Traditional versus modern Pho — which wins?

I've now had Pho prepared traditionally and in a modern interpretation. Both are interesting. The traditional version emphasises rice paper in the way Vietnamese cuisine shows French colonial influence alongside traditional Southeast Asian techniques. The clean and deeply savoury character is more pronounced and direct.

The modern interpretation is technically impressive but loses something. The a home cooking class context for the traditional version adds meaning that plating alone can't provide. bia hoi draught beer with the traditional version made more sense than with the modern. Traditional wins, but the modern is worth trying once.