For over 60 years, the bun cha restaurant of Ms. Cao Thi Thu Ha’s family (40 years old) located in Vuon Chuoi market has been a familiar place for many generations of diners. The owner is always enthusiastic and happy every time customers come to enjoy the bun cha dish she made herself.

Latecomers are gone.

At around 6am, we stopped at alley 116 Vuon Chuoi Street (Ward 4, District 3), where there were many bustling shops. At the end of the alley, Ms. Ha’s family bun cha restaurant was steaming.

Entering the restaurant, what impressed us was the fragrant smell of grilled meat coming from the charcoal stove. The chairs were arranged in a circle around the kitchen, creating a cozy feeling. Although there were many customers, Ms. Ha was still careful and meticulous in preparing the most dedicated meals for the diners.

The meat is sandwiched between bamboo sticks and grilled over hot coals. This method is different from other restaurants I have been to, which are grilled on a grill or an electric oven. “The meat is grilled over hot coals in the afternoon until it is about 60% cooked, and then re-grilled in the morning when anyone buys it. The restaurant has two types of meat: pork belly and ground meat, both skewered on bamboo sticks. The skewers are mixed with fatty meat and a little beef,” she said.

The restaurant opens at 6am and is sold out by around 8am. There are so many customers that the couple doesn’t have time to stop working. Customers come here not only for the delicious food and familiar flavors but also for the enthusiasm and cheerfulness of the owner. A plate of bun cha costs 40,000 VND and includes 2 skewers of meat, vegetables, noodles and elephant ear soup.

Mr. Tran Minh Thong (23 years old, District 3) learned about the restaurant through social media and said: “The vermicelli with grilled pork here has a different taste, the meat is softer and more delicious than many other restaurants, especially served on a tray like the North, looks very beautiful. The accompanying elephant ear soup is delicious, unique, no other restaurant has it. The owner is enthusiastic and cute”.

Daughter-in-law continues the career of 3 generations

Ms. Ha said that she prepares all the ingredients herself to keep them fresh and clean. Perhaps because of her dedication, everything in the restaurant is carefully prepared, and customers who come to eat nod their heads in satisfaction.

Confiding in us, she said that the restaurant's customers are mainly 3-generation regulars, the restaurant was opened by her husband's grandmother, who was originally from the North, before 1970. Her mother-in-law passed on to her the experience of preparing Hanoi vermicelli with grilled pork, from marinating meat, grilling meat, making dipping sauce... From the family recipe, she has changed it a bit to suit everyone's taste. Many long-time regulars often call the restaurant by the affectionate name "Bun Cha Co Tuyet", it is known that Ms. Tuyet is Ms. Ha's mother-in-law.

Not wanting the dishes that her mother associated with her to be forgotten, Ms. Ha decided to open a restaurant to maintain and develop what her mother and grandmother were passionate about. At the same time, this is also her way of helping her children living far away from home enjoy dishes with the rich flavors of their hometown in the middle of Ho Chi Minh City.

“Many uncles and aunts, even though they live far away, still come to my restaurant every morning to eat because they miss the old taste. I like to chat with everyone, so I arranged chairs around the kitchen. Many people have children who are at work and have no one to talk to, so they come to the restaurant to eat and chat, which is very fun,” Ms. Ha confided.

A "regular customer" who has been eating at the restaurant for more than 50 years shared: "I have been eating here since the time when Ms. Ha's husband's grandmother, Mrs. Dung, sold it, since the time when they still used bamboo trays. I had to wake up early from Hoang Van Thu street to run down to eat. After eating, I also had a cup of guava leaf tea to drink, which I have not found anywhere else."

Similarly, Mr. Nguyen Van Thanh (35 years old, District 3) said that the flavor is one of the "secrets" of the restaurant that has kept him here for nearly ten years. "I have eaten bun cha here, but when I eat elsewhere, I find the taste not as good. The bun cha here has a very strange taste, delicious and I can't stop. I often recommend the restaurant to my friends," Mr. Thanh said.

Ms. Ha believes that when cooking with heart, with love for the food and for the customers, the customers will definitely feel it. It is also possible that it is the business fate of her grandmother and mother. She is proud that her family restaurant is a place where many generations of diners come and go, some of whom have been eating since they were little, and now that they are grown up and have families, they still come back to eat.