To many Vietnamese people, the Islamic world is still kept behind a curtain. Is it possible for pho – Vietnam’s national pride – to win over Muslims with their religious beliefs and practices, especially their Halal diet, and come closer to the community of 1.6 billion followers? After coming to Vietnam for the first time in 2014, falling in love with a Vietnamese woman and moving to Hanoi in 2016, more than anyone, Ibrahim Rakaa – an Egyptian chef – understands that food is the biggest barrier to the Islamic community here. With strict dietary laws set up by religious beliefs and culture, all foods served to Muslims have to meet the Halal, meaning permissible or lawful, standards. Although the Islamic community accounts for one-fourth of the world’s population, the term Halal is still unknown to most Vietnamese people. Rakaa and his wife have poured their hearts and souls into opening a Halal Egyptian restaurant to service Hanoi’s tiny Islamic community and bring Arabic … [Read more...] about Pho: Vietnam’s culinary passport