Every time she visits her hometown, the first thing Phạm Lê Nguyên Hảo does is stop by a street-side bánh canh shop in Hue to enjoy the rich flavors of her homeland.

Phạm Lê Nguyên Hảo (center, in black, based in Ho Chi Minh City) showcases her frozen packaged snakehead fish bánh canh at the Thua Thien Hue 2024 Innovation Startup Competition - Photo: NHẬT LINH.

Longing for the robust aroma of firm snakehead fish combined with the spicy heat of Hue’s chili sate, Ms. Hao nurtured the idea of encapsulating the flavors of that street-side bowl of bánh canh to send far and wide to serve Hue people everywhere.

Nostalgia for the taste of street-side bánh canh

It was a drizzling late autumn afternoon in Hue. From Phu Bai Airport, along National Highway 1 heading to Hue City, a four-seater car stopped in front of a snakehead fish bánh canh shop near Thuy Duong overpass.

Stepping out of the car, Phạm Lê Nguyên Hảo (38, based in Ho Chi Minh City) inhaled deeply, taking in the chilly air blended with the pungent aroma of scallions, chili, sate, and fermented shrimp paste rising from a bubbling pot on a wood-fired stove.

For 20 years, every time she returns to Hue from Ho Chi Minh City, Ms. Hao has made it a tradition to stop at a small street-side spot, order a steaming bowl of snakehead fish bánh canh, and savor the fiery chili sate, the mild sweetness of the broth, and the salty richness of the Hue-style braised fish.

“It’s become a habit. Whenever I return to Hue, I must have a bowl of snakehead fish bánh canh to satisfy my nostalgia for my hometown and the flavors of the past.

When I’m back in Ho Chi Minh City, I miss the unique taste of that bowl of bánh canh. Suddenly, the thought of how those away from home could enjoy this hometown delicacy to ease their homesickness came to my mind,” Ms. Hao shared.

The first step in Ms. Hao's entrepreneurial journey with Hue’s snakehead fish bánh canh was finding a name for the brand. The phrase "Huế Thương" (Beloved Hue) was the first to come to her mind.

The process of preparing, packaging, and freezing Hue’s street-side snakehead fish bánh canh under the brand Huế Thương - Photo: NGÔ PHƯỚC TUẦN.

To her surprise, when she tried to register the domain name Huethuong.com, Ms. Hao discovered that it had already been registered by a Japanese individual.

“My team and I had to negotiate and repurchase the domain from this Japanese owner. Fortunately, everything went smoothly, and Huế Thương was returned to... its original Hue owner. The Huế Thương brand is now registered and protected not only in Vietnam but also in the U.S.,” Ms. Hao said with a smile.

After securing the brand, Ms. Hao sought to perfect the core flavor of Hue’s snakehead fish bánh canh. To capture the authentic sweetness of Thuy Duong-style bánh canh, she visited countless shops in Hue, learning the techniques for braising fish, preparing noodles, and seasoning shrimp paste to recreate the street-side taste.

The Thuy Duong snakehead fish bánh canh from the Huế Thương brand after preparation - Photo: NGÔ PHƯỚC TUẦN.

Having mastered the recipe, Ms. Hao and her team worked on packaging and freezing the dish. Transforming a fresh dish into a packaged product was no easy feat.

“Fortunately, I previously worked in the seafood processing and export industry to the U.S., so I understood the strict regulations and high-quality requirements for entering this market.

I had to research permissible and prohibited ingredients for export to adjust the recipe appropriately for the Hue-style bánh canh package,” Ms. Hao explained.

On the way to America and aiming further

After finalizing the first batches of bánh canh, Ms. Hao gifted them to relatives and friends in the Thua Thien Hue Association at home and abroad to try.

Among those she sent samples to was an elderly Vietnamese couple in the U.S., who were both fellow Hue natives and long-time business partners in seafood exports.

After tasting the Thuy Duong snakehead fish bánh canh package sent from Vietnam, the couple was moved to tears, overwhelmed by the long-missed flavors of their homeland.

“How about bringing this frozen bánh canh package to the U.S.? We’ll help with distribution,” they suggested, causing Ms. Hao to nearly jump with excitement. After years of effort, her dream of bringing Hue’s snakehead fish bánh canh to America was finally becoming a reality.

More than 6,000 packages of Huế Thương branded snakehead fish bánh canh entered the U.S. retail market in early 2024.

Following the success of the snakehead fish bánh canh, Ms. Hao and her team at Huế Thương began researching and developing frozen packages of other Hue specialties such as beef noodle soup, Nam Pho bánh canh, and turmeric noodles.

After the snakehead fish bánh canh, the Nam Pho bánh canh package from Huế Thương has also received market support - Photo: NGÔ PHƯỚC TUẦN.

“From early 2024 until now, more than 70,000 products, including snakehead fish bánh canh and others from Huế Thương, have been shipped to the U.S. Huế Thương is now available in convenience stores across 48 states of the U.S.

Having conquered the strict and demanding U.S. market, we are now aiming further, to bring Hue’s specialties to the EU, Australia, Japan, and South Korea in the near future.

Recently, the Huế Thương - Packaged Hue Flavors project won third prize in the Thua Thien Hue Province Innovation Startup Competition 2024.

Mr. Ho Thang, Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Thua Thien Hue, commented that the packaged snakehead fish bánh canh product is a novel and convenient startup idea with great market potential.

“This startup idea contributes to promoting and spreading Hue’s cuisine far and wide,” Mr. Thang concluded.