Evan, from the US, moved to Vietnam over a year ago. He frequently posts videos on his personal YouTube channel, sharing his culinary experiences in many places like HCM City, Hanoi, Hoi An (Quang Nam), and Da Nang.

In a recent video, Evan revealed his three favorite Vietnamese pho dishes that he has tried in Da Nang. He rates the pho dishes on three levels based on their appearance, flavor, and prices.

The man said he loves Vietnamese pho so much that he doesn’t want to return home, but stay in Vietnam to enjoy pho.

Evan noted that the traditional northern-style pho he enjoyed at a restaurant on Ho Nghinh street in Son Tra district was the best.

The restaurant is a branch of a famous Hanoi pho brand with tens of branches in Vietnam and overseas. At the restaurant, Evan ordered ‘pho tai’ (noodles with eye-round steak) priced at VND50,000.

He commented that this is the most basic and widely popular pho. The broth has a naturally sweet and rich taste from simmered bones, with tender noodles and perfectly cooked beef.

"The pho is seasoned simply, without too many ingredients, but has a fresh and delicious flavor," Evan said.

In terms of appearance, he gave it a 7/10 score for its simple presentation, including clear broth, rare pink beef, and green onions. However, he gave it 8/10 for price and 9/10 for flavor.

"I like this pho because it’s cooked with the traditional style, bearing the distinctive flavor of northern pho," he said.

The No 2 choice was the southern-style pho which he enjoyed at a restaurant on Duong Dinh Nghe street in Son Tra district. He ordered a serving with tendon and ribs, priced at VND70,000.

Evan noted that Northern-style pho is simply processed, while Southern-style pho is served with accompaniments like herbs, bean sprouts and chili sauce.

"Northern pho usually has 3-4 basic ingredients, while Southern pho includes many additional ingredients," he noted.

Before eating, he added chili, garlic vinegar, chili sauce, coriander, and bean sprouts. He noted that the broth initially had a rich, naturally sweet taste from simmered bones, but it became more attractive after adding some condiments.

"This is one of the reasons I decided to move to Vietnam. This pho has such a diverse flavor. When you add some drops of lemon juice into the broth, the broth will become more delicious with salty, sweet, sour, and spicy tastes," Evan commented.

Regarding appearance, he gave 8/10 to southern-style with its thin, chewy noodles softer than Northern pho. The flavor got 9/10 because "the beef is perfectly cooked, tender, smooth, large, and filling".

"This pho suits American tastes well. The tender beef, paired with hoisin sauce reminds me of pastrami (a famous beef dish in New York) or Montreal smoked meat by Canadians," he said.

Though the Southern-style pho there was more pricey, he still felt satisfied because the restaurant offered many large pieces of high-quality meat.

The last pho dish in Evan's top three favorites is “pho sot vang’ (beef with bordelaise sauce). He enjoyed this pho at a reputed eatery on Nguyen Van Thoai street in Ngu Hanh Son district.

There he ordered a serving of bo sot vang at VND30,000. “This pho is unlike any other pho in Vietnam," Evan said.

The Western guest gave this pho 8/10 score for its eye-catching appearance, with the orange color from the beef, and the green color from cilantro and spring onions.

Regarding prices, he gave 10/10 score, because the pho sot vang there has a very reasonable price (VND30,000 per bowl), but the serving was big enough to provide nutrients. However, he only gave 7/10 to flavor, because it was less tasty than other pho versions.

"This is also one of my favorite pho dishes, but it’s not the best. The beef is simmered till tender, with both lean meat and fat, melting in my mouth. The broth would be better if it had a stronger flavor," he said.

Da Nang has been recognized as the most liveable city in Vietnam because of beautiful landscapes, construction works, friendly residents, free wifi, one of the most beautiful beaches in the planet, and delicious cheap street food.

Thao Trinh