The annual event, now in its ninth year, kicked off at 7:00 am on Saturday at the former Tax Trade Center site in District 1, now 135 Nguyen Hue Street in Saigon Ward.

It runs until 9:00 pm on December 13 and 14, offering visitors a rare chance to explore and enjoy nearly 30 pho brands from across Vietnam in one place.

Sold out ahead of schedule

On the morning to December 13, visitors stream in continuously, with vendors serving at maximum output.

Ladles dip nonstop into simmering broth, rice noodles are blanched without pause, and the atmosphere is as brisk and bustling.

Nguyen Tuan Trung, owner of Phu Gia Beef Pho, said his stall was nearing its 500th bowl of the day.

“Organisers estimated each stall would serve only around 200 to 300 bowls a day, but at this pace, by the time we pack up we may have already sold 500 to 600 bowls – far exceeding the original target,” Trung said.

The surge in demand has forced many stalls to repeatedly top up their broth.

At the Pho Tau Bay stall, Tuyet sat beside an empty pot, saying that in a short time they had run out of two full pots of broth along with all the meat.

“Our pho sold out at around 10 am,” Tuyet said. “We’re waiting for resupply.”

Even so, customers kept stopping by to ask, then reluctantly moved on to other stalls.

Tran Tran, owner of the Pho 34 Cao Thang, said she had finished the first pot of pho for the day.

She estimated having served about 300 bowls, nearly reaching the target she had set before the event.

Alongside traditional beef pho, Lang Son–style roast duck pho has emerged as one of the most intriguing offerings for southern diners.

From early morning, long lines had already formed at this stall.

Lang Son roast duck pho stands out with its crispy duck skin, tender meat, richly flavoured broth and visually appealing presentation.

Many diners said the combination of pho noodles and roast duck offered a fresh and enjoyable experience, both in taste and appearance.

Quite a few even ordered takeaway to share with family members.

“I don’t even know how many bowls we’ve served this morning, but we’ve already topped up the broth twice, Vi Hoa from the stall excitedly shared.

“Right now, we’ve also run out of roast duck and are waiting for more,” she added.

Elsewhere, Tran Ba Di, owner of Pho Minh Pasteur, was serving the final bowls of the day.

He explained that because he had to cook for his shop while also taking part in Pho Day, he could not replenish supplies once a pot ran out.

“We had no choice but to ask customers to come back later, because I only prepare exactly 300 bowls per day,” Di said.

Seeing, learning and tasting pho, all in one place

Beyond enjoying delicious and freshly-made bowls of pho, visitors can watch the entire process, from simmering the broth and steaming rice noodle sheets to slicing the pho noodles, right at the stalls.

Working at a company that produces machine-made pho noodles, Nguyen Phan Diem Quynh came to Pho Day with a particular sense of excitement: to learn about the differences between traditionally steamed pho noodles and fresh pho noodles produced by machines.

“Only by watching the noodles being made by hand can you fully appreciate the warmth and memories woven into a bowl of pho,” Quynh said.

“Seeing the noodles made right at the stall gives customers like me peace of mind about their origins and a deeper understanding of the history behind pho noodles,”Hoang Kim, emcee of the event, shared.

“Walking around from corn pho and cassava pho to artichoke pho stalls also helps me better appreciate regional cultures,” she added.

“This is something you rarely find at other events.”

Among the pho stalls at the event, Pho Hai Thien Pho stands out for its vibrant batches of rice noodles which are dyed entirely with natural vegetables.

Many visitors stop not only to take photos and shoot videos but also to listen attentively as the stall owner explains the careful selection of ingredients and the traditional noodle-steaming process.