Brian Jeffrey
Papaken, a 35-year-old YouTuber from Japan, has been residing in Vietnam for over two years. With close to 150,000 subscribers on his channel, he shares engaging videos about his experiences and travels throughout Vietnam. His content, which includes food and cultural insights, garners significant attention, often attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers.
Being fluent in Vietnamese and deeply familiar with the culture, Papaken frequently guides Japanese tourists exploring Vietnam.
Recently, Papaken welcomed two Japanese friends, Fukuda and Asano, to Hanoi for a food-focused trip. He guided them through a delightful culinary journey, showcasing beloved dishes such as pho, bun cha, com tam, and popular evening market grilled snacks. The standout dish for the group was definitely pho.
Papaken took them to his top pho restaurant located on Hang Giay Street in the Hoan Kiem District, which he recalls visiting first when he arrived in Vietnam.
“I’ve tasted pho at many places, but this one is my favorite. The first time I ate here, I loved it so much that I devoured two bowls! It remains the best pho I’ve had in Vietnam,” Papaken shared with his friends.
The pho restaurant, which Papaken highly recommended, was acknowledged by The Culture Trip as one of the six best pho locations in Hanoi.
At this eatery, the trio ordered three bowls of beef pho along with fried dough sticks (quay) and iced tea for a total of 200,000 VND ($8). When the hot bowls of pho were served, Asano exclaimed, “Wow, this looks amazing!” mistakenly identifying thinly sliced onions for transparent pho noodles, causing laughter among Papaken and Fukuda.
Papaken advised his friends to taste the broth first to savor the authentic flavor of Hanoi-style pho before adding any condiments like garlic vinegar, lime, or chili sauce. Fukuda and Asano chose to enjoy their pho as served, while Papaken mentioned he liked to enhance his bowl with garlic vinegar and chili sauce initially.
“Adding garlic vinegar makes beef pho even more delicious. Be cautious with the chili sauce though—it’s quite spicy, so use it sparingly,” he recommended. Fukuda was pleased, often exclaiming, “This is so tasty!” while eagerly slurping his noodles and sipping the broth. Asano also relished his dish, even though he was feeling the heat from the steaming pho.
As the meal progressed, Asano started to experiment, adding fish sauce, garlic vinegar, and chili sauce, noting that the flavor became even more delightful.
Papaken appreciated the clear and light broth of the pho, offering various beef choices like rare slices, well-cooked beef, or a combination of both, based on individual savors. Despite frequent visits to this restaurant, Papaken still finds joy in the dish and was thrilled that his friends enjoyed it just as much.
As the meal wrapped up, Asano admitted that pho hadn’t been on his initial food agenda for the trip since he wanted to explore other options. “I thought skipping pho wouldn’t be an issue, but now I see why Papaken insisted we try it. I’m really grateful he brought me here,” Asano remarked.
