40-year-old vermicelli soup shop in the West: An elderly couple in their 80s still happily sell a bowl for 5,000 VND

In a small alley in Can Tho, the 40-year-old crab noodle shop of an 80-year-old couple always serves with kindness: customers ordering a bowl of 5,000 VND, 10,000 VND or 20,000 VND... are still served attentively.

Bun rieu restaurant over 40 years old in the West

The vermicelli soup restaurant located at the end of alley 8, Tran Chien street, Cai Rang ward, Can Tho city (formerly Le Binh ward, Cai Rang district, Can Tho city) has been a familiar destination for many diners for the past 40 years. Customers sit and eat on rustic plastic tables, under the shade of old mango trees. Next to it is a cool river leading to the famous Cai Rang floating market in the West.

The restaurant has no sign and is located in a deep, narrow alley, but it is sought out by many customers. That is because of the friendly sales style of Mr. Nguyen Van Hung (73 years old) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Be (71 years old) - the owners of the crab noodle shop that has existed for more than 40 years in the Western Capital.

The vermicelli soup restaurant of a Western couple has been around for over 40 years.

PHOTO: THANH DUY

As usual, at around 9am, the old couple brought tables, chairs, and ingredients to the stall. They placed the pot of hot soup on the charcoal stove, arranged the toppings in a convenient manner, and then began to welcome customers. Almost every day, there were customers arriving early to wait for the shop to open.

As the "receptionist" of the restaurant, Mr. Hung warmly welcomes every guest and arranges a seat for them. For decades, Mr. Hung's style of selling vermicelli has remained the same. He still wears a tank top, shorts, and a dark cap because that is enough for him to face the sun. The "soul" of the vermicelli restaurant lies in Mrs. Be. Before, she did not learn how to make vermicelli soup from anyone, but only explored the recipe and created her own flavor.

The shop opens for business from 9am

PHOTO: THANH DUY

A steaming bowl of noodles from Mrs. Be's restaurant has duck blood, pork sausage, beef balls, crab paste, fragrant coriander and dozens of dried shrimps, quite eye-catching. A noodle stall that is not too fussy but suits many diners' taste. However, the attraction of the alley noodle shop is not only what is in it, but also comes from the generous way of selling noodles of this U.80 couple.

Retain customers with kindness

There are few noodle shops in Can Tho City that are willing to serve customers regardless of whether they order a bowl of 5,000 VND, 10,000 VND, 15,000 VND, 20,000 VND... like here. A bowl of noodles for 5,000 VND is not always "measured evenly", but sometimes it is small and sometimes it is big.

"Many poor people come here to eat and order a bowl of noodles for 5,000 VND. I see that even though they are adults, eating a bowl of noodles for 5,000 VND will not make them full, so I give them more. Likewise, when people ask for more noodles, soup, or beef balls, I don't have the heart to charge them," said Mrs. Be.

Customers enjoy vermicelli soup under the shade of an old mango tree.

PHOTO: THANH DUY

Because of the generosity of the old couple, the noodle shop has welcomed many special guests over the past 40 years. Mrs. Be continued: "Up to now, there have been countless people who finished eating and then said they didn't have money to pay because of difficulties. Or some people came and said they sold on credit, then came back to pay later. The city is so big, we don't know if people will come back as they said, but my husband and I still happily sell. Because I feel guilty if we have food and let people go hungry."

The recipe for cooking vermicelli with crab soup that Mrs. Be discovered herself

PHOTO: THANH DUY

Our conversation with Mrs. Be and her husband was interrupted when   suddenly   A girl came in to pay the bill. She paid more than the amount of noodles she ordered, which surprised Mrs. Bé. The girl said she had eaten noodles a few days ago but forgot to bring cash. She intended to transfer money, but Mrs. Bé did not have a bank account, so she had to pay later. Speaking of this, Mrs. Bé did not remember because usually, when people ate without money, the grandparents did not bother to remember, and in their hearts, they just comfortably considered it fate.

The generosity of the couple in their 80s warmed the hearts of many poor people, because their circumstances were not very prosperous. Mrs. Be said that before, the couple rowed a boat to sell shaved ice and coffee on Cai Rang floating market. When they could no longer row the boat, they switched to selling noodles. They had two sons, but both died of illness. One died at the age of 8 and the other was over 30. They had received help so they sympathized with those in need.

The shop is usually sold out by 2pm.

PHOTO: THANH DUY

Now, their life is still poor, living in a charity house. Previously, the couple had to pay a small amount of money to build a house, so they borrowed a little from outside. Although it does not have a frontage, this noodle stall is chosen as a destination for many diners because they can feel the simplicity and honesty of the Western people.

Ms. Pham Thi Loan Anh (31 years old, Cai Rang Ward, Can Tho City) said that she is a regular customer of Mrs. Be's couple. "I know that they are kind to their customers and those in need, so I feel very sympathetic. Sometimes my husband and children and I come here to support them. The more we eat, the closer and more comfortable we feel. When we go away for a few days, we miss and crave the very unique flavor of the crab noodle soup, so fragrant," Ms. Loan Anh shared.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-bun-rieu-40-nam-o-mien-tay-ong-ba-u80-ban-to-5000-dong-van-vui-185250812121840708.htm