Vietnamese food at Viet Ville

Vietnamese food is also popular in Manila with quite a few themed restaurants including the chains Pho Hoa and Pho Bac, which have many branches throughout Metro Manila and major cities in the Philippines. These restaurants have full menus aside from the popular noodles people tend to associate with Vietnamese food.

In my case, my closest to experiencing authentic Vietnamese food was during a visit to Palawan back in 2007 when we had a project there. After field work, we usually explored the city or town where we were staying to find places where we could eat good food. Viet Ville was one of those places recommended to us though it is well outside the poblacion area of Puerto Princesa. It is located in a village that used to be a refugee center for Vietnamese who fled from the conflict when that country went through a difficult stage in integration. These were mostly what people called "boat people" because the mode of transport from Vietnam to the Philippines were small boats that precariously drifted across the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea. Those that made it to the Philippines were accommodated in Palawan, with many eventually settling in the United States or elsewhere where they found their families or friends.

The interior of the restaurant is quite simple and there is a stage where bands can play or a karaoke machine can be set up. Some staff are Vietnamese or are children of Vietnamese who assimilated into the Philippines by way of marriage.

The presentation of the food is also simple just like how food is served in local canteens or eateries but the taste is said to be authentic Vietnamese. We enjoyed our meal but we did not have the benefit of knowing what Vietnamese food should taste like. The bread was fresh and went well with the noodles and the rice toppings.

The Clairvoyant had the opportunity to visit Vietnam and had a first hand experience dining on authentic Vietnamese food when she attended a conference in Hanoi more than a year later in 2008. Because of this, I always ask her about the taste when we order Vietnamese so that I would at least have an idea how close or how far from the real deal are we with the food that we're having.