Nhat Linh's parents opened a restaurant to fulfill their daughter's wish.

The parents of the late Japanese girl Nhat Linh opened a Vietnamese restaurant in Fukushima, continuing their daughter's wish to "be a bridge between Vietnam and Japan".

On June 19, the parents of little girl Le Thi Nhat Linh opened a Vietnamese restaurant renovated from an old traditional inn in the Dake hot spring area, Nihonmatsu city, Fukushima prefecture.

Nine-year-old third-grader Nhat Linh was murdered by Yasumasa Shibuya, 52, in Chiba in 2017. She had previously shared with relatives her dream of "becoming a bridge between Vietnam and Japan."

"She said she wanted to cook Vietnamese food for her Japanese friends," said Le Anh Hao, 40. "I want to continue her wish through cuisine so that more people will pay attention to Vietnam."

Mr. Hao stands in front of the newly opened Vietnamese restaurant in the Dake hot spring area. Photo: Fukushima Minpo. — Mr. Hao stands in front of the newly opened Vietnamese restaurant in the Dake hot spring area. Photo: *Fukushima Minpo.*

The restaurant is named after the couple "Hao Nguyen Shop". Ms. Nguyen Thi Nguyen, 36 years old, and 4 staff serve about 20 dishes, including two of Linh's favorites: pho, banh mi, chicken rice, and smoothies.

After their daughter's passing, the couple considered returning home, but decided to stay in Japan, thinking "if we return like that, we won't be able to say anything to our daughter's spirit."

Mr. Hao originally wanted to open a traditional inn in the hot springs, so he was interested in and learned about the nature and quality of the hot springs in the Dake area. He decided to buy an old inn last year and renovate it into a restaurant.

"I want people to know Fukushima is a safe and attractive place, making this hot spring area more bustling," he said. "There are very few hot springs in Vietnam, so Vietnamese visitors will also be very interested in coming here."

Nhat Linh went missing on March 24, 2017, on her way to Mutsumi Daini Elementary School. Her body was found two days later in a ditch in Abiko City, Chiba Prefecture. A month later, Shibuya, the head of the parents’ association at Mutsumi Daini, was arrested by police.

On May 12, 2022, the Supreme Court of Japan rejected the appeal of Shibuya's defense attorney, upholding the life sentence for the perpetrator. The court also rejected the death sentence requested by the prosecutor, saying it was "unreasonable and inconsistent with the law."

Duc Trung (According to Fukushima Minpo )

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