Đổi Mới was the Vietnamese reform associated with privatizing pho eateries after the subsidy period.
Vietnam’s subsidy period followed the creation of a centralized, state-controlled economy. After reunification, many private businesses were nationalized or restricted, and state-owned pho eateries operated under shortages of meat, rice, and other ingredients. Some establishments served a famously sparse version known as phở không người lái, or “pilotless pho,” with broth often relying heavily on water and MSG.
Beginning in 1986, Đổi Mới reforms moved Vietnam toward a socialist-oriented market economy. The reforms loosened centralized controls, encouraged private enterprise, and helped restore commercial food businesses. Pho eateries were privatized as part of this broader economic transition.
Đổi Mới is often translated as “Renovation,” but the Vietnamese name is the canonical answer. “Renovation” describes its meaning in English; it is not the reform’s official Vietnamese name.