Phở sốt vang is beef pho stewed in what liquid?

Phở sốt vang is beef pho in a red-wine-based liquid. The Vietnamese name means “wine-sauce pho,” and the beef is stewed until tender in a dark, aromatic sauce or broth.

The dish is related to bò sốt vang, a Vietnamese beef stew whose red-wine flavor reflects French culinary influence. Typical preparations combine beef—often a gelatinous or connective-tissue-rich cut—with red wine, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and spices. The meat is simmered until soft, then served with bánh phở rather than bread or rice.

Red wine is the defining liquid in the name, but recipes vary in how much wine is used and how it is balanced with stock, tomatoes, or water. That variation does not make rice vinegar, fish sauce, or coconut milk equivalent answers: those may appear as seasonings or substitutions in some recipes, but they do not define phở sốt vang. The dish is particularly associated with Hanoi and northern Vietnamese cooking.