Images of “Pho Anh Hai” have flooded social media, sparking intense curiosity.

However, in reality, there is no noodle shop named “Pho Anh Hai” located at 10 Dan Phuong.

This location appears only in Brother Hai’s Pho Restaurant, a Vietnamese simulation game set in a rural northern village. Players take on the role of “Anh Hai,” the owner of a pho restaurant in Dan Phuong, Hanoi (prior to district mergers).

Players experience cooking, serving, and expanding their pho business in a highly localized virtual setting.

On a fanpage, a ride-hailing app reported a spike in searches for the fictional restaurant and its Dan Phuong address following the game’s release. While the shop is purely imaginary, its popularity has spread into the real world.

On November 3, a listing for “Pho Anh Hai” was even created on Google Maps.

By that evening, the fictional noodle shop had received over 500 reviews, boasting an average rating of 4.7 stars.

As of the morning of November 4, the listing was no longer visible in the Dan Phuong area on Google Maps, but other fake noodle shop listings using the “Anh Hai” name started appearing.

What’s inside “Pho Anh Hai”?

phở anh Hai
Images of “Pho Anh Hai” are trending heavily on social media.
Inside the restaurant.

The game recreates the pho shop with authentic, nostalgic detail.

The interior features patterned cement tiles, pale green-painted walls, plastic tables and chairs, and an inox service counter shielded by a transparent glass partition.

Other details include a jug of free iced tea, trays of plastic cups in red, blue, and yellow, standing fans, chopstick holders, and jars of fresh chili - elements familiar to anyone who’s ever dined at a traditional pho stall.

Online users commented: “These visuals remind me of pho shops across Hanoi,” and “I thought they modeled this on the pho place near my house.”

The menu includes classic items such as rare beef pho, well-done beef pho, beef meatball pho, pho without scallions, and the humorously named “driverless pho” (pho without toppings) - each bowl priced at 15,000 VND (about 0.60 USD).

Side dishes include cold rice for 5,000 VND (0.20 USD) per plate and fried dough sticks for 1,000 VND (0.04 USD) each.

Outside the restaurant, the game’s scenery includes walls plastered with concrete cutting service flyers, anti-drug slogans, and graffiti - common sights on Vietnamese streets.

Customers range from local villagers in tank tops and pith helmets to app-based delivery riders.

A standout feature is the shop’s dog, “Cau Vang.” Players must keep an eye on this beloved pet, or it might get “snatched away.”

Hanoi barbecue shop goes viral for having a dog like “Cau Vang”
Tam, the bull terrier, became a sensation for his resemblance to “Cau Vang” from the game “Brother Hai’s Pho Restaurant.”

A small grilled meat restaurant in Thinh Quang alley (Dong Da Ward, Hanoi) has recently attracted more customers after visitors noticed a dog resembling “Cau Vang” from the Brother Hai game.

The dog, named Tam, is a four-year-old bull terrier weighing around 22-23 kilograms.

According to the owner, Tam is gentle and well-liked by diners, who often pet and feed him grilled meat.

Previously, the restaurant already had a stable clientele, especially in the autumn and winter seasons.

However, over the past two days, customer numbers have surged due to Tam’s newfound fame.

The owner expressed concern that the small shop may become overwhelmed by the influx of visitors.

Linh Trang