PHO' SAIGON, PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN

Pho' Saigon, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. (Photo by LDocena)

In the 1970's the province of Palawan began receiving surprise visitors arriving on its shores aboard crude, dilapidated wooden boats after weeks of crossing the South China Sea, often without adequate provisions and accommodations. These visitors came from South Vietnam and have fled their country to escape a  war that was going on there at that time. They had fled in haste in the dead of night, intending to seek asylum in the Philippines, or any other country they might happen to land on and was willing to accept them. Later as their number increased in the province,  a refugee camp was set up beside the Puerto Princesa International Airport runway to accommodate them.

Slowly they began to try to integrate themselves with the people of Puerto Princesa, joining various activities in the city. I can barely remember joining a Boy Scout encampment during those days with a few Vietnamese teenagers as participants. The communication barrier was huge but it turned out just fine. Soon they started setting up their small businesses, trying their best to live a normal life in Palawan, far from their native land. It must have been tough for these "boat people", as they've come to be known, but they have proven their resilience as a people despite the situation. Towards the 1980's, they began to be repatriated to countries in North America like the US and Canada which opened their gates and accepted them. One by one, family by family, they began to leave Palawan and settled elsewhere for good. Others may have opted to return to Vietnam as the situation there have now improved.

One of the good things that the Vietnamese people left in Puerto Princesa City was their cuisine. Chao Long, a kind of rice noodles usually topped with fresh mongo sprouts, paired with french bread is a popular snack in the city and I think even in the whole province such that Chao Long restaurants can be found even in far-flung municipalities such as Brooke's Point, 192 kilometers south of the city.

Front facade of Pho' Saigon, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. (Photo by LDocena)

Interior of Pho' Saigon, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. (Photo by LDocena)

One Vietnamese restaurant that we recently visited is Pho' Saigon, located along the northbound national highway in San Manuel, Puerto Princesa City. Despite its austere facade and interiors, this place is visited even by Caucasian tourists in Puerto Princesa. The food was good and tasty, even though we only had sauteed shrimp with rice (tom ram), rice noodles with beef stew (pho bo kho), pork spring roll (cha gio heo), french bread with chicken (bahn mi ga), and buko shakes (sihn to dua).

Sauteed shrimp with rice, both abundant in Palawan. (Photo by LDocena)

Rice noodles with beef stew and french bread. (Photo by LDocena)

Travel always have its inherent benefits that includes the opportunity to try the various cuisines of a particular locality and this recent Vietnamese cuisine experience is certainly one such opportunity.