'Pho' as the Embodiment of Vietnamese National Identity in the Linguistic Landscape of a Western Canadian City

This article examines the relationship between Pho, a type of Vietnamese soup, and Vietnamese national identity in the linguistic landscape of Edmonton, Alberta (Canada). The study suggests that Pho has not only been used by Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton for indexical function but also for symbolic evocation associating with Vietnamese cuisine and national identity. The data comes from three Vietnamese restaurants in Edmonton. A multimodal analysis of shop signs, window signs and notices, menus, websites, and other relevant semiotic resources is carried out using geosemiotics, a multidisciplinary framework that analyses the meaning of the material placement of signs and human actions in the material world. The results indicate that Pho has a dominant visibility in the linguistic landscape of three restaurants. Furthermore, the symbolic relationship between Pho and Vietnamese identity is evident in the way it is used to address the feelings of nostalgia among migrant patrons.