Rising cost of pho a measure of Footscray's gentrification

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Rising cost of pho a measure of Footscray's gentrification

By Joe Hinchliffe

Sourdough bakeries, craft breweries, filtered coffee cafes – these are the vanguard of gentrification. The signs are clear, but how do you measure the pace of that change?

There is the classic metric – real estate prices. But many people under 40 have given up looking at those.

In Melbourne’s inner west, however, locals have developed their own distinct barometer of change – the price of a bowl of pho in Footscray.

Hung Nguyen has a come up with a very Footscray way of measuring the pace of gentrification sweeping the suburb: the price of a bowl of pho.

Hung Nguyen has a come up with a very Footscray way of measuring the pace of gentrification sweeping the suburb: the price of a bowl of pho. Credit: Justin McManus

Long-time Footscray resident Hung Nguyen remembers when a bowl of the fragrant Vietnamese noodle soup cost about $6 on Hopkins Street in the 1990s.

His sister-in-law has run one of the many Vietnamese noodle houses there for almost three decades.

And with so many places serving up the same dish in the one street, Mr Nguyen says something of a consensus settles on a fair price for pho.

Like most goods, the price of pho has steadily risen over the decades, but Mr Nguyen says it recently passed a milestone.

“In the last two years it crossed the $10 mark,” he said. “$11, $12 – that’s the new reasonable standard in Footscray now.

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“You’d have to go further west for a cheaper bowl.”

The once working-class suburb is a microcosm of Australia’s post-war immigration story, but since the late '70s, Footscray has become synonymous with its prominent Vietnamese community.

In recent years new waves of arrivals have joined the mix of Yugoslav, Italian, Greek and East African communities in Footscray.

The $10-plus pho mark has coincided with an influx of hipsters, property speculators and young professionals to the suburb.

And with a surge of new apartments sprouting up in area, their numbers are poised to accelerate.

Are you pho real: could the price of the Vietnamese noodle soup hit $20 in Melbourne's west?

Are you pho real: could the price of the Vietnamese noodle soup hit $20 in Melbourne's west?Credit: Justin McManus

Mr Nguyen says he has mixed emotions about the “dramatic changes” he has seen in Footscray over the past 18 months.

A cafe manager himself, he enjoys a good espresso coffee and going out to new bars.

On the other hand, he is concerned about what it all means for the price of pho in coming years.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if goes up to $20,” he said.

The father-of-three experienced a taste of that future over Christmas when he returned to Sydney, the city his father made home in the '80s after arriving to Australia as a “boat person”.

There, Mr Nguyen saw one restaurant that charged $17 for a bowl of pho.

He thinks there are three factors driving up the price of the dish: the rising price of ingredients, increased rent and the willingness of new customers to pay more.

As Vietnamese cuisine goes from the margins to the mainstream, diners want less MSG, better cuts of meat and other gourmet touches.

But while a extra few dollars here and there for a bowl of pho might not mean much to some, Mr Nguyen fears it could drive away the very people who created it.

He knows better than most the hard work and craft that goes into making the perfect bowl of pho. But then he also knows how to make it at home.

“Pho is a national dish,” he says. “For Vietnamese people, it’s a comfort food ...

“If it gets to $17, I’d prefer to make it at home.”

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