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By Hoang Nguyen  April 4, 2025 | 10:03 pm PT
While enjoying a bowl of chicken pho at Noi Bai Airport in Hanoi, Football Association of Thailand (FAT) president Madam Pang gave a nod of approval and expressed her delight.
Madam Pang visited Hanoi on Thursday to attend a friendly match between the U17 women’s teams of Vietnam and Thailand, celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
After wrapping up her official activities in Hanoi, she headed to Noi Bai Airport for her flight home later in the day. Before boarding, she sat down for dinner and chose one of Hanoi’s most beloved dishes: chicken pho.
She even shared a video of herself savoring the soup on Facebook, captioning it: "So delicious that I want to wrap it back. Pho is the best."
Madam Pang enjoys pho in Hanoi. Video courtesy of Facebook/Madam Pang
In the clip, Madam Pang can be seen nodding and showing the "OK" while eating pho.
Before tucking in, she squeezed in fresh lime and added plenty of chili, a nod to the Thai people’s love for spicy food. She also pronounced the words "pho" and "Hanoi" clearly in Vietnamese, which excited many viewers.
The video quickly went viral, attracting over 1,700 comments and more than 26,000 likes. Some netizens even joked that Madam Pang should bring Vietnamese pho back to Thailand and open her own restaurant.
Fans also recommended famous chicken pho spots in Hanoi for her next visit.
Madam Pang, 59, real name Nualphan Lamsam, is a prominent figure in business, philanthropy and sports in Thailand. She hails from Lamsam, one of Thailand’s most prominent business families.
In February 2024, she made history by becoming the first woman to be elected president of the Football Association of Thailand, winning a record 68 out of 73 votes (93%). She is also the first woman in Asia to lead a national football federation.
