Trang, born in 1985 in HCM City, has lived in Geneva since 2016. After 11 years of working as a logistics supervisor at large multinationals in HCM City and Geneva, and getting high pay, she decided to retire in 2020, beginning a new life.

She recalled the days at work, when she had to work hard all day, lacked time for relaxation, and could not enjoy life as expected. Though she was paid well (7,100 Fr a month, or VND200 million), she felt bored when she had to go to the office every day.

When her company relocated its head office from Switzerland to France, she decided to take early retirement to have time to do what she liked, including selling pho bo (beef pho), a dream she began nurturing during her days of working in Vietnam.

“I thought it was the best time for me to start a business. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. If you want to do something, you should do it immediately. I planned an early retirement so that I could do what I like,” she explained.

“I chose to sell pho online because it suited my conditions and capability. I cook pho to satisfy my demand for delicious food. The second reason is that I want to turn my dream of selling pho into reality. And third, this helps me ease my homesickness,” she recalled.

“You have to spend a lot of time and follow a lot of steps to cook pho. So, it won’t be worth your while if you just prepare a few bowls. At first, I made 20 servings of pho only for myself and for sale. My acquaintances and friends said they really enjoyed the pho and introduced my pho to their friends and relatives,” she said.

Later, as her pho became better known, she prepared 100 servings each time.

“I only sell pho on weekends and I have been following the timetable over the last four years. I must be sure that my pho has high quality which can please diners,” the 39-year-old woman said.

Beef pho is prepared by Trang with her own recipe, which has been adjusted to fit Swiss tastes.

“Vietnamese like adding a little of fish sauce with broth, but Swiss people don’t like it. I made a lot of experiments to find the best taste that fits the majority of diners,” she explained.

Trang said delicious pho must be made of fresh materials. She buys food and spices at the supermarkets for Asians near her home. She uses dry banh pho (noodles), soft and chewy, which must not get crushed when cooked. Beef must be fresh, sourced from Switzerland, and must have high quality.

To make the broth, she cleans beef tail bones and marrow bones, and simmers them for about eight hours, and then seasons the broth. She adds ginger, fried dry onions, star anise and cinnamon, to create a broth with natural sweetness and attractive aroma.

“The pho is made in a way to have the most original Vietnamese taste, but I have to make adjustments with spices to fit the taste of locals. I also serve fennel, herbs and lemon so the pho has a true Vietnamese flavor,” she said.

On average, Trang uses 30 kilograms of materials each time, including bones, beef and rumsteak.

Prices for ingredients and labor costs are high in Switzerland. Trang sometimes has to hire workers, but in general, her husband gives support in the kitchen and delivers the pho.

One bowl of beef pho sells for 17 Fr, or VND500,000.

In general, the business can bring satisfactory income if everything can be arranged well. From the pho sales, she has saved money and has used it to buy four land plots in Vietnam.

Thao Trinh