Pho-tastic

Pho kho Gia Lai, a Central Highlands delicacy offers a fantastic new take on beef pho

Pho kho Gia Lai is a variety of the staple Vietnamese dish from the central region

“I spent a long time trying to bring this dish to Saigon and still make sure it would retain the flavor of my hometown,” said Quang Huy, owner of pho kho Gia Lai in Binh Thanh District.

The term Gia Lai refers to a Central Highlands province of Vietnam and, while the endless battle rages between acolytes of northern pho (clear broth, no added extras) and southern pho (greens galore, clouded broth), pho kho Gia Lai offers an intriguing alternative.

It shares a number of common characteristics with its southern and northern neighbors.

Pho kho Gia Lai also primarily consists of meat, rice noodles and savory broth. Gia Lai noodles are somewhat chewier than the polar varieties.

It is a dish with both pork meat and beef.

Unlike northern pho, both pork and beef bones are simmered over a small flame for five to seven hours to create the broth. The dish itself is typically accompanied by tender beef, thinly sliced and briefly cooked in the broth.

The pork meat is minced or chopped, and placed on top of a bowl of steaming noodles, and sprinkled with fried shallots.

Like southern pho, pho kho Gia Lai comes with fresh greens and bean sprouts.

But the dish is served a bit differently.

Central diners receive a bowl of chopped meat over noodles and a separate dish of meat swimming in broth.

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, a squeeze-bottle of hoisin sauce (a savory, dark, ketchupy condiment derived from soy beans, sweet potatoes and wheat) is usually within hands reach and is typically used to dip the beef in.

In the Central Highlands, the hoisin sauce is indispensable.

It’s usually tossed directly in with the noodles along with a spritz of chili oil and lemon juice. If you’re feeling like a true

Highlander, add some thin chili slices to give the meal a real kick.

A bowl of pho kho Gia Lai is VND25,000 to 30,000.

Pho kho Gia Lai is available at the following places in Ho Chi Minh City:

* 288 No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District

* 194 Dang Van Ngu Street, Phu Nhuan District

Pho-tastic

Pho kho Gia Lai, a Central Highlands delicacy offers a fantastic new take on beef pho

Pho kho Gia Lai is a variety of the staple Vietnamese dish from the central region

“I spent a long time trying to bring this dish to Saigon and still make sure it would retain the flavor of my hometown,” said Quang Huy, owner of pho kho Gia Lai in Binh Thanh District.

The term Gia Lai refers to a Central Highlands province of Vietnam and, while the endless battle rages between acolytes of northern pho (clear broth, no added extras) and southern pho (greens galore, clouded broth), pho kho Gia Lai offers an intriguing alternative.

It shares a number of common characteristics with its southern and northern neighbors.

Pho kho Gia Lai also primarily consists of meat, rice noodles and savory broth. Gia Lai noodles are somewhat chewier than the polar varieties.

It is a dish with both pork meat and beef.

Unlike northern pho, both pork and beef bones are simmered over a small flame for five to seven hours to create the broth. The dish itself is typically accompanied by tender beef, thinly sliced and briefly cooked in the broth.

The pork meat is minced or chopped, and placed on top of a bowl of steaming noodles, and sprinkled with fried shallots.

Like southern pho, pho kho Gia Lai comes with fresh greens and bean sprouts.

But the dish is served a bit differently.

Central diners receive a bowl of chopped meat over noodles and a separate dish of meat swimming in broth.

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, a squeeze-bottle of hoisin sauce (a savory, dark, ketchupy condiment derived from soy beans, sweet potatoes and wheat) is usually within hands reach and is typically used to dip the beef in.

In the Central Highlands, the hoisin sauce is indispensable.

It’s usually tossed directly in with the noodles along with a spritz of chili oil and lemon juice. If you’re feeling like a true

Highlander, add some thin chili slices to give the meal a real kick.

A bowl of pho kho Gia Lai is VND25,000 to 30,000.

Pho kho Gia Lai is available at the following places in Ho Chi Minh City:

* 288 No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District

* 194 Dang Van Ngu Street, Phu Nhuan District

Pho-tastic

Pho kho Gia Lai, a Central Highlands delicacy offers a fantastic new take on beef pho

Pho kho Gia Lai is a variety of the staple Vietnamese dish from the central region

“I spent a long time trying to bring this dish to Saigon and still make sure it would retain the flavor of my hometown,” said Quang Huy, owner of pho kho Gia Lai in Binh Thanh District.

The term Gia Lai refers to a Central Highlands province of Vietnam and, while the endless battle rages between acolytes of northern pho (clear broth, no added extras) and southern pho (greens galore, clouded broth), pho kho Gia Lai offers an intriguing alternative.

It shares a number of common characteristics with its southern and northern neighbors.

Pho kho Gia Lai also primarily consists of meat, rice noodles and savory broth. Gia Lai noodles are somewhat chewier than the polar varieties.

It is a dish with both pork meat and beef.

Unlike northern pho, both pork and beef bones are simmered over a small flame for five to seven hours to create the broth. The dish itself is typically accompanied by tender beef, thinly sliced and briefly cooked in the broth.

The pork meat is minced or chopped, and placed on top of a bowl of steaming noodles, and sprinkled with fried shallots.

Like southern pho, pho kho Gia Lai comes with fresh greens and bean sprouts.

But the dish is served a bit differently.

Central diners receive a bowl of chopped meat over noodles and a separate dish of meat swimming in broth.

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, a squeeze-bottle of hoisin sauce (a savory, dark, ketchupy condiment derived from soy beans, sweet potatoes and wheat) is usually within hands reach and is typically used to dip the beef in.

In the Central Highlands, the hoisin sauce is indispensable.

It’s usually tossed directly in with the noodles along with a spritz of chili oil and lemon juice. If you’re feeling like a true

Highlander, add some thin chili slices to give the meal a real kick.

A bowl of pho kho Gia Lai is VND25,000 to 30,000.

Pho kho Gia Lai is available at the following places in Ho Chi Minh City:

* 288 No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District

* 194 Dang Van Ngu Street, Phu Nhuan District

Pho-tastic

Pho kho Gia Lai, a Central Highlands delicacy offers a fantastic new take on beef pho

Pho kho Gia Lai is a variety of the staple Vietnamese dish from the central region

“I spent a long time trying to bring this dish to Saigon and still make sure it would retain the flavor of my hometown,” said Quang Huy, owner of pho kho Gia Lai in Binh Thanh District.

The term Gia Lai refers to a Central Highlands province of Vietnam and, while the endless battle rages between acolytes of northern pho (clear broth, no added extras) and southern pho (greens galore, clouded broth), pho kho Gia Lai offers an intriguing alternative.

It shares a number of common characteristics with its southern and northern neighbors.

Pho kho Gia Lai also primarily consists of meat, rice noodles and savory broth. Gia Lai noodles are somewhat chewier than the polar varieties.

It is a dish with both pork meat and beef.

Unlike northern pho, both pork and beef bones are simmered over a small flame for five to seven hours to create the broth. The dish itself is typically accompanied by tender beef, thinly sliced and briefly cooked in the broth.

The pork meat is minced or chopped, and placed on top of a bowl of steaming noodles, and sprinkled with fried shallots.

Like southern pho, pho kho Gia Lai comes with fresh greens and bean sprouts.

But the dish is served a bit differently.

Central diners receive a bowl of chopped meat over noodles and a separate dish of meat swimming in broth.

Here in Ho Chi Minh City, a squeeze-bottle of hoisin sauce (a savory, dark, ketchupy condiment derived from soy beans, sweet potatoes and wheat) is usually within hands reach and is typically used to dip the beef in.

In the Central Highlands, the hoisin sauce is indispensable.

It’s usually tossed directly in with the noodles along with a spritz of chili oil and lemon juice. If you’re feeling like a true

Highlander, add some thin chili slices to give the meal a real kick.

A bowl of pho kho Gia Lai is VND25,000 to 30,000.

Pho kho Gia Lai is available at the following places in Ho Chi Minh City:

* 288 No Trang Long Street, Binh Thanh District

* 194 Dang Van Ngu Street, Phu Nhuan District

Relic evokes civil war ‘memories’

The Luy Thay (Master rampart) system must have been an imposing structure 400 years ago.

It is still a must-see destination in the northern central province of Quang Binh, not least for its history, its place in what historians have called a 50-year civil war between the Trinh and Nguyen families. They ruled the north and south of the country respectively between 1558 and 1777.

Built in 1630 by Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634), a famous high-ranking mandarin of the Nguyen lords, the 34-kilometer system had three ramparts: Truong Duc, Tran Ninh (or Dau Mau), and Truong

Sa. It was called Thay rampart because Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, who ordered Tu to build the system, considered Tu as his master.

After four years of construction, the ramparts, made of clay and stones, were six meters high and at some points, the bottom had a width of six meters as well.

Wars and time have taken their toll, and the impressive defense system that once protected the

Nguyen lords’ reign from the attacks of the Trinh lords can now only be seen along the Nhat Le River. The 12-kilometer long Tran Ninh rampart is one of the few vestiges of the Luy Thay.

Another section can be found in the center of Dong Hoi Town, marked by Quang Binh Quan - one of the three gates built along the Truong Sa rampart.

Now on Tran Phu Street, the gate was first strengthened with stones in 1825 by King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was repaired again in 1961 but was almost destroyed by US bombs during the Vietnam War.

In 1994, the Quang Binh Quan section, which is 8.4 meters long and two meters high, was restored and recognized as a national relic.

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Relic evokes civil war ‘memories’

The Luy Thay (Master rampart) system must have been an imposing structure 400 years ago.

It is still a must-see destination in the northern central province of Quang Binh, not least for its history, its place in what historians have called a 50-year civil war between the Trinh and Nguyen families. They ruled the north and south of the country respectively between 1558 and 1777.

Built in 1630 by Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634), a famous high-ranking mandarin of the Nguyen lords, the 34-kilometer system had three ramparts: Truong Duc, Tran Ninh (or Dau Mau), and Truong

Sa. It was called Thay rampart because Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, who ordered Tu to build the system, considered Tu as his master.

After four years of construction, the ramparts, made of clay and stones, were six meters high and at some points, the bottom had a width of six meters as well.

Wars and time have taken their toll, and the impressive defense system that once protected the

Nguyen lords’ reign from the attacks of the Trinh lords can now only be seen along the Nhat Le River. The 12-kilometer long Tran Ninh rampart is one of the few vestiges of the Luy Thay.

Another section can be found in the center of Dong Hoi Town, marked by Quang Binh Quan - one of the three gates built along the Truong Sa rampart.

Now on Tran Phu Street, the gate was first strengthened with stones in 1825 by King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was repaired again in 1961 but was almost destroyed by US bombs during the Vietnam War.

In 1994, the Quang Binh Quan section, which is 8.4 meters long and two meters high, was restored and recognized as a national relic.

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• Relic evokes civil war ‘memories’
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Relic evokes civil war ‘memories’

The Luy Thay (Master rampart) system must have been an imposing structure 400 years ago.

It is still a must-see destination in the northern central province of Quang Binh, not least for its history, its place in what historians have called a 50-year civil war between the Trinh and Nguyen families. They ruled the north and south of the country respectively between 1558 and 1777.

Built in 1630 by Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634), a famous high-ranking mandarin of the Nguyen lords, the 34-kilometer system had three ramparts: Truong Duc, Tran Ninh (or Dau Mau), and Truong

Sa. It was called Thay rampart because Lord Nguyen Phuc Nguyen, who ordered Tu to build the system, considered Tu as his master.

After four years of construction, the ramparts, made of clay and stones, were six meters high and at some points, the bottom had a width of six meters as well.

Wars and time have taken their toll, and the impressive defense system that once protected the

Nguyen lords’ reign from the attacks of the Trinh lords can now only be seen along the Nhat Le River. The 12-kilometer long Tran Ninh rampart is one of the few vestiges of the Luy Thay.

Another section can be found in the center of Dong Hoi Town, marked by Quang Binh Quan - one of the three gates built along the Truong Sa rampart.

Now on Tran Phu Street, the gate was first strengthened with stones in 1825 by King Minh Mang, the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). It was repaired again in 1961 but was almost destroyed by US bombs during the Vietnam War.

In 1994, the Quang Binh Quan section, which is 8.4 meters long and two meters high, was restored and recognized as a national relic.

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• Relic evokes civil war ‘memories’
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