Vietnamese in Pohang

Decent ethnic food of any kind is difficult to find in Pohang, but there are a few places.  There's are two Indian restaurants, a Pho chain, a ton of crappy Italian restaurants, NYC Cafe for hamburgers, and not much else.  Well recently a Vietnamese restaurant, a real Vietnamese restaurant opened up just outside of I-Dong. Across the tracks and tucked into a neighborhood more famous for motorcycle repair shops and hole in the wall Korean places is Thuy Dien Quan.  The owners are Vietnamese, the menus in Vietnamese, the people cooking the food are Vietnamese, it's authentic, it's real, it's delicious.  We went on a Sunday afternoon and there were four or five twenty-something Vietnamese guys and girls and two toddlers hanging out.  The adults were eating and getting drunk and when we came in somebody was woken from the back and brought out to cook our food.  Vietnamese, that high, loud, edgy language bounced off the walls and filled the tiny restaurant.  Eventually they brought us the best Pho we've had outside of Vietnam.  Tender slices of beef floating on top, the slightly sweet broth, onions, sprouts, Vietnamese hot sauce and everything.  It was awesome.  To find it, cross the tracks leaving I-Dong through Yanghak.  On the left, immediately after the railroad, is a one way street.  Head down it, somewhat illegally, sticking to the side as best you can, and go about 100 feet into the street.  Boom, Vietnamese food in Pohang.  Sadly I didn't get 10 pictures so here's 9, a map, and some foolish comments.

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Thuy Dien Quan

Here's the sign from the street.  The Vietnamese stands out in the sea of Hangul.  

From the Street

Entirely unassuming, entirely delicious.

The Menu

Here's the menu.  We saw no Korean version and no English version.   This is a Vietnamese restaurant for the small Vietnamese population in Pohang, and now for us.

The Pho

Tastes almost exactly like it did on the streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.  Awesome stuff.

End of the Day

We spent all day getting to the beach and coming back, I was starving.

The Wait

Ready for some deliciousness.

The Set-Up

Here's the setup.  Vietnamese hot sauce, pickled radish and carrots, and in the little pot, spicy red peppers for the pho.

The Cooler

I include this photo for the Thai Redbull available in the cooler.  I have hardly seen Redbull in Korea, and I've never seen Thai Redbull.  If that's your thing, this is the place.

After

Another shot from the street.  Just look for the yellow star inside the red  block.