Customers post to expose 'horrible overcharging' sidewalk restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City: What does the restaurant owner say?

The story of "a cheap restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City ripping off customers" was posted by an anonymous account in a culinary group on social media with 2.2 million members and quickly attracted attention with thousands of interactions, comments, and shares on many social media sites.

PHOTO: SCREENSHOT

Controversial

In the post, this account said that on a weekend morning, they stopped by a sidewalk restaurant on Chau Van Liem Street (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City). " Warning everyone, if you stop by this restaurant, stay away. They are terrible rip-offs.

At first I ordered a bowl of hu tieu hoan thanh, then the lady came out and asked if it was mixed, I asked how much it was and she said it was cheap. After eating and paying, she didn't know the price, so she asked the lady standing there how much it was. She raised her hand and said 4. I asked her why it was so expensive, there was nothing special except for 2 pieces of lean pork. She ran over there and asked the lady, and the lady said "4 is 4".

The important thing is when she was calculating the bill, I asked her why it was so expensive, she looked furtively at the side where she was selling, then ran over to ask. I had nothing but 2 pieces of pork in my noodle soup, and it was on the side of the road," this account shared.

The post, accompanied by pictures of the restaurant and the dishes, received mixed reactions from netizens. Some agreed, saying that the restaurant’s prices were unreasonable and recounted the times they were ripped off.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

Besides, many people objected, saying that with a bowl of wonton noodles like that, having shrimp and meat in the wonton and selling it in Cho Lon area is reasonable, not ripping off. Many people who have eaten at the restaurant also posted comments.

"It's a bit expensive, but the portion is okay," Thanh Phu said. "That area is famous for being expensive," said Zanh Nguyen. Meanwhile, account Nguyen Anh Tuan Cuong commented: "40,000 VND is the right price here. Wonton noodles with meat, not noodles without meat. Luckily, there are 2 pieces of meat, because other places often don't have meat."

"Sometimes she comes out and asks, 'Are you just a sales assistant? It's normal for sales assistants not to know the price,'" Loc Cam Thuy Trang shared. "I thought they were charging 400,000 VND, but 40,000 VND is normal," another account expressed.

What did the owner say?

This morning, December 22, we visited the noodle shop mentioned in the above article. It was past 8am, and the number of customers was so great that the owner was busy preparing. Sharing about the incident, the owner, Ms. L., said that she has been selling here for decades, 80% of whom are "regular customers" but no one has mentioned the high prices or overcharging.

PHOTO: CAO AN BIEN

"This customer must be coming to eat for the first time, because I don't see a familiar face. Here, each portion of food I sell is priced at 40,000 VND, regardless of the portion, mixed or braised ribs, wonton. I think compared to the general level in this area, my price is reasonable, not expensive, and there is no overcharging. It's not just a few pieces of meat in the bowl, the wonton itself has filling inside," the owner expressed.

According to Ms. L., it is unreasonable for customers to complain about the restaurant like that. The owner also said that the post did not affect the restaurant's business too much because most of the customers who come to eat are regulars for decades and like the taste of her cooking.

A customer who has been eating at the restaurant for many years said he chose to buy here because the price is reasonable and suits his taste. "I think each meal costs 40,000 VND in Cho Lon, which is not expensive. Many other restaurants sell food for more than 45,000 - 50,000 VND, but here it is okay for workers, " he added.