My First Bowl of Pho in Hanoi

Last summer, my family visited my aunt in Hanoi. On our first morning, she took us to a small pho restaurant near her house.

While we were walking down the old street, we could smell the sweet smell of pho broth from every corner. The street was busy, and many people were eating breakfast outside their houses.

At the restaurant, an old lady was cooking pho behind a big pot. She added rice noodles, thin slices of beef, and fresh herbs into each bowl. My aunt said the broth in Hanoi was lighter and less sweet than the pho in Ho Chi Minh City, where we live.

I added a little chili and a slice of lime to my bowl, just like my aunt showed me. You should always try pho with fresh herbs — they make the soup taste more delicious. The noodles were soft, and the broth was hot and tasty.

That morning, I ate the best bowl of pho in my life. Now I understand why pho is more famous than any other Vietnamese dish. If you visit Vietnam, you can find a bowl of pho on almost every street.

Grammar Focus

• Past Continuous (S + was/were + V-ing) — for actions happening in the background: "While we were walking down the old street, we could smell the sweet smell of pho broth from every corner."
• Comparative Adjective (adj-er/more + adj + than) — for comparing two things: "My aunt said the broth in Hanoi was lighter and less sweet than the pho in Ho Chi Minh City."
• Modal Verbs "should" / "can" (advice and possibility) — "You should always try pho with fresh herbs" and "you can find a bowl of pho on almost every street."