Many Singaporeans wait to enjoy bowls of ‘pho’ at the Vietnam Phở Festival, held at Our Tampines Hub in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
The festival has received strong support from both the local Vietnamese community and Singaporeans curious about Vietnamese cuisine.
The combination of word-of-mouth buzz and social media exposure helped attract an even larger crowd on the second day.
Despite the official opening at 10:00 am, many visitors arrived well before that, eager to secure vouchers and a seat at one of the festival’s pho stalls.
After missing out on Saturday due to overwhelming demand, many visitors returned to the fest early on the second day to savor bowls of pho prepared by top Vietnamese chefs from five-star hotels.
The Pho Thin stall attracts crowds of visitors. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Tran Thi Thanh Nga, a Vietnamese resident who has lived in Singapore for six years, was among the first in line.
Wearing traditional Vietnamese ‘ao dai’ and carrying small national flags of both Vietnam and Singapore, she said she came early to buy pho for her colleagues.
“I miss the taste of home,” she shared.
“As a Vietnamese, I feel proud wearing ‘ao dai’ and introducing our food to the world.”
At 10:30 am, the tables were already filled with visitors, she said.
Vietnamese and Singaporean visitors queue to savor bowls of 'pho' at the Vietnam Phở Festival, held at Our Tampines Hub, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
In the crowd was 76-year-old Chua, a Singaporean who had never been to Vietnam or tried pho before.
Intrigued by the smells and the atmosphere, he asked for recommendations.
“Do you have any suggestions for me?” he asked a Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper reporter excitedly.
Another Singaporean, C. was drawn in by the aroma of the food while passing by.
He snapped photos and sent them to his family, expressing surprise at the lively turnout.
“I've never eaten pho, but this festival is making me want to visit Vietnam with my family soon,” he said.
Many Singaporeans are excited to wear 'ao dai,' a traditional Vietnamese long gown, at the Vietnam Phở Festival, held at Our Tampines Hub in Singapore. Video: Bao Duy / Tuoi Tre
For long-time Vietnamese residents like Do Mai Huong, who has lived in Singapore for 25 years, the event was a welcome opportunity to reconnect with home.
She joined the fest with her husband, children, and friends.
“I heard about the Vietnam Phở Festival through the Vietnamese Embassy in Singapore,” she said.
“I hope that more events like this will be held in Singapore to promote Vietnamese culture."
Her family enjoys pho at least once a week, with key ingredients brought from Vietnam, she shared.
At the festival, they planned not just to enjoy a bowl of pho each, but to try other authentic Vietnamese dishes as well.
A diner enjoys a bowl of 'pho' at the Vietnam Phở Festival, held at Our Tampines Hub in Singapore, October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
All the tables are filled with visitors eager to savor 'pho,' October 19, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
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, takes 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 is 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, showcase the diversity of pho recipes and styles of enjoyment.
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' was held as a highlight of the event's practical significance.
The forum kicked off right after the opening ceremony on the morning of October 18 and was expected to attract around 150 enterprises from both countries.
At the forum, government agencies and businesses discussed 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) facilitated direct connections between Vietnamese and Singaporean enterprises, helping them explore practical partnership opportunities.
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