Not only opening 10 Pho Vietnamese restaurants in the capital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mr. Ton Ngoc Hiep, who was a chef of 5-star hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, also cherished his intention to bring this brand to the UK and the US.
Pho Vietz restaurant at Utama Shopping Center. (Photo: Manh Tuan / Vietnam +) “I not only want to introduce to Malaysians Vietnamese cuisine but also want many international friends to know Vietnamese food . If the COVID-19 epidemic did not happen, in 2020 I would send Pho Vietz to the UK and the US, “said Mr. Ton Ngoc Hiep. Malaysia is a multi-ethnic country with more than 50% of the population being indigenous Malaysians, also Muslims, the rest are mainly Chinese and Indian, which means humid. Malaysian food is also very diverse and rich. Therefore, finding a foothold in the culinary market of this country, especially in the central supermarkets, is very difficult, yet Mr. Hiep has 10 Pho Vietz restaurants in the capital Kuala Lumpur alone. Not stopping at this impressive number, he also cherished to open 5 more restaurants this year, besides running a Pho Vietz restaurant in Hong Kong and the “daring” projects to bring this brand to Manchester. and New York. As a chef of the five-star Equatorial hotel in Ho Chi Minh City in the 1990s, Hiep brought the responsibility of introducing Vietnamese cuisine to Switzerland with a 3-month program. That long business trip aroused in him joy and pride when witnessing with his own eyes foreigners welcome and appreciate the cuisine of the country. The predestined relationship to Malaysia was surprising when Equatorial continued to bring him to Malaysia to promote cuisine. Here, he had the opportunity to interact with Chinese chefs who wanted to conquer Vietnamese cuisine and put Vietnamese cuisine on their menu, so they persuaded him to come work for them. At first it was just a pilot plan, the more he worked, the more he realized that this is a place that could be developed because there are so many “fans” of Vietnamese cuisine here. In the process of working for a Chinese restaurant, he realized that his food was no longer “pure Vietnamese”, the “origin of people” spices made the bowl of pho no longer in standard, the Hue beef noodle bowl became more sour. .. Not satisfied with the “hybrid” that, in 2014, he together with some shareholders found Pho Vietz restaurant. Here, he is able to prepare food according to his own wishes, using Vietnamese ingredients, seasoning with a standard noodle soup or a standard beef noodle soup. 
Mr. Ton Ngoc Hiep (third from the left) – The owner of the Pho Viet chain store in Malaysia. (Photo: Manh Tuan / Vietnam +) Being a meticulous person, Hiep not only wants his dishes to be “original,” but also impresses diners from the first time they order by decorating the dish. To do this, he had to fly back and forth between Vietnam and Malaysia many times to find a stable supply of quality raw materials and meet Malaysian import requirements. Sharing with reporters, he emphasized: “I try my best to have all the ingredients as in Vietnam. Although I cannot make fresh pho, in Malaysia I have been able to set up a factory to produce 90% similar noodle. Keeping the essence or “soul” of Vietnamese food is what I always aim for. This makes the difference and uniqueness of our food. ” Thinking a bit as a reminiscence of the 20 years before coming to Malaysia, Hiep confided: “To open a restaurant in a Malaysian hypermarket, or more specifically, in a hypermarket in the capital city. In Kuala Lumpur, the Supermarket Management Board will send a person to assess the quality, and then if all the members of the Management Board agree, the Board’s representative will write an invitation to do business at the supermarket. ” “They do this very secretly, and I don’t know where the appraisers are, what the customers are.” After many rounds of appraisal, when he received the invitation letter, he knew that they (the supermarket management board) had noticed and assessed the quality of their food. “Just like that, after 6 years of launching the Pho Vietz brand, I have now developed 10 restaurants and have about 120 employees” – he said. 
The interior decoration at Pho Vietz restaurant at Pavilion Shopping Center evokes Vietnamese image. (Photo: Manh Tuan / Vietnam +) His eyes lit up when asked about the name Pho Vietz, he shared: “Pho is a typical Vietnamese dish that all foreign tourists know, Vietnam is Vietnam. These two words together remind tourists of Vietnamese cuisine. ” In order to run 10 restaurants at the same time and ensure the same food quality at restaurants, he has established a “kitchen center” – a place where food is processed and manufactured. Before the restaurant opens, dedicated cars equipped to transport food will deliver food from the “kitchen center” to each restaurant. “Managing and operating like this, I feel more secure about both input and output. Product quality, fresh fruit quality, coffee, ”he said. He is busy with his working schedule, but he still does not forget to tinker and creatively change the menu with the dishes that customers prefer most with bold Vietnamese flavor. Pho Vietz’s “cabinet dish” includes Beef Pho, Chicken Noodles, Hue Beef Noodles, Bun Nem, Roll, Bread, and of course, many types of coffee. Young Malaysian couple Richard Chong and Summer Lee said that their two favorite dishes at the restaurant are beef noodle soup and coffee. “The coffee here is great, rich and fragrant. The taste of the pho is delicious, I love the recipe of this restaurant. I can eat pho every day and every week. ” Sipping with me a cup of iced milk coffee made by himself in a Pho Vietz restaurant at Utama Shopping Center, he introduced me to his Chinese soul mate – Eric. “Thanks to Eric, I overcame the initial difficulties. He is also an effective assistant to Pho Vietz in legal terms. Eric is the messenger of Chinese cuisine, and I am the messenger of Vietnamese cuisine. We are a pair of identical, mutual cards to bring Vietnamese cuisine to international friends./.
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