16/10/2026
Pho Is Here, Hue Is Here!
Say hello to Bao Long, a Vietnamese brand doing something genuinely clever: proper, long-simmered soup flavour squeezed into a tiny stock cube 🇻🇳 No bones, no hours of simmering, no shopping list longer than your arm. Just drop a cube into boiling water, let it dissolve, add your noodles and toppings, and you have got yourself a bowl of properly seasoned Vietnamese soup in minutes 🍲 iMart has just brought in two flavours, and we reckon your weeknight dinners are about to get a serious upgrade.
First up, Pho, the one most people have actually heard of. This little cube is built from the classic pho spice blend, think star anise, cinnamon, cloves and ginger, all slow-simmered traditionally into a deeply fragrant, slightly sweet beef broth that Vietnamese grandmothers have been perfecting for generations. Here, that whole lengthy process is condensed into one cube you simply dissolve straight into hot water 🛶 Add rice noodles, thin slices of raw beef that gently cook in the hot broth, a handful of beansprouts, fresh coriander and basil, a good squeeze of lime, and a few slices of chilli for kick, and you are sitting down to a proper bowl of pho without ever turning on a stockpot for six hours.
Next, the one you have probably not met yet: Bun Bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup from Hue, the former imperial capital of central Vietnam, where it is considered just as iconic locally as pho is nationally. Where pho is gentle, clear and aromatic, Bun Bo Hue turns the volume right up, a bold, fiery broth built on lemongrass, chilli oil and a touch of fermented shrimp paste, giving it a deeper, punchier, more savoury flavour with a distinctive reddish-orange tint. Traditionally it is served with thick, round rice noodles, slices of beef shank, pork knuckle and sometimes congealed pig’s blood, making it noticeably heartier and spicier than its famous, more delicate cousin 🌶️ For an easy modern twist, treat it like a spicy ramen-style bowl: dissolve the cube in hot water, add noodles, a soft-boiled egg, shredded greens and crispy s