{"id":2258,"date":"2026-04-30T16:55:35","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T07:55:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/news\/korea-president-pho\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T20:01:25","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T11:01:25","slug":"korea-president-pho","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/korea-president-pho\/","title":{"rendered":"The Korean president and first lady eat 17 bowls at a 15-square-meter back-alley pho shop in Hanoi \u2014 from the next day the line triples, and the owner is sleepless with excitement"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korea\u2019sPresident Lee Jae-myung and his wife<\/strong>visited the small pho shop \u201c40 Dinh Liet Street<\/strong>\u201d in Hanoi\u2019s Old QuarterPh\u1edf L\u00fd Qu\u1ed1c S\u01b0<\/strong>\u201d on the night of April 23, 2026, enjoying a 25-minute meal with the family of owner Tu Van Mui and others. The order was17 bowls of pho and 2 plates of beef fried rice.<\/strong>This shop of just 15 square meters with 5 tables saw its lines swell to three times the usual from the day after the visit, with reservation inquiries pouring in from tourists in other cities and from South Korea.VnExpress International<\/a>andTuoi Tre News<\/a>Here we organize the full picture based on the local reporting of.<\/p>\n

The 25 minutes that unfolded at a small back-alley shop<\/h2>\n

The presidential couple arrived at \u201cPho Ly Quoc Su\u201d on April 23 ataround 7 p.m.<\/strong>The party of over 10 including their entourage took off their shoes and were shown to the 2nd-floor kitchen-cum-dining area. The center of the order was the shop\u2019s signature,well-done beef pho,<\/strong>to which they added 2 plates of fermented vegetables and beef fried rice. Owner Mui told the media, \u201cThe couple finished everything and smiled, nodding that it was delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having been told in advance that \u201cKorean customers tend to shy away from cilantro,\u201d Mui made an adjustment for the couple\u2019s bowls,leaving out the cilantro and bringing out the aroma with only spring onions.<\/strong>The broth was made by simmering 30 kg of beef bones for 18\u201320 hours, and the recipe is characterized by going light on fish sauce and drawing out sweetness with beef bones, dried sa sung (peanut worm), and dried squid.<\/p>\n

Why was a 15-square-meter, 5-table alley shop chosen?<\/h2>\n

\u201cPho Ly Quoc Su\u201d is a family-run shop located in a narrow alley of Hanoi\u2019s Old Quarter. Before sidewalk operations were restricted, it sold300\u2013400 bowls a day,<\/strong>but after the restrictions, sales reportedly slumped. Its Google reviews are high at\u26054.4<\/strong>, and it frequently appears in tourist guides. The price setting of55,000 dong a bowl (about 324 yen)<\/strong>is conscientious for the heart of a tourist area.<\/p>\n

The presidential office is said to have selected the shop as a place to experience Hanoi\u2019s common-people flavors, after choosing several candidate shops in advance. Mui recounted the excitement of that night, \u201cI never thought a small shop like ours would be chosen,\u201d and plans to enlarge the photo taken with the couple and display it in the shop.<\/p>\n

Strolling the Old Quarter between diplomatic engagements<\/h2>\n

President Lee Jae-myung was on a state visit to Vietnamfrom April 21 to 24<\/strong>at the invitation of Vietnam\u2019s General Secretary and President To Lam. This was his first Southeast Asia tour since taking office in June 2026. On the night of the 23rd, between official events, the couple strolled around Hoan Kiem Lake and stopped by the pho shop on Dinh Liet Street.VietnamNet<\/a>According to, the main purpose of the visit was deepening the Vietnam-South Korea Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.<\/p>\n

Hanoi's Old Quarter gathers within walking distance of Hoan Kiem Lake, along withGiang Cafe, the birthplace of egg coffee,<\/a>and it\u2019s a district where long-established pho shops are concentrated, known as a stage for various leaders\u2019 \u201cculinary diplomacy.\u201d In 2016, the anecdote of former President Obama eating bun cha in the same Old Quarter spread around the world.<\/p>\n

Order details and price data (yen conversion 1 JPY = 170 VND)<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Menu<\/th>\nQuantity ordered<\/th>\nUnit price (VND)<\/th>\nUnit price (yen)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
well-done beef pho,<\/td>\n17 bowls<\/td>\n55,000<\/td>\nAbout 324 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Beef and fermented-vegetable fried rice<\/td>\n2 plates<\/td>\n80,000<\/td>\nAbout 471 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total (estimated)<\/td>\n19 items<\/td>\nAbout 1,095,000<\/td>\nAbout 6,440 yen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

The presidential couple were billed as usual. In Vietnam, it\u2019s customary not to provide free service even when VIPs visit, and Mui also said, \u201cI received the same charge as other customers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reactions on social media and from local diners<\/h2>\n
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\u201cFor a president to come to a pho shop in my neighborhood\u2014as a Hanoian, I\u2019m proud. The 17 bowls the couple ate are just so striking.\u201d (Facebook, paraphrased post from a man in his 40s living in Hanoi)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

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\u201cAs a Korean tourist, I\u2019m going to Dinh Liet Street tomorrow. I want to check the taste the president chose.\u201d (Threads, paraphrased post from a woman in her 20s living in Seoul)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

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\u201cThe sense to deliberately choose a common-people shop that isn\u2019t touristified is good. This is real pho diplomacy.\u201d (X, paraphrased post from a food blogger living in Hanoi)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

From Vietnamese users, many voices say\u201cThe president\u2019s sense in choosing a small family-run shop\u201d<\/strong>was praised by many, and Korean users responded one after another with \u201cI\u2019ll definitely go on my next trip.\u201d<\/p>\n

Impact on Japanese tourists<\/h2>\n

Hanoi\u2019s Old Quarter is a standard area for Japanese tourists too, and even afterthe mandatory digital arrival card,<\/a>visitors are on an increasing trend. \u201cPho Ly Quoc Su\u201d is openfrom 6 a.m. to around 9 p.m.,<\/strong>and although there\u2019s no English menu, an order sheet with photos is provided. Since seating is limited, at peak visit times (the 11 o\u2019clock hour, the 7 o\u2019clock hour) await of over 30 minutes<\/strong>is expected.<\/p>\n

If you add a word, \u201cNo coriander,\u201d when ordering, they\u2019ll accommodate you. Payment is cash (VND) only; QR-code payment and direct payment in Japanese yen aren\u2019t accepted.<\/p>\n

Ripple effects on the industry and society<\/h2>\n

Since the news of the presidential visit went out on April 24, the shop\u2019s phone hasn\u2019t stopped ringing, andreservation inquiries from outside Hanoi<\/strong>have started coming in too. Mui said, \u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep all night from excitement,\u201d and even with all three family members handling it, the situation is more than they can manage.<\/p>\n

In Vietnam\u2019s tourism industry, the phenomenon of such \u201ccommon-people shops chosen by leaders\u201d drawing tourists from around the world via social media is called\u201cpho diplomacy.\u201d<\/strong>At Obama\u2019s 2016 visit, the bun cha shop \u201cHuong Lien\u201d that served as the venue was packed with tourists daily, and repeat customers still keep coming. From that shop\u2019s case, Pho Ly Quoc Su too,the recent talk surrounding pho<\/a>in contrast to this, a development in which the transparency of a family-run business is valued is expected.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Practical information to grasp before visiting<\/h2>\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Item<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Shop name<\/td>\nPho Ly Quoc Su<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Address<\/td>\n40 \u0110inh Li\u1ec7t, Ho\u00e0n Ki\u1ebfm, H\u00e0 N\u1ed9i<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hours<\/td>\n06:00\u2013around 21:00 (ends when sold out)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Closing days<\/td>\nIrregular<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Signature menu<\/td>\nWell-done beef pho (55,000 VND)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Shop size<\/td>\nAbout 15 square meters \/ 5 tables<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Payment methods<\/td>\nCash (VND) only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Access<\/td>\nAbout a 3-minute walk from Hoan Kiem Lake<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Nearby spots<\/td>\nThang Long Water Puppet Theatre, Hang Gai Street<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n

Summary: an era when a common-people\u2019s small shop becomes a diplomatic stage<\/h2>\n

What the presidential couple chose was not a high-end restaurant polished for tourists, but a back-alley family-run shop overflowing with local customers.That a 15-square-meter, 5-table small shop was broadcast to the world<\/strong>became an event symbolizing the depth of Hanoi\u2019s food culture. A bowl of pho for 324 yen is becoming a new flagship of Vietnam\u2019s culinary diplomacy.<\/p>\n

When visiting Hanoi from Japan, it\u2019s recommended to stop by in the early morning hours to avoid crowded times. Savor the simple, spring-onion-only pho amid the aroma of the owner simmering beef bones every night.<\/p>\n

Source<\/h2>\n