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foods. Some of these are long-standing
brands but many are new and some are
clearly charlatans.
Pho
is the king of Hanoi’s tradi-
tional food and is dear to the heart of
every Vietnamese person. Not a brand
name but a dish, it is increasingly gain-
ing a name internationally. However,
here in Hanoi, many of the restaurants
offering up this classic noodle staple
are sub-par.
Juja Wang, a 21 year old Chinese
overseas student at the Vietnam Na-
tional Academy of Music says that when
she first arrived here
pho
was at the
top of her must-try list. However, she
complains that if it were not for her
roommates it would be difficult for her
to find a delicious version.
Gable Daniel, an Australian tourist,
says that he came to Hanoi last month
with the aim of discovering popular tra-
ditional foods in Hanoi, including pho.
“At first, I felt rather disappointed as
each bowl I tried was rather tasteless.
So I set out to find a perfect
pho
. How-
ever, this was no easy task, as countless
pho
restaurants all advertise unique or
genuine
pho
. Still, after some poor ex-
periences, I finally enjoyed a wonderful
bowl of this Hanoian noodle soup.”
Many other foods are advertised
under a known brand name as “tradi-
tional” or “genuine”, such as
bun
(rice
vermicelli). On Nguyen Khuyen street
there are three vermicelli and chopped
grilled meat stores each operating un-
der the Sinh Tu brand name. The owner
of the store at number 57A is adamant
that her store is the original Sinh Tu.
She says her mother opened the first
outlet in 1954 and then handed it over
to her. She explains that because of the
crowds, she rented the space next door.
However, when the rental contract was
up and she had to leave, another Sinh
Tu appeared, effectively stealing the
brand name from right under her nose.
Over on Tran Huy Lieu street a similar
story plays out. A decade ago only one
peppered snail shop, Dai Hong, served
the area’s residents and students; today
there are five stores with the same name.
Chu Hoai Thuong, a 57 year old
living on Giang Vo street, says it is puz-
zling for customers who want to decide
where to buy snails in the Tran Huy Lieu
area. Only true gourmets know which
are the genuine article.
Nguyen Van Trung, Doctor of Phi-
losophy of Culture at the Vietnam Acad-
emy of Social Science, says that tradi-
tional food brand names are as valuable
as gems. He also believes they will grow
in value if they are polished in coming
next generations.
However, according to Trung, it is
necessary to protect true, traditional
brands because the counterfeit offer-
ings will both adversely affect the origi-
nals and reduce the confidence of con-
sumers, both local and international.