodles, aromatic broth, and fresh herbs, most commonly served with beef or chicken. Originating in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century, it reflects the country’s culinary heritage and has become a global symbol of Vietnamese cuisine.

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Celebrating this beloved dish and its rich history, Vietnam’s first pho museum is set to open in mid-January 2026 in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, offering visitors an immersive journey into the origins, cultural significance, and evolution of pho through interactive exhibits, artifacts, and culinary experiences.

Located at 211 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street – the corner of Nguyen Thai Hoc and Pham Ngu Lao streets in downtown Ho Chi Minh City, near popular tourist areas such as Bui Vien Walking Street and Ben Thanh Market, the Pho Museum spans nearly 800 square meters over three floors. Visitors can join a 60-minute guided tour that combines exhibitions, interactive activities, entertainment, and food.

The experience begins on the third floor with a 10-minute documentary tracing the history of pho across Vietnam’s northern, central, and southern regions, while also showcasing Vietnamese culture, landscapes, and everyday life over the past 100 years.

The museum displays 209 restored artifacts, including ceramic bowls from Bat Trang Village and Hoi An Ancient Town, as well as traditional cooking tools and historical photographs. One standout exhibit is a recreated pho street cart crafted by artisans from Van Cu, a village renowned for pho-making, evoking the atmosphere of early 20th-century Hanoi.

Interactive games on the third floor introduce visitors to pho ingredients and cooking techniques, explaining why pho is regarded as an item of intangible cultural heritage. Exhibits will be refreshed every two to three months, with the inaugural theme centered on wet-rice cultivation.

On the second floor, visitors can watch artisans prepare pho by hand, from steaming rice sheets to assembling ingredients, accompanied by screens displaying Vietnamese scenery such as Ha Long Bay and the tea hills of the northwest.

The ground floor features souvenirs and regional specialties, and the tour concludes with each guest receiving a bowl of the museum’s signature pho.

Tour tickets are priced at VND750,000 (US$28) for adults and VND500,000 (US$19) for children, including the guided experience, a souvenir, and a bowl of pho. Pho can also be ordered separately, starting at VND125,000 (US$4.75) per bowl, while the signature pho is priced at VND260,000 (US$10).

The museum’s pho combines broths from all three regions, adapted to southern tastes. The noodles are supplied by the Nguyen Binh workshop in Thu Duc Ward, while the beef comes from Ba Vi, Hanoi, and is raised using Japanese-style farming methods.

According to founder and director Le Nhat Thanh, the idea was inspired by his visit to the ramen museum in Yokohama, Japan, where ramen is presented in an engaging and educational way. He noted that while pho is as internationally renowned as ramen and frequently ranks among the world’s best noodle dishes, it has lacked a dedicated venue to tell its story.

“The Pho Museum was created to share the story of Vietnamese pho with the world,” Thanh said.

Source: VNExpress International.

Photos: Collected.