After 40 years as a maid, she inherited the 'fortune'

High price, many customers still love it

On the first day of the week, Ben Thanh market (District 1) is crowded with tourists and locals, the stalls are bustling with buyers and sellers. The noodle stall of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ha (60 years old, living in Ho Chi Minh City) located at stall 1028 in the market is still full of customers. The food stall with all the ingredients neatly arranged, many eye-catching colors made me unable to resist but stop by.

The restaurant's menu has a variety of dishes for customers to choose from.

A portion of vermicelli with shrimp costs 120,000 VND.

The menu here has a variety of dishes, from grilled pork vermicelli, grilled shrimp vermicelli, spring rolls, shrimp vermicelli, rice paper rolls, stir-fried beef vermicelli, pork skin rolls to grilled pork vermicelli, spring rolls, grilled pork rolls, grilled meat sandwiches... Everything looks delicious and attractive, I don't know which one to choose.

It is known that one of the famous dishes here, also the most expensive dish, is grilled shrimp vermicelli. I decided to choose this dish to enjoy, wondering what is in this bowl of vermicelli that people are willing to spend 120,000 VND to eat.

It is not easy to make money from people, the shrimp here are big shrimp, must be fresh and delicious. If customers eat shrimp that is not fresh, and feels mushy, how can they sell it? On days when there are big shrimp, each portion of noodles has 1 shrimp, on smaller days there will be 2 shrimp. If customers want to eat the special portion for 220,000 VND with more shrimp, that is also available!

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Owner

In a moment, the two waitresses, who were also two elderly ladies, had finished the dish. Mrs. Ha happily brought it out to me. According to the owner's introduction, the special thing about this bowl of vermicelli with shrimp is the fresh shrimp and the dipping sauce prepared according to a special recipe.

Mrs. Ha has been working as a shop assistant for nearly 40 years and was passed down to her by the owner.

Not having had breakfast yet and feeling hungry, I quickly enjoyed this noodle dish. As advertised, the shrimp was fresh and of good quality, served with noodles, raw vegetables, pickles and fish sauce, seasoned to perfection. For me, just in terms of taste, this dish deserves an 8/10, worth a try.

Mr. Hao (27 years old, living in Hanoi ) was also enjoying the grilled pork vermicelli, his girlfriend was eating vermicelli with giant shrimp. The customer said he was in Ho Chi Minh City for work, so he stopped by Ben Thanh market to sightsee and eat.

“The last few times I visited Saigon, I also stopped here to eat because the stall was attractive. I found the grilled pork vermicelli and the shrimp vermicelli both delicious, but my friend prefers the shrimp vermicelli, the shrimp meat is fresh, delicious, and sweet. It’s in Ben Thanh market so for me, this price is reasonable,” the customer commented and said he would stop here to eat if he had the chance.

“I used to be a maid, now the owner gave me the shop!”

Many customers will be surprised to know that the current owner of the restaurant used to be an assistant for 40 years to the previous owner - Mrs. Nguyen Thi Vien (also known as Mrs. Tam, 81 years old). That is the reason why this restaurant is affectionately called "Mrs. Tam" restaurant.

The shop is open from morning to afternoon.

According to Mrs. Ha, this noodle shop has been around for 50 years, since the time of "grandmother", Mr. Vien's mother. At that time, she sold noodles in the center of Saigon. Later, she moved to Ben Thanh market to sell. Since childhood, Mr. Vien and his sister helped their mother sell.

Later, my mother gave it to Mrs. Tam's sister to sell. Then she left it to Mrs. Tam to sell. For the past 7 years, Mrs. Tam has only left it to me to sell because her children have moved to America. She lives with her youngest child, but her child has his own job so he cannot do this job.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, Owner

For 40 years working for the owner, in Mrs. Ha's simple words, she was a "maid", now that Mrs. Tam has handed over the shop, she is extremely happy. Mrs. Ha said she has been working here since she was 20 years old, without a husband or children. Now she has a family, and is also old.

For Mrs. Ha, the restaurant is her whole youth.

After so many years of being attached to the restaurant, going through many ups and downs, she has considered this place an indispensable part of her life, and has also considered Mrs. Tam as her blood relative. The recipes and ways of making dishes were all passed down to her by Mrs. Tam. Every month, she often visits the restaurant to help her miss the old place.

The owner said that currently, besides Mrs. Tam's relatives who help sell, her daughter, who is over 30 years old, is also attached to this restaurant. The owner's daily joy is to bring hearty meals to domestic and foreign diners, contributing to promoting Vietnamese cuisine .

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/bun-tom-cang-120000-dong-to-cho-ben-thanh-phu-chu-40-nam-co-osin-duoc-ke-thua-gia-tai-18523070314170795.htm