Chicken pho (mixed) and chicken pho soup at the restaurant. Photo: Michelin Guide .
In early August, Shen (a Chinese tourist) posted a review of Nguyet’s chicken pho restaurant (Hoan Kiem ward, Hanoi) on the Xiaohongshu platform, with the title: “Seriously, this is the third best restaurant on my Hanoi trip.”
The post attracted thousands of interactions and comments. Some Chinese tourists expressed that they would save the address to visit and enjoy the pho when they come to Hanoi. Meanwhile, many others said that they had visited this chicken pho restaurant during their travels , even eating there several times.
Besides Shen’s post, over the past month, Xiaohongshu has also featured a series of articles introducing and sharing dining experiences and must-try dishes in Hanoi. Searching for the phrase “河内鸡肉粉” (roughly translated: Hanoi chicken pho) yields hundreds of results about this restaurant.
Winning over Chinese tourists
Speaking to Tri Thức – Znews , Shen said she visited this chicken pho restaurant during her trip to Hanoi at the end of July, thanks to recommendations from social media platforms. The restaurant is located on the main street and is easy to find. She ordered mixed pho with chicken thigh for 70,000 VND per bowl.
Shen and his two friends all ordered mixed pho. Photo: Shen.
Initially, Shen didn’t have high expectations, but after mixing the ingredients, she was pleasantly surprised by the flavor from the very first bite. The chicken was tender and crispy, the noodles were soft and infused with the sauce, and the accompanying broth was sweet and savory.
“During my more than a week in Hanoi, I ate chicken pho for three consecutive days. This isn’t the best place, but it’s the one I remember most from my trip. I’ve recommended it to my friends,” she said.
The female tourist also pointed out some areas of dissatisfaction, such as the seating area not being spacious enough when it’s crowded, and the prices being slightly higher than the average prices at other restaurants she had visited during her trip. However, if she has the chance to return to Hanoi, Shen would still come back here because the food suits her taste and she enjoys the street atmosphere in front of the restaurant.
Tourist Yuan Yuan also tried the chicken breast pho during her trip to Hanoi at the end of July. In her personal opinion, the chicken was cooked perfectly, the broth was well-balanced, not too sweet. However, the portion was a bit small for the price. Before returning to China, I went back to the restaurant to try the mixed chicken thigh pho.
Wang Ning ate at the restaurant and bought takeout several times during her trip. Photo: Wang Ning.
Meanwhile, tourist Wang Ning wrote a review of this chicken pho restaurant and said she had eaten there a total of three times. On her first night in Hanoi, after eating there, she ordered some to take away before the restaurant closed. She visited the same place for the next two days, even though she had been recommended other restaurants. Before heading to the airport, Ning ordered two more portions to enjoy.
“I tried four types: loin, breast, wing, and thigh. The flavors were consistent, and the packaging was neat. The sauce for the mixed pho harmonized the ingredients. However, I rarely sat at the restaurant because it was quite noisy when it was busy,” she wrote.
Chicken pho goes international.
Nguyet’s chicken pho restaurant has been open since 2009, and is run by Ms. Le Thi Minh Nguyet (59 years old).
The restaurant has maintained its popularity in Hanoi for many years, but has started attracting more international diners in recent years, being the only chicken pho restaurant to be honored with the Bib Gourmand award (good restaurant, affordable price) in the first edition of the Michelin Guide – the culinary ranking system of the Michelin Group (France) – in 2023. From 2024 to 2026, the restaurant continuously held the title.
The pho restaurant was crowded with customers shortly after being recognized by the Michelin Guide in 2023. Photo: Thuy Trang.
According to the red guidebook, the restaurant has a modest but cozy space. The centerpiece is a steaming pot of broth, surrounded by baskets of rice noodles, bean sprouts, and trays of golden-brown chicken. Later, the restaurant added more seating.
The broth here is simmered from chicken bones for 12 hours. They use a hybrid free-range chicken for firm meat, crispy skin, and a natural golden color when boiled. The seasonings consist only of roasted onions and ginger, and shiitake mushrooms to enhance the sweetness.
Anonymous experts from Michelin recommend pho with mixed beef thigh or pho with a combination of breast and thigh meat. Prices range from 55,000 to 120,000 VND per bowl.
A special bowl of chicken pho at a restaurant in Hoan Kiem ward (Hanoi), which was honored by Michelin Guide in the Michelin Selected category (excellent quality) in June. Photo: Chau Sa.
The popularity of chicken pho in Hanoi among Chinese tourists comes as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are among the top 10 most popular destinations for Chinese tourists this summer .
Previously, Vietnamese chicken pho has been included in numerous rankings by global readers of the food website TasteAtlas . This demonstrates that the dish is gradually moving beyond its familiar boundaries, helping to bring Vietnamese flavors closer to international friends.
Most recently, at the end of July, chicken pho ranked 61st out of 100 in a website’s list of the 100 best chicken dishes in the world , based on over a million reviews. It also made it onto the list of 66 best meat soups in Asia.
TasteAtlas describes this dish as a variation of beef pho, incorporating various parts of chicken, including breast, thigh, wing, skin, and fat. Chicken pho broth is lighter and clearer than beef pho, thanks to seasoning with ginger, fish sauce, and shallots, finished off with fresh herbs.
In 2025, chicken pho was also included in this website’s list of the 100 best noodle dishes in the world.
Source: https://znews.vn/quan-pho-ga-o-ha-noi-bat-ngo-gay-chu-y-tren-mxh-trung-quoc-post1679509.html
Dining and Cooking