Around the intersection of Trần Hưng Đạo Street and Vân Giang, the three Phạm brothers each keep to their own adjoining storefront — the broth in the pot has already simmered for over forty minutes, the aroma of eel bones and pork bones mingling with lemongrass-roasted scallion and ginger, carrying far down the street.
The family recipe split into three adjoining shops, eel and pork bones simmered slowly for 40-45 minutes
Independent travel media mia.vn's feature "Xì xụp bát miến lươn Ninh Bình," dulichvietnam.com.vn's feature "Không chỉ có thịt dê, miến lươn Ninh Bình cũng là đặc sản có tiếng," mogoatland.com, and visitninhbinh.com.vn cross-confirm that this broth is slow-simmered over low heat for a long time (about 40-45 minutes) with eel bones and pork bones, seasoned with lemongrass-roasted scallion and ginger; the broth's slight cloudiness comes from bits of eel meat dissolving in during the simmering. It's now run by the three Phạm brothers, who each took over the family recipe and operate three adjoining storefronts, each maintaining their own family broth formula.
Honest clarification: the founding era is unverified history, and the old shop's street number is recorded inconsistently across media
It has to be said honestly that independent travel media outlets record this dish's exact founding era inconsistently — some media broadly place it in the 1960s-1970s as a simple everyday meal for the laboring class, but this entry found no government historical records or academic literature to cross-verify the accuracy of this era range, marking it only as a rough-period statement reached by consensus across several media outlets, not precisely verified history. Also, Bà Phấn's old shop's street number is recorded as either No. 195-199 or No. 995-999 across different media reports (possibly reflecting a difference before and after a street renumbering) — this entry honestly discloses this numbering inconsistency, with the anchor coordinates marking only the approximate location of the cluster along the Trần Hưng Đạo/Vân Giang stretch.
How to Eat It Like a Local
- Find any one of the three Phạm brothers' storefronts around the Trần Hưng Đạo/Vân Giang intersection — the flavor is roughly similar across all three, so pick at random.
- A slightly cloudy broth is normal — it comes from bits of eel meat dissolving in during the simmering, not a sign the broth isn't fresh.
- Add chili, pepper, or fried dough sticks to the broth to taste, according to personal preference.
An Honest Look at This Soup's Origins
- The founding era is only a rough estimate reached by consensus across several media outlets (1960s-1970s), not precisely verified history.
- The old shop's street number is recorded inconsistently across different media outlets (No. 195-199 or No. 995-999) — this entry honestly discloses the inconsistency rather than forcing a single number.
- The anchor coordinates mark only the approximate location of the cluster, not the precise street number of any single shop.
The vermicelli soaks up the savory eel broth, and the moment it slides down your throat, it hardly matters whether the street number reads 195 or 995 — the flavor of this soup is already more memorable than any set of digits.