Man in Ho Chi Minh City sells ice cream tubes for 42 years, preserving memories for generations

For the past 42 years, the ice cream tube dish that Mr. Hien personally made and sold on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City has been loved and sought after by many people because of its flavor and sound that reminds them of their childhood.

Reminiscing about childhood

At noon, the Ba Dinh market (Binh Dong ward, Ho Chi Minh City) gradually became less crowded, making the jingling bells from somewhere louder. Hearing the bells, Ms. Diem (30 years old, Binh Dong ward) slowed down and stopped on the sidewalk to wait.

From afar, a man about 60 years old slowly pushed an old motorbike with a rectangular metal box on the back. As he walked, he rang a small bell hanging from the handlebars.

Mr. Hien was pushing his bike and ringing the bell to find customers on the street. Photo: Ha Nguyen

That is Mr. Nguyen Minh Hien (born 1967, HCMC) - the ice cream seller, Ms. Diem's ​​favorite food. She has eaten his ice cream since she was a child and now, almost every week she looks for him to buy some ice cream, as a habit that reminds her of her childhood.

“No matter where I go or what kind of ice cream I eat, I can never find the same taste or feeling as with Uncle Hien’s ice cream. Every time I eat this ice cream, I feel like I’m back in my childhood, when my mother gave me money to buy snacks,” Ms. Diem shared.

Ms. Diem has been eating Mr. Hien's ice cream tubes since she was very young. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Mr. Hien said that he loved ice cream tubes since he was a child. Every time he had money, he would wait for a vendor to pass by to buy it. Because he liked it so much, he learned the trade from an ice cream vendor in the neighborhood. After a short time, he mastered the process.

After that, he bought an ice cream container, attached it to the back of his bicycle, and pushed it around to sell. To attract customers, he also bought a bronze bell. While pushing his bicycle along the road, he rang the bell to attract people's attention.

He said: “I started selling ice cream tubes when I was just a teenager. I walked around on my bike and rang the bell. People saw that my ice cream was delicious and they loved it. Gradually, I had customers and earned enough to cover my living expenses.

Although this job doesn’t make you rich, I don’t have to worry about unemployment or the pressure of working long hours, so I stick with it. Up to now, I’ve been selling ice cream tubes for 42 years.”

Mr. Hien keeps the ice cream tubes in a cold box. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The more sunshine, the more expensive the goods.

Also thanks to selling ice cream tubes, Mr. Hien met and married a wife. When he was young, he went to the old district 8 (now Binh Dong ward, Ho Chi Minh City) to rent a house to sell ice cream.

Here, he met a girl who sold coconut leaf cakes, banh it, and banh tet – a friend of the landlord. Seeing that he was honest and hard-working, the landlord introduced him to her. After a period of getting to know each other, the two decided to live together and continue to make a living as street vendors.

For the past 42 years, Mr. Hien has kept the same traditional tube ice cream recipe. His ice cream is handcrafted from coconut milk and mung beans.

Whenever there is a customer, depending on the request, he will cut it into different lengths. Photo: Ha Nguyen

The mung beans are peeled, cooked until soft but not mushy, then mixed with coconut milk and a little sugar. The mixture is poured into a tube about 40cm long and frozen. When it reaches the right consistency, the ice cream is put into a cooler for sale.

Previously, Mr. Hien placed the ice cream box on the back seat of his bicycle. Later, he fixed the ice cream box on the back seat of his motorbike. On the box, he hand-wrote the price of ice cream from 3,000-5,000 VND/cone.

Mr. Hien's customers said that the ice cream reminds them of their childhood memories. Photo: Ha Nguyen

Mr. Hien’s ice cream tubes are all the same size, differing only in length. When eaten, the ice cream is not hard but soft, chewy with a moderate fatty and sweet taste. The dish also has the rich, smooth taste of green beans and the characteristic aroma of coconut milk.

Every day, Mr. Hien sells ice cream at noon, when the sun is hot. He says this job depends on the weather. The hotter the sun, the more he sells.

Before, he sold nearly 2 boxes, more than 400 trees, every day. Now he only sells less than half a box, but he still persistently pushes his bike to sell with an optimistic spirit, loving life.

Nowadays, despite having few customers, he continues to sell because he loves his job. Photo: Ha Nguyen

He confided: “In the past, children loved this ice cream because at that time, we were poor and did not have many candies to choose from like now. At that time, ice cream tubes were a favorite of almost every child because they were cheap, cool, easy to eat and easy to find.

Nowadays, children have plenty of sweets and cakes. Ice cream tubes have been replaced by modern ice creams with many flavors and beautiful designs. Most of my customers now are adults who want to find the taste of their childhood.

I have many regular customers who have been eating my ice cream since they were kids. Some are even overseas Vietnamese. Even though they have been away from home for many years, when they come back to Vietnam, they come to find and eat my ice cream. They also say that not only the taste but also the jingle bell sound reminds them of their childhood.

So, even though I don't have as many customers as before, my children are grown, have families, and have their own lives, I still sell the ice cream that has supported me for over 40 years."

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-dan-ong-o-tphcm-42-nam-ban-kem-ong-leng-keng-niu-giu-ky-uc-bao-the-he-2440824.html