Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper launched the fourth edition of its annual initiative ‘Day of Pho’ at a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on Wednesday.

December 12 was officially designated as the 'Day of Pho' – a celebration of Vietnam’s most popular dish – in 2018, one year after the first 'Day of Pho' was held.

Pho is a Vietnamese soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs, and either beef or chicken.

This year’s 'Day of Pho’ is themed “Sublimation of Vietnamese Cuisine,” Tuoi Tre announced during Wednesday's event at the Landmark 81 skyscraper in Binh Thanh District.

Several activities are planned to be held in honor of the special day, including an exhibition, film screening, the continuation of a contest to find the best pho chefs and a vote-based competition to choose the top ten pho brands most loved by consumers in Vietnam, which were also held last year.

In his opening remarks at the event, Do Van Dung, deputy editor-in-chief of Tuoi Tre, said the return of the ‘Day of Pho’ initiative in the current 'new normal' amid the battle against COVID-19 contributes to the recovery of the tourism industry which has suffered from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Kajiwara Junichi, general director of Acecook Vietnam, praised Tuoi Tre’s effort to have organized ‘Day of Pho’ in the past three years, which has helped promote the event internationally.

Junichi expected that Tuoi Tre’s ‘Day of Pho’ will keep going for many more years to become a familiar anniversary to both Vietnamese nationals and people around the world.

"Not only the media but also noodle shops, diners, and pho enthusiasts will continue to accompany the initiative, bringing Vietnamese pho to the world,” the Japanese executive said.

Likewise, Le Tan, vice-chairman and general secretary of the Vietnam Culinary Culture Association, expressed his hope that pho will be become the intangible cultural heritage of humanity in the future.

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