Pho 2000, a Ben Tranh adjacent pho shop, is famous for one thing, serving Bill Clinton beef noodle soup on his visit to Ho Chi Minh City in November, 2000. Clinton’s photos were everywhere in this open air, corner restaurant.

Thanks to Clinton’s association, a small bowl of rice noodle soup cost almost twice as much as any other pho shop I ate at in Ho Chi Minh City (18000 Dong for a small bowl, 23000 for a large bowl). Still, 18000 Dong is only about $1.10 American, and my bowl of Pho Ga, rice noodle soup with chicken, was the finest I ate in Vietnam. The soup was simple: rice noodles mixed with onions, scallions, and slices of white meat chicken, but the ingredients were great and the broth was flavorful.

To drink, I ordered a sapodilla shake (10000 Dong). I have no idea why a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City was serving a shake made with an orange fruit native to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, but it was sweet and refreshing, so I’m not complaining.