UK restaurant chain Pho is back in the soup after a TikTokker resurfaced the news that the white-owned business had trademarked the word ‘pho’. In 2013, the business tried to force another pho restaurant to change its name, issuing a trademark infringement notice. But the public outrage this caused at the time led to Pho dropping the action. 

While the trademark was originally filed back in 2005, this hasn’t stopped the interwebs from getting their noodles in a knot about it all over again in 2024. And well might they. As many are pointing out, pho is literally the national dish of Vietnam. The owners of Pho aren’t Vietnamese. And trademarking the word ‘pho’ is like trademarking the word ‘soup’, or ‘sandwich’. It’s just mean. 

However, the owners of Pho have responded to the renewed backlash, saying that they only trademarked the name as part of their business logo, not the dish. They also say that they have never sued anyone for trying to use the word ‘pho’ in their business name. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Pho (@phorestaurant)

Earlier this year, restaurateur David Chang of Momofuku faced heated criticism when he tried to trademark the term ‘chilli crunch’. Chang eventually backed down, issuing a public apology and saying the company would no longer be pursuing the trademark. 

For Pho, their trademark registration is up for renewal in August 2025. But with all the beef they’ve caused with the Vietnamese community, perhaps they might like to take stock and pho-llow Chang’s lead. 

How do you pronounce pho?

While the written name has been Anglicised in Western nations as ‘pho’, the actual Vietnamese word is ‘phở’. That ‘o’ with the little doobie on it (an accent mark) is pronounced like ‘uh’. So ‘pho’ is pronounced as ‘fuh’. Just remember how you say the world ‘forget’ (‘fuh-get’) and you won’t pho-get it.

Related story: Khanh Ong’s easy Vietnamese recipes for every night of the week