Pho Ong Nam DangsanVietnamese Pho, Then a Walk Along the Han River

Regulars say the broth tastes like gomtang

This place is run by Vietnamese owners, so it isn't the Koreanised version. The noodles and the broth both have real depth. The broth is clear but not thin — it tastes long-simmered.

Here's the interesting part: Korean diners describe it as tasting like "clear gomtang." They're right. Beef simmered for hours and drawn off clear is exactly what Naju gomtang and Hadongkwan do — so if you've had those, you'll recognise the family resemblance immediately. That's also why it's an easy recommendation for an older relative trying pho for the first time.

Why eat Vietnamese food in Seoul, anyway

Korea has a large Vietnamese community, and pho is genuinely part of everyday eating here — not a novelty. If you're in Seoul for two or three days, spend them on Korean food. But if you're here longer, or you've had three straight days of grilled pork and want a clear, light bowl, this is a good use of a meal.

What it looks like

A large bowl rimmed with blue-and-white porcelain patterns holds a clear brown broth, with several slices of thin-cut beef submerged in it. Chopped green onion and chives are heaped on top, with pieces of onion floating in the broth. Beside it are a plate of cilantro, pickled carrot and radish, a small dish of red sauce and a jar of sliced pickles.

Menu words

• Phở is a Vietnamese noodle dish of rice noodles and meat in beef-bone broth, called ssal-guksu (rice noodles) in Korea
• Cilantro (gosu) is a strongly scented herb that you can add or leave out to taste
• Pickled vegetables come alongside to cut the richness

How to eat it — this matters

Pho is not finished when it reaches you. You assemble it.

What comes alongside, and what to do with it:

• Coriander (cilantro) — strong. Pile it in if you like it; leave it out entirely if you don't
• Pickled onion and carrot — sharp and sour. Add a little when the broth starts feeling rich
• Pickled chilli — only if you want heat

Taste the broth plain first, before adding anything. That's what the kitchen made. Everything after that is your preference. If you avoid spice, don't worry — pho itself has no heat at all, and the chilli sits in its own dish so you decide whether to touch it.

Then walk it off by the river

This is the part that makes it worth the trip. Han River Park is directly in front.

Finish your bowl and walk straight out to the river. Pho sits lightly enough that walking afterwards feels good rather than punishing. Go near sunset and the walk becomes the better half of the outing.

Dangsan Station is on Lines 2 and 9 — an interchange, so it's easy to reach from anywhere in the city, and Line 9 connects toward Yeouido and Gimpo Airport.

A little further toward Yeongdeungpo, Dorimhang serves aged sashimi and sea urchin, if you want another stop in the area.

Vietnamese iced coffee

They make condensed-milk coffee, cà phê sữa đá — dark coffee poured over condensed milk and ice. Very sweet, very strong. A good full stop after the noodles.

Who this suits

• ✅ You want pho closer to the Vietnamese version than the Korean one
• ✅ You like a long-simmered clear beef broth
• ✅ You'd pair the meal with a riverside walk
• ✅ You can't eat spicy food — pho itself has no heat
• ⚠️ Ask them to leave out the coriander if you dislike it
• ⚠️ On a very short Korea trip, prioritise Korean food first