'One hour' pork leg noodle soup is about to stop selling, customers surround the restaurant

Over the past few days, the news that the "one hour" noodle shop on Nguyen Phi Khanh Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City has closed after nearly 50 years of business has caused many people to come to enjoy the last bowls of noodles.

Waiting at "one hour" noodle soup - Photo: HOANG LE

At 2:00 p.m. on May 28, a large number of people lined up outside the pork leg noodle shop waiting to buy. Inside the shop, many customers were sitting and eating.

Normally, the shop opens at 3pm. But during this time, at 2:30pm, the shop kept announcing that it was no longer accepting customers. Many people came, regretfully left, and made plans to come back earlier the next day.

Banh canh without a sign only sells "one hour"

The pork leg noodle soup shop has no signboard, it is cooked and sold by the sisters in Mrs. Phi's family. The shop is famous for its "uniqueness": every day the shop opens at 3pm and sells out in more than 1 hour.

These days, the news that the restaurant is about to close has caused a lot of customers to come.

Although the restaurant is quite cramped, chairs are used as tables to make it more compact, customers sit and eat in a hot atmosphere, waiting a long time for their turn, but everyone's face shows satisfaction.

After enjoying the meal, a customer happily left and told the restaurant owner: "Come back tomorrow for the last meal."

Crowds of customers come to the "one o'clock" noodle shop on the afternoon of May 28 - Video : HOANG LE

The three sisters who directly sell the noodles have the common feature of "same gray hair". The two younger brothers keep the parking lot. Many YouTubers and TikTokers come to film and ask for interviews, but the women wave their hands: "Film whatever you want but I won't answer anything, I don't have time, I can't even sell to customers in time".

The three sisters sometimes argued loudly with each other, all because they were afraid that there would be too many customers and there would be no more noodles to sell.

Then, they turned to the customers and explained: "Someone bought it, thank you very much, but there are too many customers, I'm afraid everyone will wait too long and not be able to buy anything", then suggested: "Please only buy one piece of ham per bowl, so there will be enough ham for everyone".

When customers expressed regret that the shop had closed and asked why they didn't pass on their skills to the younger generation, the women answered honestly: "It's easy to say, but in reality it's hard to pass on the skills because not everyone loves this job."

The reason the shop is closed is because the ladies are old and their health is declining so they need to rest.

Customers wait to enjoy the last "one-hour" bowls of noodle soup - Photo: HOANG LE

The wait is so long, why is the restaurant still crowded?

The pork leg noodle soup shop has been around for quite a while, nearly 50 years. Initially, the shop opened on Nguyen Van Giai Street. Later, it moved to 12 Nguyen Phi Khanh, a relative's house.

A bowl of noodles with a small piece of ham costs 40,000 VND. The noodles are made from tapioca starch and put directly into the broth, so the noodles are soft and flavorful.

The broth is clear, fatty, and has a pleasant sweet taste. The most satisfying part is the ham, it looks clean, and when you take a bite, you can feel the fragrant and tender meat.

A bowl of noodle soup with a small piece of ham costs 40,000 VND - Photo: HOANG LE

The strange thing about the restaurant that many people wonder about and ask on culinary websites is why this "one hour" noodle soup restaurant is so crowded.

One comment said: "The restaurant is delicious, but calling it 'divine' and coming here every minute and hour is not worth it. On the other hand, the restaurant's opening hours are also "ironic": 3pm - only 2-3 hours before lunch time, but it's still crowded."

A Westerner sits on the sidewalk, engrossed in eating noodle soup - Photo: HOANG LE

Asking this question to a customer who waited for nearly an hour to buy two bowls of pork leg to take home, Ms. Lam Hoang shared: "That is the unique feature, the unique quality of Saigon cuisine.

We wait not only to eat but also to keep in mind the dish that after May 30, 2025 will become the memory of many people."

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HOANG LE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/banh-canh-gio-heo-mot-gio-sap-ngung-ban-thuc-khach-vay-kin-quan-20250528205314465.htm