As the historical home of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam is also the birthplace of the country’s national dish: the noodle soup phở. While the origins of phở are highly debated, the dish is believed to have originated in or around Hanoi, where it brought together the foods of Vietnam’s historic colonizers: rice noodles from the Chinese and beef from the French. In diasporic Vietnamese communities around the world, it’s more common to find southern-style phở with big, bold broth and ample garnishes and sauces. However, in Hanoi, phở is a…
