Pho Tay in Nha Trang has its own special features although it is not as noisy and busy as Pham Ngu Lao, which is also called Pho Tay, in Ho Chi Minh City. The narrow path of Quan Tran area has been expanded with a series of shops and restaurants named in both English and Vietnamese. Pho Tay stretches from

Hung Vuong street

to Tran Quang Khai and Nguyen Thien Thuat and Biet Thu streets. It’s worth noting that most owners of shops and restaurants on these streets are foreigners coming from different countries, including those from Asia and Europe.

 

Arriving in Nha trang two years ago, Enricko, from Germany decided to stay in the beach city for a long time. Enricko and his wife set up a Spanish restaurant named La Manda on

Nguyen Thien Thuat street

. Apart from business purposes, the restaurant aims to create a bridge linking his old and new friends.

 

He confided: “My family has Vietnamese and Russian people and we want my children to live in Vietnam. Therefore, we arrived in Nha Trang, opened this restaurant and loved this city very much. My wife is Thu Ha from Hanoi and we are now Nha Trang residents.”

 

Prices at shops and restaurants in Pho Tay are reasonable and many foreigners like Asian and European food served here thanks to its good taste and prices. Also, micro-breweries in this area make their own Vietnam are draught beer, which is favoured by both Vietnamese and foreign visitors. More and more foreign tourists have flocked to Pho Tay, finding it interesting to live here, taste delicious dishes, enjoy tourism services and go shopping. Moreover, they like the area because they can live well for a reasonable price and many residents speak their language and share similar views on matters of mutual concern.

 

Dmitry Glyzlov from Russia said he loves Pho Tay because it is a good place for him to meet friends from all over the world. He said: “I found some friends who have the same hobby as me. We go on adventures to many different countries and explore the beauty of the beaches. Sometimes, we sit together, drink beer and shout “one, two, three… go” (like other Vietnamese drinkers do).

 

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. To live a better life among the Vietnamese community, many foreigners in Pho Tay learn to speak Vietnamese and some of them speak rather fluently. They also have a Vietnamese name given by their Vietnamese friends or neighbours and they like it.

 

Barry Cohan from the US arrived in Vietnam for the first time in 1969. He is now working in Vietnam as an advisor for a seafood company. “My Vietnamese friends call me Ba”, he said, adding that they also call him Ba My (American Ba).

 

Barry Cohan comes to Pho Tay to find something that remind him of his homeland. Like many other foreigners, he wants to find people speaking his mother tongue, explore the natural beauty of the area and enjoy entertainment services. Therefore, the number of shops, bars, beauty salons, sports centres and restaurants serving Western food is mushrooming.

 

Han Quoc Tin, owner of “Why Not Bar”, said many customers come to his place to meet and exchange views on journeys and traditional customs. They may not know each other but they talk happily as though they were old friends, or they may meet each other on the road and then make arrangements to meet.

 

In Pho Tay, Vietnamese people and foreigners from various countries, such as Germany, Australia, Britain, Russia, Spain, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Cameroon and Nigeria, live in harmony with each other. They are willing to help out if necessary and take park in many charitable activities to support underprivileged Vietnamese children and foreigners having difficulties in Vietnam. Nha Trang’s Pho Tay is now a popular destination for foreign visitors. But also, it has become second home for those foreigners who choose Nha Trang as a good place to reside.