Chef Duong Duc Huan, head chef of Hotel Majestic Saigon, a member of Saigontourist Group, is busy at work in the kitchen at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore, October 18, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
The immense turnout led to several food stalls selling out of pho well before noon, prompting a need for immediate resupply.
Although the festival, held at Our Tampines Hub, was scheduled to remain open until 8:30 pm, by shortly after 7:00 pm, most stalls had already been emptied of their signature offerings.
Chef Duong Dinh Nam from Caravelle Hotel prepares food at the Vietnam Phở Festival 2025 in Singapore, October 18, 2025. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Despite the exhausting pace, chefs from Saigontourist Group returned to the kitchen late into the night to prepare for the next day.
Alongside pho, they were busy crafting a variety of other Vietnamese dishes to serve to eager festival-goers.
According to the head chef of Caravelle Hotel, high-quality beef bones are used and simmered for an optimal amount of time, with careful skimming of foam and fat to ensure a clear broth that still retains a naturally rich and deep flavor. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Chef Duong Duc Huan from Hotel Majestic Saigon said that its signature dish Pho Dang Sam Ngoc Linh with Japanese scallop adductor muscles offered a unique fusion of Vietnam’s Ngoc Linh ginseng and premium Japanese seafood.
“This dish represents the creativity and five-star quality of Hotel Majestic Saigon,” said chef Huan.
“Our goal is to elevate pho – not just in taste, but in nutrition and presentation.
"It’s a luxurious twist on a traditional favorite.”
The beef used for 'pho' must also be fresh and sliced to just the right thickness to ensure tenderness when briefly blanched in the hot broth. Photo: Huu Hanh / Tuoi Tre
Next to Hotel Majestic Saigon’s stall, the culinary team from Caravelle Hotel also drew large crowds.
In addition to serving pho, they introduced bun nem bo, a refreshing and vibrant dish that quickly became a crowd favorite thanks to its rich variety of fresh ingredients.
While the chefs took center stage, behind the scenes, Saigontourist Group’s support team worked tirelessly through the night.
They focused on preparing ingredients, namely vegetables, herbs, chili, and more, to ensure each dish met the highest standards of quality and presentation.
The Saigontourist Group team works busily alongside the main kitchen crews to keep up with the schedule. 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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