Recent years have seen an upward trend in the number of young startups from many localities nationwide choosing Da Nang as an ideal destination to deploy their promising projects.

Mouth-watering bowl of ‘pho san’

Mr Duong Ngoc Anh from neighbouring Quang Nam Province’s Que Son District, for example, has started up with ‘pho san’ (noodles made from cassava starch), a popular agricultural product of his hometown.

‘Pho san’ is a rustic but strangely attractive delicacy of Que Son District.  The time-honored craft of making ‘pho san’ remains almost unchanged in this rural location.

This dish is mostly commonly eaten for breakfast, though many other people will have it for their lunch and dinner. Anyone feeling hungry in the small hours of the morning can enjoy a bowl of hot and spicy ‘pho san’ to fill their empty stomach.

When enjoying this delicacy, you will experience the aromatic and sweet taste of the broth which is cooked with the simmered fish bones, along with a wide range of seasonings.

A bowl of ‘pho san’ would be more tasteful as it is served with salt-roasted peanuts, pepper, several thinly-sliced lemons and various types of raw vegetables, especially  fragrant herbs, all of which together create a smooth aftertaste!

Anh’s startup project with ‘pho san’ was initially inspired by his harsh experiences in assisting with his parents in drying noodles made from cassava starch under sun at his hometown in Que Son District, where his family’s income came from sales of this agricultural product.

Having graduated from a university, Anh ran his own business in Ho Chi Minh City, which specialises in software-outsourcing services for German businesses.  However, 11 years later, he decided to quit all work in this big southern city in order to start up with ‘pho san’.

Anh decided to attend many intensive training courses on start-up knowledge and skills in Da Nang with the intention of developing his own business strategies.

Ameeta Soni, a female US entrepreneur cum investment expert, enthusiastically gave her useful advice to Anh in terms of funding access and package designs.

Alongside, Anh was introduced to cassava starch drying techniques which help to reduce labour costs, and ensure the best possible product quality.

Anh’s startup project with ‘pho san’ named Caromi features the slogan ‘Back to the roots’. According to the project’s website at http://caromi.vn/en/home/, cassava plants are cultivated with very little fertilizer but no pesticides and prohibited plant protection substances. Therefore, the plants absorb lots of precious nutrients and store them in their roots.

Caromi, the name given to cassava noodles in a grid pattern, are made from fresh cassava roots through several manual processes. The roots require peeling, washing, grinding, and dipping over 2 days & 2 nights. They are then cooked using firewood before finely beating, spinning and drying under the glorious sunshine of Central Viet Nam.

At the recent 3rd International Startup Conference and Exhibition, or SURF 2018, Ms Vu Kim Hanh, the Chairwoman of the High-quality Vietnamese Product Business Association, was very impressed by ‘pho san’ on display here. She hoped that this rustic but strangely attractive delicacy would gain more popularity in the coming time.

Also at SURF 2018, a franchise expert suggested that Anh should offer tours introducing visitors to the time-honored craft of making ‘pho san’ in the province’s Que Son District in order to help visitors gain deeper insight into this product.