Varsity baseball players enjoying their meal at Vietnam One. 

By Miles Prusek

I walked into the small, family-owned Vietnamese restaurant Vietnam One, hidden in a small strip mall at West Broad Street and Horsepen Road, and I was immediately surrounded by the smells of dumplings and pho. This restaurant has been a favorite of mine ever since I found it years ago with my family, when we were looking for authentic Vietnamese cuisine. The Horsepen Road neighborhood has many Vietnamese and international cuisine options, including Lebanese Bakery, Mekong, Pho Tay Do, and Pho Thien Phat. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I had not been able to go in and eat at the restaurant for a long time, but the memories of the delicious dishes did not leave my mind. Fortunately, I was able to recently visit the establishment and try the food again with varsity baseball players Mason Quigley (‘24) and (JMU baseball commit) Hartley Rahman (‘24). 

Once we walked in, Quigley commented on the welcoming atmosphere. He said the “spacious dining room and open concept” made the restaurant feel inviting. The walls were also covered in large prints of delicious-looking food that made me even more excited to taste the dishes again. We were soon seated by our server, who brought us drinks and menus. The quick and friendly service set the tone for the night and made everyone feel comfortable. 

Pork spring rolls. 

We looked over the menu and found numerous dishes that seemed enticing, but for an appetizer, Rahman settled on pork dumplings, and I ordered pork spring rolls. The service continued to be very quick, and our orders were ready in a matter of minutes.

The spring rolls were crispy and still steaming hot when they came out. Everyone tried them, and it was one of our favorite dishes of the night. Rahman said, “I’m usually not a huge fan of spring rolls, but the crispy outer shell and the flavorful meat combined for a great tasting dish.” 

Pork dumplings. 

The dumplings were also excellent, but they were not as popular as the spring rolls. They had a great flavor that combined well with the sweet peanut sauce, but the outer layer was a bit too doughy for my liking. While they were not my favorite, I would still recommend them to someone who enjoys a softer dumpling. 

Once we finished our appetizers, we looked over the dinner menu and ordered our entrees. I ordered a vermicelli bowl called “Seven Seasons Grill,” and both Rahman and Quigley ordered Pho Tai, or a pho bowl with thinly sliced pork. There were many other options for pho, as well as noodle dishes, rice paper dishes, rice dishes, stir fry entrees, and vegan dishes. This wide selection of dishes is a main reason why Vietnam One is so popular, and it ensures that there is an option that everyone can enjoy. 

The Seven Seasons Grill was a large bowl of vermicelli noodles with an assortment of different meats and vegetables on top. It had grilled chicken, grilled steak, grilled pork wrapped around onions, grilled shrimp, a crispy egg roll, and shredded cucumbers on top. It was a delicious combination of many different flavors, and they all went perfectly with the noodles. This was my first time having this dish, and it highlighted many of my favorite parts of their menu.

Both Quigley and Rahman enjoyed their pho and commented on their favorite parts of the dish. Rahman said, “I enjoy the flavorful broth. Sometimes, a dish like this could be bland, but the broth had so much flavor that I enjoyed every bite.” Quigley agreed, but added, “The pork was also very tender, and seasoned well. It was a great addition to the dish.”

This experience reminded me of why I enjoy this restaurant, and the friends I went with enjoyed their meal as well. This enjoyable experience was shared by many other people, as the restaurant has a four star rating on yelp and almost 80 five star reviews. I would strongly recommend this restaurant, and it is a great option for Vietnamese food here in Richmond.

All photos by Miles Prusek.