The owner of the restaurant also shared many interesting details with Thanh Niên reporters about being chosen as a filming location for the movie "Mai".
"In 40 years of trading, this is the first time we've had so many customers!"
This is the statement of Mr. Huynh Quoc Cuong (32 years old), owner of Giai Ky Noodle House located on Tran Phu Street (District 5, Ho Chi Minh City), after the restaurant suddenly became famous for appearing in a short scene in the film Mai by artist Tran Thanh.
The owner himself was surprised, not expecting that just a brief appearance in the film would lead to such a huge influx of customers coming to support his restaurant.
Shortly after opening, Mr. Cuong's restaurant was packed with customers.
Mr. Cuong and his wife were busy at the counter, working continuously because there were so many customers.
In the film, Mr. Cuong's noodle shop is where the two characters, Sau and Mai, stop for a late-night meal. Many observant viewers recognized the familiar shop and sought it out, while others visited out of curiosity, wanting to sample the flavors, especially the dry rice noodles featured in the film.
One afternoon, shortly after the eatery opened, we visited and were surprised to see 5-6 tables packed with customers in the modest space, as well as a surge of customers buying takeout. Many people couldn't find a seat but were willing to wait to enjoy the food, leaving the four people working there, all family members of Mr. Cuong, completely overwhelmed.
The noodle shop in the movie Mai was packed with customers and had to close 4 hours early.
Anh Nhật Hoàng (24 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District) said this was his first time visiting this restaurant. During Tet, he watched the movie Mai and was really impressed with the style of this Chinese restaurant.
"I saw so many people sharing this place online, so I wanted to try it out. I work in District 3, and I stopped by after work, but I didn't expect it to be so crowded. I waited for almost 20 minutes and still didn't get my food; there were so many customers. Since I was already here, I'm willing to wait a little longer," he said with a smile, then quickly enjoyed his portion of the popular dry rice noodles.
Each meal here costs between 45,000 and 50,000 VND.
[CLIP]: Noodle shop in Ho Chi Minh City… closes 4 hours early after appearing in Tran Thanh's film 'Mai'.
The owner said that since the second day of Tet this year, after the film premiered, the restaurant has been bustling with regular and new customers coming to support him. Prior to that, in the middle of last year, the film crew contacted Mr. Cuong's family to film there.
Ms. Huynh Boi Tran (71 years old), the mother of Mr. Cuong next door, added that she and her husband opened this restaurant nearly 40 years ago, and then passed it on to their son almost 10 years ago. Among the many loyal customers, Tran Thanh is one of the restaurant's regulars, and is also one of the reasons why the restaurant had the opportunity to appear in this film.
"The film crew arrived around 8 PM, it was packed! At that time, the restaurant stopped accepting customers so the film crew could continue filming until the early morning of the next day. Outside, actress Phuong Anh Dao looked incredibly beautiful. Surprisingly, many customers who came to eat also recognized me from the film," Mr. Cuong said with a laugh, recounting the story.
Closing early because we ran out of food.
Mr. Cuong said his restaurant is open from 4 PM to 3 AM the following morning. However, when I visited, I returned around 1 AM the next day and found the restaurant almost finished cleaning up and no longer accepting customers. Many people who came for late-night meals were disappointed and left after receiving a shake of the head from the owner: "The restaurant has run out of food!"
The restaurant is located at 451 Tran Phu Street.
The restaurant owners said that even though they had ordered 2-3 times more ingredients than usual, they had sold out by around 11 a.m. The family didn't want to order too much extra, hoping to sell just enough and offer the most heartfelt meals to their customers.
"I think this is just a short-term effect, so I don't intend to expand the business. I'll just continue doing my job well, as I've done for decades, providing excellent service to customers," Mr. Cuong expressed.
According to our research, Mr. Cuong's restaurant is well-known for its Chinese-style noodles and wontons. Recently, their rice noodle dish has also become more popular than usual. Each serving here costs between 45,000 and 50,000 VND.
Normally, the shop stays open until 3 AM, but in recent days it has closed early because they've run out of food.
Cường's father, Mr. Huỳnh Quốc Giai, and his wife opened this eatery to make a living and raise their two children. Not long ago, he passed away, and the noodle shop is now run by his mother, sister, brother, and wife.
"The experiences with this restaurant have been truly unforgettable throughout my decades of business. For me, the restaurant is a family heirloom, the labor of love from my parents, and the source of livelihood for my entire family. Thank you to all the customers who have supported us over the years," he added.
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