I love Vietnam’s food history and urban landscape. The first time I stayed near Yên Ninh Street, I could not help but notice the popularity of phở gà (chicken phở) in the area. You’ll struggle to find another locality with more “competing” phở gà stores than the Yên Ninh neighborhood just a mere 200 meters away from Trúc Bạch Lake.
Despite a compact area of just 0.6 km2, I counted at least nine phở gà joints. And believe me, It’s lovely to wake up early walking around the lakes, and starting your day with a piping hot bowl of phở gà.
Once again, I fell into the rabbit hole of tastes, war, and agricultural history. Here’s the tale from that fall.
How the refugees of the French-Indochina War war shaped the identity of a phở gà district
Yên Ninh–Châu Long neighborhood saw an explosion in population growth during the height of the First Indochina War during the 1950s.
During that period, Hanoi remained a few safe havens and saw an influx of refugees. This led to an unexpected wealth of the craft village of copperware, Ngũ Xã nearby—craftsmen utilized scrap metals from the abundance of bullet shells, and when local Vietnamese refugees gave up their worship copperware and metal household utensils upon arrival.
The extreme neighborhood wealth during the war resulted in the popular rise of phở gà. When people could not travel, they spent their money on food. And for the “old Vietnam”, chicken has always been seen as a luxury protein. One that is usually reserved for special occasions like a wedding or an ancestral memorial day.
Châu Long Market until today remains my favorite wet market in Hanoi, where one can find so many delicious foods ranging from the classic like phở gà to newer entrées like vịt quay tỳ bà (pipa duck).
Boiled chicken is a “sign of wealth” in Northern Vietnamese culture
I grew up in a Northern family with countless relatives living in Hanoi. As for Northerners like us, chicken as a dish on its own is an essential part of any special occasion.
Kids born in our generation know their chickens like a mathematics test paper. Beloved aunties and uncles would spend at least twenty-five minutes of any feast to judge the quality of poultry served. Any host that fails to produce a great chicken never needs to be reminded about their failure.
Wise Vietnamese connoisseurs favor gà mái dầu, hens that have done only one round of raising chicks. Hen meat is softer and more flavorful, boasting fat that is fragrant and golden.
I’m trying not to brag, but my mother can tell from one bite the breed of the chicken and their age. Unsurprisingly, all of her siblings possess a similar ability. I am thus cursed with such a discerning tongue, hence which could lead to a tendency not to be fully satisfied when eating out and encountering an inferior specimen.
Phở, in general, has mercilessly changed with the times
Legendary writer Nguyễn Tuân who wrote a substantial essay to praise beef phở dissed phở gà for the “silly contrast between the soft, delicate noodles and tough chicken”.
I would like to point out that our modern phở gà is quite different from the one Nguyễn Tuấn roasted in 1957.
First, most phở noodles today are harder and more al dente because of machine automation that requires a thicker “dough”. Secondly, the explosion in agricultural output has introduced softer chicken to the table—new breeds and a diet of corn or soybean feed to increase the size and the meat quality of modern Vietnamese chicken.
Yet bigger is not necessarily better though. The phở gà spice is quite delicate, so it will expose low-quality chicken meat.
I usually do not eat phở gà outside, but here are some places in and beyond the Yên Ninh neighborhood that one should explore:
Phở Gà (156 Quán Thánh)
Known for its delicate yet chicken broth and also celebrated for their tangy chili sauce, 156 Quán Thánh is an ideal choice if you are looking for an affordable and authentic phở gà breakfast experience near West Lake.
The shop is tiny with uncomfortable seating, but it never stops the local patrons from dropping by to enjoy their favorite noodle soup—almost everyone was on the roadside for their morning phở gà fix.
Phở Gà Bún Thang (13 Phạm Hồng Thái)
This popular phở gà joint is somewhat of a crossover between Hanoi’s other soul-food-in-a-bowl, Bún Thang—customers can choose from either a bowl of thin vermicelli topped with sliced mushrooms, Vietnamese ham, omelet, or just stick to a standard bowl of phở gà that’s fortified with the addition of dried shiitake mushrooms.
13 Phạm Hồng Thái is also famous for its smooth, juicy pork meatballs that were added as a way to seduce wealthy patrons with tasty protein. These buggers suck up chicken flavor as they get boiled together in the joint’s chicken broth.
Remember to order some quẩy fritters as I find this place stocks the freshest and crispiest of specimens.
Phở Gà Hải Anh (2 Ngũ Xã)
Famous for their home-grown chicken that’s the closest thing to a Northern Vietnamese family’s lovingly homebred “marathon chicken”. Expect the meat here to be tougher and more flavorful, which could be challenging for those who prefer softer chicken.
The proprietor who goes by the nickname of “Mister President” really only cares about the quality of chicken served, and his unique bowl of chicken phở comes with a fair share of uncommon quirks—thick oversized rice noodles, chunky meat, and the option of adding pork meatballs with julienned wood ear fungus. Just like the previous spot, dried mushrooms contribute to the flavor of the broth which is very rich yet not overly seasoned with salt.
Phở Gà Hải Anh is small, hot, and uncomfortable but worthy of a visit just for the visuals.
Phở Tiến (103 Trường Tộ)
Yet, arguably my favorite chicken phở shop in Hanoi’s “phở gà quarters” is Phở Tiến. It was also included as a Michelin Selected spot in the 2023 edition of Vietnam’s Michelin Guide.
Hygiene is not a problem here and I praise the owners for insisting on the freshest herb they can find, along with a delicious serving of crunchy quẩy fritters. This place also offers the option of adding rare beef to your bowl of phở gà if you’re craving more meat.
Once you eat the chickens your aunties and your mom raises themselves, it is hard to find a similar experience elsewhere. Phở Tiến chicken may not be a worthy contender to what competes with the family produces, but I would not say no to a bowl on a fine morning.
Phở Gà Châm (64–68 Yên Ninh)
I had high hopes for this Michelin-selected spot (Michelin Guide 2023, 2024), especially after the recommendation from a bougie classmate who runs fancy restaurants for the “heirs and the heiresses of the capital”.
Phở Gà Châm has filled the brim at 7 am on a Tuesday, with Madam Châm assembling hefty bowls of phở gà topped with anything from the chicken liver to chicken thigh and “unlaid eggs”. The broth is notably more robust and somewhat saltier than other places mentioned, though not in a bad way.
Make sure to read out your order clearly as the “matriarch” has no time for small talk.
For VND85,000, it was a respectable bowl of phở but not cheap (from a local’s perspective). Expect premium bowls with “full topping” to go well beyond VND120,000.
Go early for this one if you don’t want toppings to run out. Perhaps the media attention for being one of the most expensive chicken phở spots in town, along with the Michelin accolades, has made her bolder as a personality.
For me, Phở Châm was the perfect spot for people-watching. A tiny shop frequented by patrons covered with Louis Vuitton merch and talking about Fashion Weeks!
