Young Artists and 'Old Pho' in Seoul

The culinary business is also the step of a young man in his early 30s, who grew up in the coastal city of Cua Lo after completing a master's program in Korea.

From vocational college to master's degree

Pham Van Dung grew up in Nghi Hai ward (Vinh city). During his high school years, Dung studied at Cua Lo 2 High School and with not-so-excellent academic performance, Dung decided to study a trade at the Vietnam - Korea Industrial Technical College.

After graduating, Dung worked for a military telecommunications company and then worked for a Korean electronic components manufacturing company in Vinh city. From this company, Dung had the opportunity to study in Korea to experience a professional, modern working environment and open up many new horizons for him.

One day nearly 8 years ago, when he was over 20 years old, Dung decided to stop all his work and determined to go to Korea to study at university. However, instead of continuing to study engineering as he did in Vietnam, Dung decided to study Business Administration at Seoul University and continue his postgraduate studies in the field of import and export in Incheon city.

Studying abroad far from home, with a poor economic situation, Dung, like many other students studying in Korea, had to work part-time to cover his expenses. Dung also knew that many of his friends and fellow countrymen were studying abroad, but in fact they were "dodging" to work or settle illegally. During the days when Dung had to go to school and work part-time as a waiter, serving at restaurants, transporting goods, etc., he understood the hardships and difficulties. However, no matter the circumstances, Dung was determined to have a university degree. Dung's decision to study for a master's degree surprised many people, but Dung himself understood that it was because he felt he needed to gain more knowledge to be able to go further.

Start a business for Vietnamese people and for Vietnamese culture

Having decided to pursue a master’s degree at an older age, Dung began to think about starting his own business in addition to working part-time to make ends meet. He claimed that his entrepreneurial spirit came from his family’s tradition, as he often helped his mother sell rice and groceries while still studying at home.

The first shop Dung opened in Seoul was a coffee shop called “O dau coffee”. The shop targets Vietnamese customers, so Dung put a lot of effort into his brainchild, from the menu to the small decorative corners. Customers coming to the shop will enjoy filter coffee with ingredients selected from within the country. In addition, although it is a faraway place, Vietnamese customers coming to the shop will feel the closeness and friendliness when encountering images such as flower mats, bamboo trees, Dong Ho paintings and sometimes newspapers from their homeland.

Later, Dung's biggest regret was that the restaurant opened right at the time of the Covid-19 outbreak, so after only being in business for a little over a year, Dung had to hand it over to someone else. Until now, after many years, the restaurant is still in business andgivestable income

After the coffee shop, Dung and his friends continued to run a karaoke business at a subway station in Dongdaemun-gu (Seoul). The shop is not large in scale, but it was built like a karaoke business model in Vietnam so that Vietnamese people working far from home can have a place to meet friends and relax after stressful and pressured working hours. There are also a number of Vietnamese workers working here with stable income.

The experience from the first startup models was also the motivation for Dung to devote all his capital to his third brainchild with a restaurant named “Pho Xua” right in the famous Seodaemun-gu student area of ​​Seoul. However, unlike the previous two models, which aimed at Vietnamese customers, the “Pho Xua” restaurant targets Korean customers.

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Actually, Vietnamese pho has been popular among Koreans for quite a long time, but Vietnamese pho restaurants in Korea are mainly run by Koreans, so they do not have the true flavor of Vietnamese pho. Therefore, when opening this restaurant, I wanted to introduce to Koreans a pho restaurant with a strong Vietnamese flavor.

Pham Van Dung

Before bringing "Pho Xua" to Seoul, Dung and his wife returned to Vietnam and spent a lot of time studying with famous chefs in Hanoi.

Later, when the restaurant officially opened in Korea, Dung always kept in mind to preserve the unique flavor of Vietnamese pho, with a meticulous combination of ingredients including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds and cardamom.

Dung ordered the pho noodles from a Vietnamese person in Seoul, ensuring the softness and length, and the beef was carefully selected. When he first opened the restaurant, Dung had difficulty understanding the Korean mentality and after a short time, Dung gradually adjusted to suit the preferences of tourists, such as increasing the amount of pho in each bowl and reducing the strong spices.

Through the process of doing business in a neighborhood that is mainly Korean, Dung said that to do business in harmony, one must know how to "treat others", "know your friend, know yourself", and respect the culture and behavior of the host country.

After more than 1 year of operation, "Pho Xua" with many pure Vietnamese dishes has made its name on the culinary map of Seoul, loved by many diners. Particularly for Vietnamese diners, the restaurant with a space imbued with Vietnamese culture, with images such as conical hats, lanterns, brocade paintings, Bat Trang bowls and plates, pho, Hue noodles, banh xeo... also helps to ease the homesickness.

Choosing "Pho Xua" and Vietnamese cuisine, Pham Van Dung is also putting the lessons from books into practice. Moreover, this is also a way for him to act as a "bridge" to introduce and promoteVietnamese culture, Vietnamese cuisine to international friends./.