Time for some pho and other Vietnamese deliciousness in Pyeongtaek. These Vietnamese restaurants are not far from Camp Humphreys or Osan Air Force Base and within 15 minutes of Pyeongtaek Station.
When asking, “Where can I get great Vietnamese food in Pyeongtaek?” you will often hear something like, “Go to the spot in Tong Bok market!” Although recommending Tong Bok Market for Vietnamese food and grocery shopping is 100% on point, there are a variety of spots to try. Today we are going to let you know a few of the possible places in Tong Bok your friend could be referring to as “the spot” for Vietnamese food. However, before we can talk about the restaurants we need to talk about what Tong Bok means.
What is Tong Bok?
Tong Bok needs to be broken down and defined or else it’s all very confusing. First, Tong Bok Traditional Market is the largest of the three traditional markets in Pyeongtaek-si, South Korea. It takes approximately 15 minutes to walk to Tong Bok from AK Plaza (Pyeongtaek Station). Tong Bok Traditional Market is located in Tongbok-dong, Pyeongtaek-si. “Dong” refers to a neighborhood. This means that anyone who says, “It’s in Tong Bok” could be referring to either the “Dong” or the traditional market depending on how long they have lived in Korea and their level of familiarity with the names of each neighborhood.
If the person you are talking with has lived in Pyeongtaek for less than 2 years it is likely that they use “Tong Bok” only to refer to the traditional market area. However, it is always good to clarify by asking, “Are you referring to Tongbok-dong or Tong Bok Traditional Market.” That way you understand what area you will be looking for the recommended restaurant in.
About Tongbok-dong
Tong-bok dong could possibly be referred to as the “International District” of Pyeongtaek. There are numerous international groceries. That means you will find Chinese Marts, Vietnamese Marts, Filipino Marts, World Marts, and more throughout the traditional market and the dong. You will be able to find almost anything you need to make food from around the world. These groceries are where you can find affordable fresh herbs and hard-to-source ingredients.
If you love to cook, we highly recommend spending a day doing a deep dive into all the stores and streets in Tongbok-dong. Give yourself a day when you don’t actually need anything so that you can truly sort through all the places to find what you need. Spending a day like this will make your cooking more enjoyable during your life in South Korea because you will see the wonderful food items available in the tiny Tongbok-dong marts.
The Vietnamese Food in Tongbok-Dong and Tong Bok Traditional Market
A number of Vietnamese residents in Pyeongtaek have come together to create a developing Vietnamese community in Tongbok-dong. A variety of delicious restaurants catering to the Vietnamese residents of Pyeongtaek have opened to the delight of everyone who eats there. We recommend going through and trying each spot to see which one jives with your taste buds.
Keep in mind that the Vietnamese owners come from different parts of Vietnam and each part of Vietnam offers its own versions of Vietnamese food. In Vietnam, they do not have one type of Pho or Banh Mi so prepare emotionally for new ways of experiencing Vietnamese food. Just like folks across the US have different styles of BBQ, so do the many different types of Pho.
The cool part about Tongbok-dong is that you can go to one small area and try a variety of delicious Vietnamese restaurants and find your favorite! Then you can carefully remember the name of the Vietnamese restaurant you visited and shout its praises in food groups across Korea, especially in the Pyeongtaek Food and Fun Facebook group where folks are always looking for recommendations for “the best pho.” You should also shout their praise in the South of Seoul app and leave them a huge review.
What if it doesn’t taste like my favorite Pho? Then it all sucks right?
You may find that nothing in Korea tastes exactly like that authentic spot you love in your home country, the way your friend’s mom made it, or exactly like the pho you fell in love with at that place you visited in Vietnam.
- First, this is partially due to the fact that flavors changes with our mood, company, stress level, and age.
- Second, all of the ingredients used in Korea will taste different from ingredients in other parts of the world due to soil, temperature, shipping, etc.
- Third, these restaurants support real people with families. They need to bend to local tastes a bit to stay in business and provide for their futures.
- Fourth, cost impacts flavor. We can’t expect to pay Vietnamese prices for Vietnamese food outside of Vietnam. They are trying to make some money and imported and specialized ingredients are expensive.
These are all things to take into consideration before dragging a Vietnamese spot in the ex-pat groups simply because the restaurant didn’t give you your preferred amount of cilantro. You can always ask for more or order something other than their pho. Vietnamese restaurants actually offer a variety of delicious dishes other than pho! You may love them for one of their other scrumptious options.
Along these lines, if you only want to eat “authentic” food like you used to have before moving to South Korea, you are likely to be endlessly disappointed in your life here. That is because authenticity is an illusion and one that limits exploration, empathy, and understanding of others’ situations. Tweaking your relationship with food from “chasing your past” to “understanding your present” can completely transform your life in a new country. It can take you from an angry person who only misses their former life to a person interested in the lives and stories of those around them. Don’t get me wrong, I go crazy with joy when something reminds me from home but it’s not an expectation I have – just a fun perk.
Shifting from a fetish for “authenticity” to an appreciation for the sacrifice and hard work of our fellow ex-pats can go far in creating a healthy and integrated foreign community within Pyeongtaek. It also encourages more food options over time. That is because supporting our fellow ex-pats from Vietnam and encouraging their efforts will only make their commitment to serving up delicious Vietnamese food stronger. If they have an audience for true Vietnamese food they will make more of it.
Obviously, all this chit-chat about “authenticity” will make plenty of people annoyed because hating on other people’s efforts when our own cultural expectations are not met is a big part of what makes the internet go round. I simply wanted to toss out another way of viewing the world for those who might want to challenge themselves and their own experiences with food. Now it’s time for the main event.
Vietnamese Restaurants in Tongbok-dong
YNhi
01032797075
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기도 평택시 통복동 16-1
Located inside the Tong Bok Traditional Market, this Vietnamese restaurant offers one of the largest menus of all the Vietnamese spots in the market.
Tram Pho Vietnamese
01022981047
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Hangul Address
경기도 평택시 통복로 68
Located inside the Tong Bok Traditional Market, this popular Vietnamese ex-pat restaurant offers taste variety of delicious dishes and drinks.
40 Pho Vietnam Rice Noodles
01094661283
Copy and paste phone numbers into Naver Maps to get directions
Vietnam Pho Restaurant
Hangul Address
경기 평택시 통복시장로 5
Delicious Vietnamese food and treats.
Founded in 2015, the South of Seoul team consists of volunteers on three continents working together to support English-speaking people traveling or living in South Korea. South of Seoul volunteers work with organizations and individuals across South Korea to improve equitable access to information across South Korea. Much of South of Seoul’s information focuses on Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea.
Blogs published under the authorship of “South of Seoul” include blogs compiled by multiple volunteers to improve access to standardized information unrelated to individualized personal experiences.
