A man from Ho Chi Minh City has recently wowed netizens for his stunning painting which looks no different from a real-life bowl of pho, the iconic Vietnamese soup dish.

Originating in northern Vietnam, pho is a noodle dish served with hot broth cooked from beef or chicken.

In the painting that Le Dai Phat, 28, drew on paper using chalk, each ingredient of a bowl of pho, from stalks of scallion, cuts of beef, to noodles, looks exactly like that in real life. 

Phat even meticulously added spots of grease to make the painting more vivid.

He said that he was inspired to create the picture during hunger.

This painting of a bowl of 'pho' is drawn with chalk by Le Dai Phat. Photo: Le Dai Phat / Handout via Tuoi Tre

“Pho is a traditional Vietnamese dish and is also my favorite dish,” Phat said. 

“That time, when I was hungry, I thought of having a bowl of pho and started drawing the first strokes. 

“The painting took 220 hours to complete.”

Scum marks were the hardest and the most time consuming part for Phat as it required carefulness and great attention to every detail.

Le Dai Phat uses chalk to draw a painting depicting a bowl of 'pho'. Photo: Le Dai Phat / Handout via Tuoi Tre

“I can draw with a lot of materials,” the 28-year-old said. 

“Drawing with chalk gives me a special feeling. 

“Each chalk stroke may look rough, but the finished work looks very smooth and has harmonious balance.”

Phat said he took up drawing with chalk as a hobby 2016, but he has not created many works ever since due to the difficulty of using chalk.

However, his painting of pho has proved quality over quantity as it impresses online viewers as if they are looking directly at a real bowl of pho and can even smell it.

“They said that I put some kind of secret ingredients in this bowl of pho and don’t believe this picture was painted with chalk,” Phat said.

Le Dai Phat is pictured with a portrait of his grandmother drawn by him. Photo: Le Dai Phat / Handout via Tuoi Tre

The man said he failed many times before successfully completing the picture because he was not familiar with the material. 

He re-educated himself using the internet. 

His most favorite chalk work, however, is not the bowl of pho, but a painting of his grandmother in accordance with her wish.

Phat spent two months painting the portrait. 

Le Dai Phat draws a painting. Photo: Le Dai Phat / Handout via Tuoi Tre

“When she received the picture, she was very happy and complimented me on the drawing,” Phat recalled.

Currently, Phat teaches nail art to earn his living while enjoying drawing with chalk as a hobby after work. 

He hopes to have more unique works to make chalk painting more popular in the future.

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