Ninh Binh, March 19 -- Preserving and leveraging the folk wisdom behind "Nam Dinh-style pho", now recognised as Vietnam's national intangible cultural heritage, isn't just about saving a beloved noodle soup. It's a full-throttle push to guard a living cultural heritage and turn it into an engine for sustainable economic growth and tourism.

Van Cu - cradle of pho craft

Connoisseurs frequently cite "pho Co" as the gold standard of traditional pho, where handed-down family recipes and time-honoured techniques create pure magic in a bowl. The nickname stems from a village in what used to be Nam Dinh province, now merged into Ninh Binh, heavily populated by folks surnamed Co.

In what was once Nam Dinh province, now part of Ninh Binh, a vill...