Phở in Đà Nẵng: why does this shop have a big plate of vegetables, but that one doesn't

In Da Nang, there is both Phở Thìn and Phở Lý Quốc Sư — two names that anyone who has eaten phở in Hanoi knows. This speaks to one thing: phở here is an immigrant dish, and it came through many different paths.

Phở is originally a Northern region dish, formed in the early 20th century around the Nam Định - Hanoi region. Central region is not its homeland. But Da Nang is a city where people from all over come to make a living, so nowadays the city has every school of pho, and they differ so clearly that eating at two shops right next to each other can feel like two completely different dishes.

Northern-style pho: clear broth with a savory and fresh taste, fragrant with cinnamon and star anise but not sweet. Served with only scallions, thinly sliced onions, and a few slices of fresh chili pickled in vinegar. No aromatic herbs on the entire plate, no sprouts, no black sauce. Northern people believe that pouring sauce into it ruins the broth, and they say that quite decisively.

Southern-style pho: the broth is noticeably sweeter and usually contains added rock sugar or turnips. Every table has a large plate of fresh herbs — Thai basil, sawtooth coriander, fresh bean sprouts — plus black sauce and red sauce. Eating it is all about customizing it to your own taste.

No style is more correct than another. But if you order pho in Da Nang and sit looking for a plate of vegetables and can't find one, don't hold it against the restaurant — they're just following the Northern style.

A few things worth knowing when you order. "Tái" is thinly sliced raw beef, cooked by pouring hot boiling broth over it until just done, still pink in the middle. "Chín" is beef that has been thoroughly boiled, tender and firm. The brisket has tendons, the shoulder has crispy fat, the tendon is chewy and transparent. If you don't know what to choose, order medium-rare — this is the most common and most balanced option.

About timing: phở is a breakfast dish. Decent phở shops usually open at 6am and sell until noon; the ones open all day have to reheat the broth, which is quite different from a fresh pot. Prices in Đà Nẵng are around 35,000–60,000 VND depending on the shop and the cut of meat.

A little tip that pho regulars often use: before adding anything to the bowl, take a sip of the plain broth first. The broth is the one thing a restaurant can never hide — whether it's good or bad shows completely in that very first spoonful, while the meat tends to be pretty similar from one place to another.

Photo: Blue Lotus (CC BY 2.0) — Wikimedia Commons