Now Serving "Ready to Eat" portion - $17
Everything you need to eat Phờ on the go. Includes reusable, microwaveable bowl and soup spoon.
About Us
Oi Thi Nguyen was born in Ninh Hoà, Vietnam. Ninh Hoà is a small country village just fifty miles south of Nha Trang. Growing up, Oi witnessed the Vietnam war. The country was in chaos. The priorities of the Vietnamese people at that time were staying alive and working for food, not things like education. Oi started working as soon as she could walk. From the rice fields to fishing boats—Oi did it all.
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One day, Oi’s grandfather, Nhanh Nguyen, had an idea to sell noodle soup, or Pho, for money. They saved enough money for one plastic table, four mismatched chairs, six bowls, six pairs of chopsticks, six spoons, and one pot. They had to sell the food in hiding from the army because it was illegal to sell food on the streets. Selling pho was a great idea! People loved it, but couldn’t find the time to cook it themselves. It usually takes 3 to 6 hours before the broth is ready.
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Oi later worked selling fish and meat. Instead of selling at local markets, she sold to American military bases. It was against the law and punishable by death but Oi didn’t have another choice. She sold fresh food daily for about two years. In 1973, the U.S. army left Vietnam thinking a peace agreement was in place. South Vietnam knew it would not be long before North Vietnam took over. In 1975, the war ended with the fall of Saigon.
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In 1984, Oi left Vietnam on a fishing boat with only what she could carry. A boat made for sixty people was carrying hundreds of refugees. Their seventh day at sea the boat flipped and they spent hours hoping help would arrive. Fortunately, a U.S. coast guard boat saved them and brought them to a refugee camp in the Philippines.
Oi and her family lived there for ten months until she unexpectedly received a letter. She and her family were awarded the ability to come to the United States for aiding Americans during the war. The American soldiers remembered Oi’s name and helped ensure she and her family had a safe passage to the United States.
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In 1986, Oi and her family made it to America. She started life in the US with no money and unable to speak English. Now over 30 years later, Oi gets to do what she loves best. Cooking!