History
Who opened the first pho stand in Hanoi?
Pho
Pho originated in the early 20th century in northern Vietnam, apparently southeast of Hanoi in Nam Định Province, then a substantial textile market. The traditional home of pho is reputed to be the villages of and (or ) in Đông Xuân commune, Nam Trực District, Nam Định Province. According to villagers, pho was eaten in long before the French colonial period when it was popularized. Pho was originally sold at dawn and dusk by roaming street vendors, who shouldered mobile kitchens on carrying poles ('). From the pole hung two wooden cabinets, one housing a cauldron over a wood fire, the other storing noodles, spices, cookware, and space to prepare a bowl of pho. Pho vendors kept their heads warm with distinctive, disheveled felt hats called '. Hanoi's first two fixed pho stands were a Vietnamese-owned Cát Tường on Cầu Gỗ Street and a Chinese-owned stand in front of Bờ Hồ tram stop. They were joined in 1918 by two more on Quạt Row and Đồng Row. Around 1925, a Vân Cù villager named Vạn opened the first "Nam Định style" pho stand in Hanoi. "" declined in number around 1936–1946 in favor of stationary eateries.