Pho in Vietnam: origins, north and south, how to order

Pho: where it came from and why the bowl changes as you travel

Short answer

Pho emerged in northern Vietnam between 1900 and 1907, with the villages of Van Cu and Dao Cu in Nam Dinh province named as its home, and it spread south after the 1954 partition. Northern pho has a clear broth and few garnishes. Southern pho is sweeter and cloudier, with herbs, sprouts and hoisin.

Last checked: September 21, 2026

VietSIM sells prepaid Vietnam eSIMs. This guide mentions our store where it is relevant; the facts come from the sources listed at the end.

The facts

	Figure
Emerged	Northern Vietnam, between 1900 and 1907
Traditional home	Van Cu and Dao Cu villages, Nam Dinh province
Spread south	After the 1954 partition
Northern broth	Savoury, clear, subtly spiced
Southern broth	Sweeter, cloudier
Main varieties	Pho bo (beef) and pho ga (chicken)
Chicken version	Appeared in 1939
Noodles	Flat rice noodles, banh pho, typically medium wide

Disclosure: VietSIM sells prepaid eSIMs for Vietnam. We sell no food, run no tours and recommend no specific shop on this page.

A young dish, which is why it moves

Pho emerged in northern Vietnam between 1900 and 1907. The villages of Van Cu and Dao Cu in Nam Dinh province are named as its traditional home. That is a documented century, not folklore, and it explains something you will notice on the ground: this is a living recipe that is still moving, not a fixed heritage item.

The second date that shapes every bowl is 1954. After the partition, over a million people left the north for the south. Pho, relatively little eaten in the south until then, became popular there quickly, and it changed as it settled.

A hundred years of pho

1900 to 1907
Pho emerges in northern Vietnam
Van Cu and Dao Cu villages in Nam Dinh province are named as its traditional home.
1939
Pho ga appears
The chicken version, possibly because beef was not sold at the markets on Mondays and Fridays.
1954
The partition carries it south
Over a million people left the north, and the bowl changed as it settled.

Source: Wikipedia, Pho.

Two bowls, not one

Northern pho is the older form. The broth is savoury and clear, the spicing subtle, and the garnish minimal: blanched spring onion, diced spring onion and coriander. Pickled garlic and fried dough often come alongside. You are meant to taste the broth, and the plate of herbs that a foreign pho restaurant would hand you is mostly absent.

Southern pho is sweeter and cloudier, and arrives with a supporting cast: bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, hoisin. The bowl is a starting point you finish yourself.

Neither is a corruption of the other. The version most of the world met first is the southern one, carried abroad by later emigration, which is why a northern bowl can surprise a visitor who thinks they already know the dish.

A pavement pho stall at dawn with a steaming broth cauldron and low plastic stools — Busy at seven, closed by noon, which is how a pho shop runs.

Ordering it

Pho bo is beef, pho ga is chicken. Chicken pho appeared in 1939, possibly because beef was not sold at the markets on Mondays and Fridays.
Check the noodles. Flat rice noodles, banh pho, usually medium wide. Round noodles mean a different dish.
Taste the broth before adding anything, especially in the north, where adding sauce to a clear broth is missing the point of that bowl.
Breakfast is the normal time. A pho shop that is busy at 7 am and closed by noon is running exactly as it should.
Không cay if you do not want chilli, which is worth knowing in either direction. More phrases are in Vietnamese phrases.

Around the bowl

What else is on the street beside it is in Vietnamese street food, and the drink that follows it is in Vietnamese coffee. Reading the price on the wall is in Vietnam’s money and whether to leave anything on the table is in tipping in Vietnam.

Looking up a shop’s opening hours at 6 am is exactly the kind of thing you need a working connection for: sizing is in how much mobile data for Vietnam with the plans in the Vietnam eSIM store.

Questions

Where does pho come from?

Northern Vietnam, between 1900 and 1907. The villages of Van Cu and Dao Cu in Nam Dinh province are reputed to be its traditional home. It is a dish with a documented century behind it, not an ancient one, which is part of why it changes so quickly.

What is the difference between north and south?

Northern pho has a savoury, clear broth, subtle spicing and minimal garnish: blanched spring onion, diced spring onion and coriander, often with pickled garlic and fried dough alongside. Southern pho has a sweeter, cloudier broth and arrives with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime and hoisin.

Why did it spread south?

After the 1954 partition, when over a million people left the north for the south. Pho had been relatively little eaten in the south and became popular quickly. The southern bowl is what most of the world met first, through later emigration.

What is pho ga?

The chicken version. It appeared in 1939, possibly because beef was not sold at the markets on Mondays and Fridays. Pho bo, the beef version, and pho ga are the two main forms, and a shop that does one well does not always do the other.

What noodles should be in it?

Flat rice noodles, banh pho, usually medium wide, with the exact width varying by region. If a bowl arrives with round noodles it is a different dish, whatever the menu calls it.