'Unprecedented' scene at vegetarian restaurant in HCMC on the day before the 15th of the 7th lunar month

Strange scene in the "famous vegetarian alley"

Nearing the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, many restaurants and places selling vegetarian food in Ho Chi Minh City are still in a "slow" state.

Not only the little-known restaurants, but many addresses in alley 702 Hong Bang street (Hong Bang ward, HCMC) - known as the "famous vegetarian alley" - are also deserted.

Vegetarian restaurants in vegetarian alleys are deserted.

Located right at the beginning of the alley, Kim Chi vegetarian restaurant only welcomes a modest number of customers. At nearly 12 noon, the restaurant only had a few people coming to eat.

Not far away, Thien Y vegetarian restaurant - one of the oldest restaurants in the alley - is in a similar situation, even though it is past noon, there are still no customers.

Ms. Hanh, owner of Thien Y restaurant, expressed her surprise: “Every year at this time, the restaurant usually welcomes many customers. I opened in the morning but only had a few customers. It has never happened before that there are still no customers at noon.

The long-standing famous vegetarian restaurant in the vegetarian alley is also deserted on the eve of the 15th day of the 7th lunar month.

Maybe this year the Full Moon falls on a weekend, people cook vegetarian dishes at home so customers don't come to the restaurant.

Unexpectedly crowded

In contrast to the famous vegetarian restaurants in alley 702, a vegetarian restaurant on Le Hong Phong street (Hoa Hung ward, HCMC) is surprisingly crowded. At noon, the restaurant door is packed with shippers (delivery staff).

The vegetarian restaurant on Le Hong Phong street is very crowded.

These people lined up to receive their vegetarian meals. The restaurant was small, and the line stretched out to the sidewalk. The security guard at the restaurant had to constantly guide customers to find a place to park their vehicles and line up in order.

Shippers line up at the restaurant to receive the food customers have ordered.

Inside the kitchen area, many of the restaurant's staff are busy preparing food portions. Behind this area is the space for customers to dine directly. The dining tables here are also very crowded.

Many diners, when coming to the restaurant, witnessing the crowded scene with no seats left, chose to buy takeout food.

“I am not a vegetarian. However, on the 15th day of every month, I usually eat vegetarian food. Because my workplace is near this vegetarian restaurant, I often come here to eat.

On normal days, the restaurant is crowded but not as packed as today. Even though I am a regular customer, I had to wait in line to buy lunch because it was lunchtime,” said a customer.

Ms. Thuy, the vegetarian restaurant owner, revealed that on the days approaching the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, the number of customers coming to the restaurant doubled.

Many customers came to eat but the restaurant had no more seats so they decided to buy takeout.

“The restaurant is small and crowded, so many customers choose to order take-out food.

Therefore, on the day before the full moon, in addition to the number of diners coming to eat directly, the restaurant also has many shippers coming to pick up takeout food.

These days, the restaurant sells more food, and the income is also higher than usual. However, I have not been able to calculate how much higher it is,” Ms. Thuy shared.

The 7th Full Moon Prayer at the Grave in 2025 is trusted by many families . On the occasion of the 7th Full Moon, many Vietnamese people have the habit of going to worship at the graves of their relatives. Below is the 7th Full Moon Prayer at the grave and things to note.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/canh-chua-tung-thay-o-quan-chay-tphcm-ngay-can-ram-thang-7-2439611.html