Crab noodle soup on a rainy day in Bien Hoa street corner

Illustration: Hang Xuan

I hurriedly ran to take shelter from the rain under the awning on Vo Thi Sau Street, next to a crab noodle shop owned by a woman, whose eyes were deeply marked with crow’s feet, bearing the marks of hardships in making a living. The shop was nestled under an old awning, nestled among high-rise buildings and luxurious restaurants and cafes. It was called a shop but in fact there was only a cart, on top was a pot of boiling broth, below was a glowing red coal stove. The shop had a few tables and a few chairs, all worn out over the years.

I parked my bike, went to the restaurant, pulled up a chair, sat down and ordered a bowl of crab noodle soup. The owner of the restaurant warmly welcomed me with a bright smile, her face flushed with the steaming pot of broth, her hands quickly swirling the broth. She brought the small noodles into the pot to blanch, put the noodles into the bowl and then used a large ladle to skillfully scoop the broth. She asked me if I wanted boiled or raw vegetables. Hearing her accent, I guessed she wasn’t from this place so I blurted out: “Where are you from?”

Bien Hoa - the place that helps many people turn their sparkling dreams into reality.

Her eyes lit up with surprise, and she smiled as she replied: “You are so perceptive. I live in Thanh Son commune, Dinh Quan district. My son studies at Dong Nai University, Faculty of Education, so my husband and I decided to come here to find more work.” She sighed and said: “It’s easier to make money in the city.”

She told me: after helping her push the cart from 3pm, her husband takes the opportunity to run a few motorbike taxi rides. The couple stays in a rented house next to the railway. Every day, she sells about 200 bowls of noodles. On busy days, she gets to go home early to rest. But today it's raining, the restaurant is empty, and the pot of broth hasn't emptied much.

She smiled gently and said optimistically: even though the sales were slow, at 8pm she would push the cart back to the boarding house and give each person in the neighborhood a bowl. Whoever paid whatever amount they wanted to pay, they could pay, if they didn’t pay, it was fine, they were all poor workers who came to the city to make a living. When their child finished college, she and her husband would return to the fields and gardens.

Listening to her story, I felt my nose sting. I was born in a poor countryside, going to university was the only way for us to reach our dreams. During the days of studying in the city, the burden of earning a living weighed heavily on the shoulders of our parents. How many students from the poor countryside went to the city with ambitions. Besides them, many parents temporarily left their beloved home, far away from the neighbors who helped each other in times of need, temporarily left the peaceful rice fields to follow their children to the city to find more work. The money soaked in sweat was used to support their children's education with the hope that their future lives would be less difficult. I saw in her the hard-working appearance of my mother back then.

The bowl of vermicelli soup with crab soup was placed in front of me, steaming hot. Outside, the rain was getting heavier. I slowly enjoyed the taste of the vermicelli soup with crab soup. The sweet taste of the bone broth, the rich taste of crab soup mixed with minced meat; in the bowl of vermicelli, there was pig's blood, pork roll, and pork skin. The crab soup was pressed into a thick, firm cake, mixed with a little egg yolk and minced meat, so the crab soup was thick. Biting into a piece of fried tofu, I could feel the sweet and fatty taste, the fatty crab fat, the crunchy pork skin, the vermicelli noodles were chewy but not mushy. The accompanying vegetables were a plate of water spinach, evenly split, crunchy, sweet, accompanied by bitter herbs, banana blossoms, and basil. The shrimp paste was thick and fragrant. A wonderful blend of the rich flavor of the broth, the spicy taste of the chili, the fatty taste of crab soup, and the sweetness of the vegetables, creating an irresistible perfection. Enjoying a bowl of vermicelli soup with crab in a small corner of Bien Hoa on a rainy day, I miss my poor hometown, where in the afternoon the whole family gathered around my mother's pot of vermicelli soup, all the fatigue of the day suddenly disappeared.

Slurping down a bowl of vermicelli soup on a rainy day is really enjoyable. The rain has stopped, the street lights cast a faint yellow light on the road. I stood up to pay, startled by a full bowl of vermicelli, but at a reasonable price, 35 thousand dong. With that small amount of money, she is trying to save up to help her son dream of becoming a teacher. One day, he will be like me, leaving the poor countryside and settling in the spacious city.

Nguyen Tham

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202505/bun-rieu-cua-noi-goc-pho-bien-hoa-ngay-mua-3ed1e4c/