Mr. Le Thanh Long (54 years old) and Mrs. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hanh (49 years old) are the owners of the spring roll cart that many people say has the "cheapest prices in Saigon". The cart has no sign, it is located in a small alley on Han Hai Nguyen Street (District 11). Although it is just a snack shop, customers always stand in line waiting to buy. Many customers have to "beg" the couple to work overtime.
Spring rolls from 200 VND to 2,000 VND
We stopped by Mr. Long and Mrs. Hanh's spring roll cart around early afternoon. As soon as we saw the customers, Mr. Long quickly said, "We're all sold out, come back early tomorrow!". After that, nearly ten more people came to ask to buy spring rolls. When they found out they were all sold out, everyone regretfully left.
The couple's spring roll cart has been selling for more than 25 years. Mr. Long said that the couple started selling spring rolls at only 200 VND, then 500, 800, 1,000, 1,500 and now 2,000 VND. This dish is part of the childhood of many people, with just a little cassava, ground peanuts, raw vegetables rolled in rice paper and dipped in homemade chili sauce, but it is very attractive.
When you go to Han Hai Nguyen street (District 11), just ask for Mr. Long and Mrs. Hanh's spring rolls and everyone will know.
The shop opens from 11am to 3pm every day, except on Sundays. However, by 1pm, they had sold out. Mrs. Hanh said: "This year will be the shop's 26th year. This area is full of workers, so the prices are low so they can eat well before work. The students also come here to eat, so I give them a few more rolls."
Many customers asked for more dipping sauce.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (36 years old, living in District 11) said that her husband and children really like to eat spring rolls here. "My whole family loves spring rolls here, even my 6-year-old son eats 3 or 4 rolls at a time. My grandparents' spring rolls are delicious, the best part is the dipping sauce. Sometimes I order the dipping sauce separately to eat with other dishes. My grandparents are always cheerful, so I sit and eat and talk like family members," Ms. Hoa said with a smile.
25 years of "husband and wife"
From early morning, Mrs. Hanh went to the market to choose fresh ingredients. Mr. Long was the main chef who prepared the ingredients. For many years, the two of them worked together, selling and wrapping each spring roll, always together.
Mrs. Hanh said that in the past, when he was still healthy, they could sell several thousand spring rolls every day. Now, his health is getting worse, and she has pain in her arms and legs when the weather changes, so she works less. Many regular customers feel sorry for her and ask why they don't hire more employees. She smiles and replies: "Where do we get the money to hire them?"
Neatly arranged spring rolls, ready to be delivered to the customer who ordered 300 rolls.
"This price is the cheapest in the city. We sell the products at a profit, and also to give the elderly couple some joy in their old age. Many times his children tried to stop him, but he said, it's not something that can be abandoned just because of decades of hard work," Ms. Hanh confided.
Mr. Le Van Lam (31 years old) said he has been a "regular customer" of the restaurant for the past 4 years. Since moving to Tan Phu District, every weekend he comes by to buy dozens of rolls to "eat to satisfy his cravings".
Mr. Long said that the happiness of his wife and him is to work every day, to make the most dedicated spring rolls for customers. It is okay to suffer, as long as the couple has each other, if one of them is missing, the spring rolls will not be as delicious as expected.
Two regular customers of the restaurant, each ate 10 rolls and still couldn't satisfy their cravings.
The couple did not want to be a burden to their children, they always told themselves that as long as they had the strength, they would continue to work. After chatting for a while, the couple finished wrapping the last spring rolls for the customers. Although they were exhausted, they both smiled happily, looked at each other, laughed and talked about whether they should sell a few hundred more rolls tomorrow to make the customers happy or not.
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