Pho Viet Thien Hong

Great staff, and super friendly service. There is an elevator very nearby so it’s perfect for people with children.
The interior is pleasant, well lit, and well kept.
We had the lemon grass chicken wraps to start off. In a word — awesome. The lemongrass flavor and spices blew up in our mouths.
We proceeded to the medium rare steak phở. It’s one of the best broths in town. If you know phở you’ll love it!
The price is great $ 8.50 for a medium phở with all the fixings. By dinner’s end — I barely had room to top things off with a fried banana lumpia platter with vanilla ice cream. And now nap time. With a great big smile on my face.

Friendly service and delicious papaya salad with chicken! And a beer:)
Great place!
Will definitely be back!

Ok, I walk inside and very few people, whole place was dingy. Service was good, parents ordered phở and I ordered a lemongrass chicken plate. Went to the restroom, came out and saw my chicken plate. I couldn’t believe it. The portion of chicken was tiny. I was super hungry and kind of annoyed that they even thought someone could get full off of the plate. The taste was pretty good. I ended up ordering spring rolls, which was ok. The phở was not bad though. Just can’t get over the ridiculously small portion of lemon grass chicken. Total vibe killer.

Just a quick note on the relatively new beef stew I tried the other day. It’s thicker than phở but has a similar taste, a little more peppery. The beef pieces and carrot slices are few but quality is good. However, there were a few too many pieces of fat in the stew for my taste. The french bread on the other hand was the star of the meal, reminding me of bread I’ve eaten in Vietnam & France.
Service is friendly, fast, and excellent as always!

The owners are so sweet, and they always give great service. I love their meat and rice dishes, super flavorful and they come out quick. The phở and vermicelli dishes are also winning. Prices are reasonable, and very little wait time :)

I stopped by during lunch and the restaurant was almost packed. Even so the server lady really puts efforts into customer service and our phở was ready in less than 10 minutes, unlike Bravo restaurant we went the week before where we had to wait for 20 minutes to be seated and another 30 minutes to have our meals ready.
I like to eat phở there. The price is within range of other restaurants and the food is tasty. My business customer ate there the first time and he really enjoyed his phở also. We eat there every once in a while and definitely will come back again.

We arrived around 4pm for a late lunch and found that we had the restaurant all to ourselves, which was nice. I liked the dim-​light & relaxed ambience, and the fact that the music wasn’t too loud to be distracting.
I had the spring roll and BBQd pork vermicelli as recommended by our waiter who was very friendly, helpful, and all the above. The dish was pretty good. It reminded me of somen salad because it included the cold noodles, but tastier. Great dish.
Overall, great service, yummy food, and I’ll be back soon.

This is my go-​to phở place. It might be a little pricey, but it is convenient and the service is great. I always get the pork vermicelli and it has never failed me.
The exterior/​interior are very lively with color and lights. Pink paint with different lights everywhere and a bar.
All in all, I enjoy this place. The friendly environment makes it worth the few extra dollars.

More convenient than good. The food isn’t bad, its A-​OK. The service is also A-​OK. It’s convenient and wasn’t crowded. I still prefer other places as a whole, but would come back if I was in the area and just wanted something easy.

I guess it’s in Manoa, but it’s pricey compared to other Vietnamese places in Honolulu. We were the only ones in for dinner about 8pm on a Monday. Their spring rolls were fried rather soggily. The beef stew was gloppy with too much thickener, the beef was so tough I could not chew it, and the msg made me afraid to eat much besides the slivers of carrot. The clear noodle chicken soup did not have many ingredients.
Pluses: lots of parking in Monoa Marketplace, liquor license, nice and friendly young boy working there who kept saying the beef stew was very tender, very tender, very good tendon.

Walked into this restaurant because the Japanese restaurant downstairs was too crowded.
We were seated by a very friendly woman. We looked over the very extensive menu and I have never seen so many different entrees or side dishes offered in any other phở/​Vietnamese restaurant. They even had a dessert listing which offered bubble tea drinks and a banana split.
we all ordered the vermicelli with BBQ pork and spring roll, #31.
service was quick but when our bowl arrived, we all looked and were surprised by how small the portions were. There was very little pork, sliced paper thin, and maybe, two slices of unfresh, uncrisp spring roll, the width of your middle finger. This was maybe half a spring roll cut up into two. I also like my pork a little singed on the edges. Longer on the grill? Or was it grilled? Seemed pan cooked, not barbecued. The vegetables underneath were also very, very little. The taste??? Nothing special. what a disappointment!
The bubble tea drink… the only fresh fruit they had was lychee. The rest of the flavors are powders. So two of us had the lychee bubble tea. Very watery. The bubbles at the bottom had a strange consistency. Some fell apart in my mouth. BUT… they must be cooked too long because they got stuck in the straw and made it hard to drink. Either the bubbles were too big or the straw was. too small. So I had to «massage» the bubbles up or down in the straw and suck like crazy.
If you like Vietnamese «bun», vermicelli with BBQ pork and spring roll done right with a generous portion (#27), go to Ha Long at City Square, by Kapalama Canal, near Young’s fish Market and next to Sugoi’s. Then go next door to the bubble tea place. all fresh fruits.
For this restaurant, the service here is the best thing, the food can be much better.
Will we be back? No.
I would drive to Ha Long. You will be MUCH happier.

The interior of Phở Vietnam Thien Hong reminds me of restaurants in Vietnam with their banquet style tables, Christmas decorations, and stage, you might expect the lights to dim and the karaōke/​lounge act and back up dancers to start any minute, too bad the food doesn’t taste quite the same.
The Chicken Curry was expectedly thin in body, in general curries tend to be soupy. I expected the chicken to be rustic – meaning bones, skin, and unrecognizable cut. But the curry was flat, it tasted like chicken broth, coconut milk, and a scoop of canned curry paste boiled together. Other than the chicken, there were only a few pieces of a root vegetable, maybe carrot?, in the curry that had an unpleasant spongy, stringy texture.
The Phở was pretty basic. The rare steak and tendons were good, but the broth could have had more flavor.
If you don’t want to leave Manoa, this is your Vietnamese restaurant. They have a big menu including appetizers, rice, and cold noodle dishes, so you can keep trying until you find something you like, plus they can handle large groups. Also there might be a little critter on your table, this is a struggle for all restaurants, but you don’t always see it.

Whenever I come here I usually get the noodle bowls or summer rolls. Which are both filling & make me feel somewhat healthy. When I order the vermicelli bowl I get it with the spring rolls which also comes with a mix of pickled daikon, carrots, bean sprouts, lettuce, fried onions & roasted peanuts. I really enjoy that you have the option of ordering either 2 or 3 Summer rolls per order.
The staff are always very friendly & the service is quick! At the most I have seen the restaurant half full, other than that they are pretty empty.

Great place if…
1. You want to be skinny.
2. You have the urge to dip into the pool of the Disco dayz.
3. You want deep conversation.
4. You crave Vietnamese in lovely Manoa.
Living in Manoa Valley we have only one choice for Vietnamese food and it’s at…
PHO VIET THIEN HONG!
Hmm. Okay, this restaurant is nicely located on the second floor of Manoa Marketplace — miles away from the chaos of Chinatown and hustle and bustle of downtown. On a warm summer night my Dad and I decide to eat Korean food. Oh, it’s a Monday and O-​Bok Korean Restaurant is closed on this day. So is «the Japanese» restaurant next door, so being lazy and not wanting to travel out of our cool comfort zone of Manoa Valley… We decide on «the Vietnamese» restaurant upstairs. By default. I seem to have been here once before, but frankly don’t recall anything I ate. Hmm.
PHO VIET THIEN HONG!
So, after noticing the mixed Unilocal reviews we enter anyway… The restaurant is surprisingly large with super high ceilings! Cyclops could easily walk into this place and not bump his head! You will notice the odd eclectic décor — like a clash of 1980’s faux wood frames with a rather green collection of 1970’s plastic plants. Hmm. You will notice the TV’s showing either sports or a romantic comedy. You will notice a rather large bar… Yes, a Vietnamese BAR! A full bar offering imported & domestic beer and a decent selection of wines and other alcohol! Hmm. I wonder if this is the reason I have no recollection of my visit here… The Vietnamese Bar! Or, maybe it was the hypnotic sounds of the Brothers Gibb!
We are immediately greeted and seated. We sit behind two big white guys with stylish Paul Bunyan beards. It’s early evening and the restaurant is maybe 30% full. We peruse the menu, but because of the outside humidity and summer days already creeping up on us we decide to skip the phở and other hot soups. I decide on the vermicelli cold noodles and so does Dad. The menu has pictures, so if you’re more a visual type of person this might work for you too! We decide on the…
— «Bun Cha Gio Thit Nuong» — Spring Rolls & BBQ Pork over Vermicelli and greens (#31) — $ 10.95
— «Bun Tom Nuong» — Sautéed Shrimp over Vermicelli and greens (#38) — $ 11.50
We are nudged on some HH drinks, but all we want is to eat, so politely decline the beer, wine, and alcohol in general. The drink prices seemed okay for a restaurant. We decide on water and tea. After a minute the iced water was brought to us. No tea. Hmm. More people trickle in.
A previous Unilocaler mentions the sparse meat. She’s correct. My selection included little pork (I would suggest grilling 30-​seconds longer, btw) and only ONE chopped up Spring Roll! I mean c’mon now. All the Vermicelli, bean sprouts and layers of greens can’t fool me! Dad seemed to be happy with his shrimp, but sipped some of the fish sauce thinking it was the tea! He immediately found out before I could say «Nuoc Mam!» We had a giggle on that one! Not to mention how Dad noticed the Paul Bunyan beards!
The flavor was okay. The quantity of the main ingredients was not okay. In fact, Dad later made a comment «small shrimp»! The service was friendly. The ambiance was nice in a dated sorta way. So… Hmm. I still have mixed feelings for…
PHO VIET THIEN HONG!
It’s okay, not bad. Just not the best value for the buck. Unless you’re on a meatless diet! In our case we should have driven down to Chinatown or Kaimuki for more bang for our buck! But since we decided to be lazy maybe next time I’ll just eat a taco or decide not to eat out on a Monday in lovely Manoa…
It’s just okay, but at least the music was groovy…
OVERALL GRADE: 3.0-STARS!
Unilocal REVIEW #464/​500

Listen carefully. I have been here a handful of times. Two years ago there were a handful of people eating here. Recently I was only one of two tables. I am not sure how long they will stay in business.
The food is completely filled with MSG. Although the curry was tasty, the after effect of the msg was severe. Not to mention the curry had no vegetable and was fairly watery.
The Phở in comparison to Aina Haina’s Mama Phở, Viet Phở is not far from coming out of a can. The presentation is poor, no onions no art.
Let this place close. They can’t be helped.

This was one of the most bizarre dining experiences I have ever had. We visited as a party of three for dinner a few weeks ago. It was a little early, and there was only one other table seated. Although the place looked nice from the outside, the inside looked like a cross between a 1960s fake flower shop and an Asian sports bar. Giant TV screens were interspersed with dusty fake flowers and weird statues everywhere. Still, I held out hope for some decent Vietnamese food.
Unfortunately, I was disappointed. I ordered my usual, which is bbq pork and spring roll on rice noodle with fish sauce. What I got was strange-​looking and almost devoid of vegetables. The pork looked like small shavings of pork jerky, and the whole thing was cold. However, it was edible and tasted okay so I ate it.
One of my dining companions ordered a bbq beef rice plate, which arrived all fancy and separate, with the rice molded into a bowl shape. However, the «beef» portion was really tiny! It was only about 2 inches in diameter including any hidden vegetation. The rice portion was also tiny and the «salad» was a single piece of lettuce with a couple of slivers of cucumber and a shaving of tomato. However, he did not complain about his food or send it back so it must have been okay.
The prices were relatively low, and the service was decent, so I was okay with everything — until the bill arrived. The bill was handwritten and I could tell at a glance that the total did not add up but was higher than it should be. I asked the waiter why the bill did not add up and he told me that there was a «surcharge» for paying with a credit card. There was NOTHING indicated anywhere on the bill, on the menu, or anywhere in the front of the restaurant that this «surcharge» would be added to the bill, and at that point, I did not yet indicate that I planned to pay with a credit card.
The waiter responded that there was a sign by the cash register explaining the surcharge — WAY at the back of the restaurant and in no way visible from the door. He said that if we paid with cash, the surcharge would be «discounted» from the bill.
Since by that point, I did not want to pay due to the principle of the matter, our party scrounged up cash to pay and I did not subtract anything from the tip that was due the waiter.
Later I looked up whether retailers are allowed to charge a surcharge for credit card use in Hawaii, since you so rarely see it done. Apparently, if I read this correctly, it is legal — as long as it is disclosed on the register receipt. It was not disclosed on the bill.
However, the practice of producing a bill without the surcharge mentioned is wrong, whether or not it is legal. How many unsuspecting customers simply pay the bill because they didn’t take the time to add up each item?
It is a shame to cross a Manoa restaurant off my list — let alone a Vietnamese restaurant — but I will NOT be going back there for any reason.

Enjoyed dinner here with friends. The staff are friendly and attentive and accommodating. The ambiance is quiet and surprisingly comfortable in spite of the mounted tvs throughout the restaurant.
The green papaya salad was a little chewy. The spring rolls were delicious, fresh from the fryer, with the accompanying lettuce leaves, mint leaves, rice noodles and dipping sauce.
I tried the beef stew with egg noodles, the last order available at 6:30 p.m. I thought the egg noodles would be the American style egg noodles like in beef stroganoff, but these were thin yellow noodles, somewhat like ramen noodles. Before receiving my order, our server explained that the stew included beef tendon, which was NOT fat. The beef tendon looed like solid fat, but was in fact tasty when I tried it. However, the gelatinous consistency was off-​putting for me and I took the rest home for my dogs…

This was the worse Vietnamese restaurant hands down since I’ve moved to Hawaii. Normally I’m not overly snobby about food I’m definitely all about trying new things but my gosh, this is the worse place ever!
The phở had a very faint flavor of star anise but it was on the sweeter side… not a fan of sweet flavor phở broth! I ordered the medium special and got one piece of steak! Yes you read it right! One slice of beef. They didn’t even ask if I wanted my steak served raw!
The spring rolls were oily, had no filling and I just couldn’t palate the taste! I always thought you cannot go wrong with fried foods! I mean seriously how can fried foods go wrong? Well this place can make it wrong! I couldn’t believe there was no crunch, just mushy inside and oily on the outside. No good in any situation!
The summer roll had a shrimp in each roll, one thin slice of lettuce and the rest, you guessed it, filled with noodles up the wazoooo! Again no flavor otherwise, but hoisin sauce dip usually saves the day… unfortunately, in this case it was brown water sauce! The dip was the worse I’ve tasted! Ever!
And then the final straw, I ordered the boba pearl mango smoothy. Well let’s just say there is no mango flavor whatsoever! It wasn’t tart like the guy told me it would be! Instead it was bland but more like lychee??? How is that? Then to make it worse, the boba pearl must be really old or something cause instead of being chewy it just kinda fell apart. Odd you say? Yeah tell me about it! I’ve never tasted anything like this, ever!
This is by far the worse Vietnamese restaurant ever! Sad, cause I was excited to find a new place.
Highly not recommended unless you want to try what bad food is!

This place is very nice (for a phở joint). It even has a bar inside. It’s located upstairs above Tokoname, O Bok and the pizza joint at Manoa Marketplace.
I did take out. Prices are reasonable. Got an order of shredded pork spring rolls, shrimp fried rice and a medium beef phở all for around $ 23.
However when I got home I discovered that the rolls are super tiny and thin compared to other places. You get two, cut in half. Very small portion. My husband said his shrimp fried rice was ok but lacked flavor (the rice still looked mostly white, like there was very little flavoring on it). I thought the phở was pretty good, although the beef was a little tougher than what I’m used to.
Overall, a decent choice for phở around the Makiki and Manoa area.

Still is my favorite place after coming to their place of business for the past seven years! Following them from their Aiea location to their newest location in Manoa!
I can always count on the food to taste great! The service to be fast and excellent!
To top it off the owners are some of the nicest people ever!!! I will always go there to get my phở fix!