Pho Binh

This unassuming restaurant that serves bowl after bowl of delicious soup hides a rich historical legacy, Pho Binh - which ironically enough means Peace Noodles - was the secret headquarters for the Vietnamese Communists while they were planning the Tet Offensive in 1968. Upstairs are a series of photographs that provide a glimpse into the the restaurant's involvement in the nation-building.

If you're in the mood for a steaming hot bowl of Pho while delving into the history of a revolution that saved Vietnam, this small shop tucked away in the Ly Chinh Thang street of Saigon, is the place to be. The restaurant is quite aptly, yet ironically named Pho Binh, which translates to "Peace Soup". Because it was over these steaming hot bowls of noodle soup, that members of the Viet Cong devised a strategy that helped overthrow the American troops and end the war that spanned roughly 2 decades, finally bringing peace to a war-torn nation. But it was also the site where for 3 straight years many weapons were smuggled in and out, and hence the irony.