Phở Thành Nam - Pho restaurant in Thao Dien, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

Phở Thành Nam on Vũ Tông Phan is the newer, roomier sibling of the original Trần Não location, trading tighter quarters for a full indoor-outdoor dining room with covered parking that accommodates both motorbikes and cars comfortably. The kitchen runs Nam Định-style pho — a Northern Vietnamese tradition associated with a clearer, more restrained broth rather than the sweeter, fuller-bodied styles common across Saigon — and the execution draws a loyal morning and lunchtime crowd.

The tái lăn, rare beef seared briefly in the hot broth, stands out as the item regulars point to first. Large bowls run around 60,000 VND and land on the table fast. Old-school accompaniments are handled with care: pickled garlic arrives on the side, bean sprouts come pre-blanched, and lemon and chili are kept in covered containers rather than left open on the table. Every seat also gets a complimentary cup of nước vối — the dried lotus leaf tea that Northern pho shops treat as standard, but which is easy to miss elsewhere in the city.

The room is glass-walled on multiple sides, keeping the space bright and easy to wipe down, though that same glass traps sound when the floor fills up. It gets genuinely loud during peak hours, which is worth factoring in for anyone looking for a quieter meal. The crowd skews toward families and office workers on a tight lunch window; service keeps pace.

The phở xào giòn — crispy pan-fried pho noodles — arrives with a proper crunch and without excess oil, though the 90,000 VND price and modest meat portions have attracted criticism. Miến gà offers glass noodles paired with chicken that one reviewer called exceptionally tender, even if the noodles themselves were less memorable. The clear broth is where the kitchen concentrates its effort, and it shows.