Beef noodle soup: "The older sister enjoys the afternoon, the younger sister enjoys the morning."
Every afternoon, the beef noodle soup stall owned by sisters Nguyen Thi Dung (62 years old) and Nguyen Thi Minh (55 years old), located on Phan Xich Long Street (Phu Nhuan District), a famous food street in Ho Chi Minh City, is bustling with customers.
In the afternoon, Mrs. Dung's beef noodle soup stall is always full of customers.
Ms. Dung was busy preparing the dish.
In the morning, Mrs. Minh stands behind the counter to sell, while in the afternoon, Mrs. Dung and her two employees are busy preparing to serve customers who come to buy takeout or eat in. Perhaps that's why many customers jokingly say this is the "sister's afternoon, brother's morning" beef noodle soup shop.
The eatery isn't very large, but it's airy with 4-5 stainless steel tables and a few chairs for customers to sit and eat. In front is the kitchen area where the owner prepares steaming hot bowls of beef noodle soup, attractively presented with all the toppings of a special bowl.
Pointing to the plate of golden-fried sausage displayed in the glass cabinet, Ms. Dung said that it is her pride and also the unique feature that has attracted customers to her restaurant for decades, because few beef noodle soup restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City combine beef noodle soup with this special ingredient.
Beef noodle soup with incredibly rich and fatty meat, a rare find in Saigon.
The stalls were attractively decorated.
Among the dishes, the fried sausage is a special highlight that customers love at this beef noodle soup restaurant.
It all started over 40 years ago, when Ms. Dung was just a 20-year-old girl. “That day I was eating at a beef noodle soup stall owned by a woman from Hue in Saigon, and I noticed she added fried sausage. It was the first time I’d ever eaten beef noodle soup with such a strange combination; it was unusual, but delicious.”
"I asked for the secret recipe but couldn't get it, so I figured out how to cook beef noodle soup and make fried sausage on my own, and then opened a small eatery in Phu Nhuan market to make a living," the gray-haired woman recalled.
From the very beginning of her business, the owner confided that her eatery was popular and always crowded with customers. At that time, even though it was just a small noodle stall, she sometimes sold up to 50 kilograms of noodles a day. Later, when she was more financially stable and for various reasons, she moved to a new location. In the beginning, she worried that moving would affect her business, but regular and new customers still came to enjoy a bowl of beef noodle soup with fried sausage at her stall.
Ms. Dung has been selling beef noodle soup for over 40 years.
The owner continued, "Over the past 40 years, I've moved locations seven times for various reasons, but mainly because the landlords wouldn't rent to me anymore. I moved from Phu Nhuan, Binh Thanh, then District 1… but the more locations I moved, the more successful and prosperous my business seemed to become. I guess it's because of God's blessing, and also because of the customers' support. I've been at my current location for 10 years now, and I'm fortunate to have settled here."
"This restaurant is unique in Saigon."
As evening approached, the restaurant became increasingly crowded. Ms. Dung and her staff worked quickly and continuously to ensure customers didn't have to wait long. Here, a bowl of beef noodle soup with fried sausage costs 50,000 VND, and a special bowl costs 70,000 VND, including crab cake, leaf-wrapped sausage, tendon, blood sausage, beef, and pork trotters…
The broth is rich and flavorful.
A bowl of beef noodle soup costs 50,000 VND.
"The sausage is a signature dish here, prepared using a unique recipe unlike anywhere else. The combination of this ingredient in the bowl of vermicelli is also the secret to attracting customers and keeping them coming back to the restaurant over the years, including those who used to eat at our previous branches," the owner revealed.
Among the regulars at this eatery is Ms. Le Thi Bich Hanh (38 years old, residing in Binh Thanh District). This afternoon, she stopped by to buy a full bowl of beef noodle soup, plus an extra portion of fried sausage because she and her family also enjoy the sausage here. She learned about the restaurant because a younger sibling used to work there, and for the past 3-4 years, she has visited 2-3 times a week.
"I'm a chef and I run a restaurant, so I have very discerning tastes. But the beef noodle soup here is delicious, with a rich and flavorful taste. I'll be a long-term supporter of this place," she said with a smile, then inquired about the owner's business.
Ms. Hanh is a regular customer of the restaurant.
Mr. Hung is a big fan of the fried sausages at this restaurant.
Later, Mr. Mai Van Hung (54 years old, residing in District 1) stopped by to buy 300 grams of fried sausage. He had accidentally seen the tempting plate of fried sausage in front of the shop while driving past Phan Xich Long food street, so he stopped to buy some, and since then he's been a fan of this place.
He remarked that this is the "most unique beef noodle soup restaurant in Saigon" because he hasn't seen any other place that sells beef noodle soup with sausage. "My daughter likes the sausage here, so she buys some; the price isn't too high, 50,000 VND per 100 grams," the customer commented.
This beef noodle soup stall is the brainchild of the Dung sisters.
For Ms. Dung and Ms. Minh, this beef noodle soup stall is their passion, their life. Thanks to it, they have a life that is "not to say rich, but comfortable." Although they are no longer young, the two sisters say they will still try their best every day to bring the most perfect bowl of noodles to their customers, and also try to avoid moving locations so that customers don't have to... search for them.
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