I once read a quote that said, if India is the office of the world and China is the factory of the world then Vietnam should be the kitchen of the world. I wouldn’t disagree with this. Vietnam’s delectable cuisine is often lauded as one of the world’s best because of the use of fresh ingredients, the abundance of herbs, spices and vegetables and its presentation. And what more could be the best representative of Vietnamese cuisine than the ever famous Pho?
Ph? which is pronounced as “fo” when you say “foreigner” with a rising intonation in the letter “o,” is a delectable Vietnamese rice noodle soup and served with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime and bean sprouts among others which is added by the person who is eating it. The meat in the soup could either be beef which is called locally as ph? bò or chicken called locally as ph? gà. Touted to be Vietnam’s national dish, according to Wikipedia it is listed at number 28 on the World’s 50 most delicious foods as compiled by CNN Go in 2011.
When you walk the streets of Vietnam, you can find Pho served almost everywhere from street stalls, to five star hotels. This is so because according to a local, the regular Vietnamese diet consisted of eating Pho in the morning and for lunch among others with rice serve only at dinner time. The dish has become such a favorite not only among Vietnamese locals but also among foreigners that some enterprising Vietnamese started to brand this favorite local dish. Following the western “fast food chain-franchising” business model, Pho has now a total of 77 outlets and is now available in Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Cambodia, Singapore, Korea, Australia and even in Manila Philippines (Which they would put up one soon in Cebu) through the company Pho 24 which is owned by Nam An Group, the biggest food and beverage Corporation in Vietnam. Now take that McDonalds!
In the Philippines we have our own answer to McDonalds and that is Jollibee, which of course we are so proud of because it is only in the Philippines where the McDonalds is not the number one fast food franchise chain because it is unseated by the big fat bee. Jolllibee’s dominance over McDonalds is of such interest that it is now a business case study in Harvard business school. Sadly unlike Pho24, the flagship product of Jollibee is not a native Filipino dish but westernized fast food products. Sure, the taste is Filipino and we have a smattering of other Filipino dishes served in Jollibee’s menus, but I would have preferred that the flagship product should have been a Filipino dish. 
Anyway, back to Pho. I told my wife if she can replicate Pho, considering that she is such an outstanding cook. She said she can if she had the ingredients. But the ingredients such as the rice noodles, herbs and spices are only available in Vietnam. These local ingredients are what make Pho have its unique taste.
Although at first glance, Pho may seem to have the same flavor considering the similarity in ingredients, the taste of Pho differs depending on the quantity and the type of ingredients that are mixed with it. The personal biases when it comes to taste palette of the person cooking it are also taken into consideration. In Vietnam, I’ve eaten Pho on the street, in restaurants and even in Pho24, and I can tell you each has its own unique flavor. So if you ask me where to eat Pho, well since I prefer experiencing local cuisine first at the grass roots (read street food) which I wrote about in the post “Eating street food in Vietnam” I advice eating Pho at stalls in the streets. But if you just want to be extra cautious you can eat it at Pho24, restaurants or hotels.
A bowl of Pho in the streets cost about 25,000 Dong (Which is about $ 1.25+ or PhP 50.00+) Pho24 sells it at double the price, but what the heck, you get to eat at an air-conditioned restaurant and you might be concerned about eating in the streets so you should consider this option. Besides Pho24 sells other culinary Vietnamese wonders that you might want to try out. The price might be higher in restaurants and posh hotels because of the ambiance (So make sure not to order the ambiance) 
Nobody ever goes to Vietnam without eating Pho and nobody can truly say he has gone to Vietnam without eating Pho. The name shouldn’t concern you, as some people may be afraid that they might poo frequently if they eat Pho. (During our city tour in Hanoi when our guide took us to Pho24, a foreigner refused to eat Pho, boy he missed a half of his life !) I assure you Pho is among the best bowl of noodle soups I have ever tasted. Oh by the way, if ever we bump into each other or anywhere else where Pho is available, I’ll be glad to accept your invitation for a bowl of Pho because I’m always happy to fool around with Pho.