Chefs complete final preparations for Vietnam Phở Festival in Singapore
Chefs and organizers of the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 on Friday morning were busy completing final preparations at various kitchens across Singapore, ahead of the culinary festival’s official opening the following day.
A chef from the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club under Saigontourist Group speaks with a Tuoi Tre (Youth) reporter at Thien Long Restaurant, Singapore, October 17, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
“I’ve never driven a group this big — both people and luggage!” joked a Singaporean driver helping transport dozens of large boxes to the festival’s venues.
The 2025 Vietnam Phở Festival teams total more than 100 people, including representatives of Vietnam’s most renowned pho brands, top chefs and kitchen staff from Saigontourist Group, and the organizing and media team from Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
Bustling kitchens ahead of the big day
At Geylang, over 30 people from various pho brands gathered early at the kitchen of Hoi An Chicken Rice Restaurant on Jalan Ayer Street to set up equipment and begin prep work.
Brands such as Pho Thin, Pho Khoe (from South Korea), Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, Pho Hai Thien, Pho Phat Tai, Pho Ta (Binh Tay Food), Pho Sai Gon, and Pho Sen (SASCO) quickly got to work in a lively atmosphere of teamwork and mutual support.
Owners of Vietnamese pho brands inspect kitchen equipment at Hoi An Chicken Rice Restaurant on Jalan Ayer Street, Singapore, October 17, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
“Everything is well-organized and very professional,” said chef Khuat Quang Thanh from Pho Sen SASCO, joining the festival for the first time.
Chefs formed small groups to manage the workload efficiently.
“We were divided into teams, with four restaurants per group, rotating tasks like blanching bones, preparing meats, and washing vegetables,” Thanh said.
“While one team preps herbs, another slices chili to make the most of space and tools.”
Nguyen Thi Hong Gam, deputy director of sales and marketing at Vietnam’s leading tourism corporation Saigontourist Group, helps others in the kitchen, Singapore, October 17, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Meanwhile, at Thien Long Restaurant on Jalan Besar Street, head chefs from Saigontourist Group’s five-star hotels including Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon, and the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club, were cooking nonstop.
The air filled with the aroma of simmering broth and spices as preparations ramped up.
This year, in addition to traditional pho, the Majestic Saigon team will serve pho suon bo (pho with beef ribs), pho xao (wok-fried pho), while the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club will bring pho ga (pho with chicken), pho gio (crispy pho), and pho hai san (seafood pho) to Singaporean diners.
Other Saigontourist kitchens will also showcase Vietnam’s rich cuisine through dishes like spring rolls, chicken rice, and Hue-style beef noodles.
Strict food safety standards
Chefs and kitchen staff take the WSQ Food Safety Course Level 1 required by Singapore. Photo: Courtesy of organizers
Unlike previous editions in Japan and South Korea, all chefs joining the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore were required to pass the WSQ Food Safety Course Level 1, a mandatory certification for anyone handling food.
Chef Pham Tien Cuong, head chef at the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club, said the process was not difficult.
“These standards are similar to Vietnam’s own food safety regulations.
“Professional chefs like us are already used to working this way,” Cuong explained confidently.
Vietnam Phở Festival 2025: When Vietnamese pho becomes ‘cultural ambassador’ in Singapore
Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore: Cultural connection, cooperation boost
The Vietnam Phở Festival is organized by the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper, and Saigontourist Group, in coordination with the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade and the Vietnamese Community Liaison Committee in Singapore.
The event, which is held under the guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, will take place on October 18 and 19 at Our Tampines Hub in the city-state.
The festival comes as Vietnam and Singapore have just upgraded their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, underlining the event's timeliness and significance.
With the message 'Pho - Enjoying Together, Growing Together,' the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 aims not only to invite international friends to enjoy Vietnam's iconic dish—listed by CNN in 2011 among the world's 50 must-try foods—but also to convey Vietnam's aspiration for connection, sharing, and growing together.
Through the festival, pho will be presented as a 'cultural ambassador,' a bridge fostering prosperity and sustainability between Vietnam, Singapore, and global friends.
The highlight of the event is offering Singaporeans and visitors the chance to savor authentic Vietnamese pho, freshly prepared by top Vietnamese chefs and culinary artisans at Our Tampines Hub.
Head chefs from five-star hotels under Saigontourist Group, including Rex Saigon, Majestic Saigon, Grand Saigon, Caravelle Saigon, and the pho restaurant of Vietnam Golf & Country Club, along with renowned pho brands such as Pho Thin Bo Ho, Pho Ta, Pho Phu Gia, Pho Vuong, and Ba Ban Pho, will showcase the diversity of pho recipes and styles of enjoymient.
Beyond pho, visitors can also enjoy a range of traditional Vietnamese dishes, prepared by Saigontourist's five-star chefs, creating a vibrant 'culinary symphony.'
Alongside the festival, a large-scale investment forum titled the 'Vietnam-Singapore Investment, Trade and Tourism Promotion Forum 2025' will take place, highlighting the event's practical significance.
The forum will kick off right after the opening ceremony on the morning of October 18 and is expected to attract around 150 enterprises from both countries.
At the forum, government agencies and businesses will discuss new cooperation trends in green processing industries and logistics, tourism and aviation services, the export and import of Vietnamese agricultural products and specialties, as well as digital transformation and e-commerce.
In particular, the Business Matching program (one-on-one business meetings) will facilitate direct connections between Vietnamese and Singaporean enterprises, helping them explore practical partnership opportunities.
Minh Duy - Nghi Vu - Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre News
Link nội dung: https://news.tuoitre.vn/chefs-complete-final-preparations-for-vietnam-pho-festival-in-singapore-103251017181458077.htm