From Wikipedia

The origin of phở is uncertain, and is mostly culled from oral histories. While a distinctly Vietnamese dish, phở has French and Chinese influences. Still, the consensus among academics, diners and restaurateurs is that it originated about a century ago in northern Vietnam. The specific place of origin appears to be southwest of Hanoi in Nam Dinh province, then a substantial textile market, where cooks sought to please both Vietnamese (local rice noodles - originally of Chinese origin) and French tastes (cattle before the French arrival being beasts of burden, not frequently sources of beef). It was originally sold by vendors from large boxes, until the first phở restaurant was opened in the 1920s in Hanoi.

The origin of the word was one subject in a seminar on phở held in Hanoi in 2003. One theory advanced at the seminar is the name comes from the French feu (fire), as in the dish pot-au-feu, which like phở uses the French method of adding charred o­nion to the broth for color and flavor, one of the techniques which distinguishes it from other Asian noodle soups. Some believe the origin of the word to be the Chinese fen). In addition to rice noodles, multiple spices (such as star anise and cinnamon) are staples of Chinese cuisine (although the cinnamon used in phở, Saigon cinnamon, is not a true cinnamon and is a local ingredient.

Linguistically, the etymology of the name is not likely to be French. In the Vietnamese language, the word phở carries a non-flat category, whereas most French loanwords carry a flat tone, sắc or nặng tone, depending on the end consonant except loanwords which end with -t, -p, -c or -ch. Phở does not match this rule.

Some observers[2] believe phở may come from the Cantonese rice vermicelli hofan which are interchangeably abbreviated as either fan, phấn in Tự Hán Việt) or Ho, the two sounds giving the name "phở". Both fan and pho refer to the same rice noodles found in Vietnam and Guangdong, China, suggesting rice noodles may have been brought to Vietnam by Cantonese immigrants from the Guangdong province in the early 20th century. The noodles are cooked identically in both places, and are often seasoned using fish sauce, garnished with bean sprouts, and served with meatballs and sliced beef. Vietnamese phở, however, is further garnished with fresh mint, cilantro (coriander leaves), basil, bean sprouts, limes, sliced chili peppers and sliced raw beef; this is especially true of Saigon-style phở. Furthermore, the broth of phở is made of beef bones and fresh onion, whereas the Cantonese broth of fan is made of dried flatfish and other seafood. In some regional varieties, the Vietnamese broth may also have a mildly sweet flavour from Asian yellow rock sugar, but the Cantonese version is not.

Some observers[2] believe phở may come from the Cantonese rice vermicelli hofan which are interchangeably abbreviated as either fan, phấn in Tự Hán Việt) or Ho, the two sounds giving the name "phở". Both fan and pho refer to the same rice noodles found in Vietnam and Guangdong, China, suggesting rice noodles may have been brought to Vietnam by Cantonese immigrants from the Guangdong province in the early 20th century. The noodles are cooked identically in both places, and are often seasoned using fish sauce, garnished with bean sprouts, and served with meatballs and sliced beef. Vietnamese phở, however, is further garnished with fresh mint, cilantro (coriander leaves), basil, bean sprouts, limes, sliced chili peppers and sliced raw beef; this is especially true of Saigon-style phở. Furthermore, the broth of phở is made of beef bones and fresh onion, whereas the Cantonese broth of fan is made of dried flatfish and other seafood. In some regional varieties, the Vietnamese broth may also have a mildly sweet flavour from Asian yellow rock sugar, but the Cantonese version is not.

The variations in meat, broth and additional garnishes such as lime, bean sprouts, ngo gai (culantro), hung que (Thai/Asian basil), and tuong (bean sauce/hoisin sauce) appear to be innovations introduced in the south. Phở did not become popular in South Vietnam until 1954. Vietnamese phở noodle soup with sliced rare beef and well done beef brisket. Possibly the earliest reference to phở in English was in the book Recipes of All Nations edited by Countess Morphy in 1935. In the book, phở is described as "an Annamese soup held in high esteem...made with beef, a veal bone, onions, a bayleaf, salt, and pepper, and a small teaspoon of nuoc-mam." With the Vietnam war and the victory of the North Vietnamese, phở was brought to many countries by Vietnamese refugees fleeing Vietnam from the 1970s onwards. It is especially popular in large cities with substantial Vietnamese populations and enclaves such as Paris in France, the West Coast of Canada, the West Coast and Texas in the United States, and the immigrant areas in the western suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne of Australia, and Hong Kong.

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I love this place. The food is fantastic. Some of the best pho I've ever tasted! I eat there way more often than I should! Haha. Great bubble tea too!

Dani Panda

Best Pho ever! And they have an amazing ice coffee! I wouldn't go anywhere else!

Christine Kelloway

I've eaten at 3 different Pho places in my life, this was by far the best. My friend who just came back from Asia said that the Pho was comparable to even the best places he went to on his travels. I just hope enough people go to keep it in business. The chili paste that he has is awesome also.

Arjun

Finally a Pho restaurant in Middle GA! THANK YOU!! Glad to see that Macon folks are becoming more open minded about different types of food. Note: This place has been moved to the shopping center by corner of Northside Dr and Riverside Dr...yay closer to my work .. stop by there at least once a week. I love everything on the menu, I try to try everything, not just the pho... I haven't had anything that I did not like. Def try the Vietnamese spring roll.. it's not like your typical fried chinese spring rolls.. they are delicious!

T.C

Good news friends!!! Yes, I still love Pho Saigon, but here's a quick little update for those who like a little beer or wine with their pho. You can totally BYOB! Yay!!!! It's the little things that bring me joy....and I tell you- just bringing that 12 pack of stella artois last night really added that extra zing to our dinner! I think me and my classmates were actually motivational--- I saw two other customers look over to our table with envy...and a few moments later, they left, only to return with brown bags of their own. I am officially this restaurant's number one fan. I sincerely hope they never apply for a liquor license.

Julie C