Tears shed where love is "suspended".
Stopping her cart piled high with scrap metal, Ms. Hong Dao (43 years old, from Long An province) shyly entered the "hanging" noodle shop on Pham The Hien street (District 8, Ho Chi Minh City), asking for a portion to take home: "Will I still be able to eat noodles today?"
Ms. Dao receives a bundle of "hanging" noodles from the shop owner (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Hearing her words, Ms. Tran Thi Thuy Hong (57 years old), the owner of the noodle shop, was moved and quickly scooped a generous portion of noodles for her regular customer. Ms. Hong shared that Ms. Dao is one of the elderly laborers with difficult circumstances who frequently visits the shop to eat "hanging" noodles.
Since the beginning of September, Mrs. Hong's noodle shop has been "hanging" dozens of bowls of noodles every day. The shop will have 10 bowls of noodles ready, and the rest are contributed by customers and benefactors from afar. On some days, the shop receives so much support that it hangs up more than 80 bowls of noodles. Many customers, seeing the large number of laborers coming, fear that the quantity won't be enough and willingly hang up 10-20 bowls of noodles at a time.
However, lately, due to the weather, the restaurant has only been able to serve 20-30 bowls per day.
"Hanging" vermicelli is always sold out every day (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"The shop opens at 6 a.m., but there are already laborers waiting since early morning. They're shy, afraid the shop isn't open yet, so they wait until 7 a.m. before daring to come in to ask for some. Many people arrive later and miss out on the noodles, so I 'cheat' and sell them to them for free. Seeing them hoping to eat but having to go home disappointed, I can't help but feel sorry for them," Mrs. Hong said.
Receiving the packet of rice noodles from Mrs. Hong, Ms. Hong Dao smiled brightly, her eyes welling up with tears as she recounted her circumstances.
Ms. Dao's eyes welled up with tears as she recounted her circumstances (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
Every day, Ms. Dao pushes her cart to sell scrap metal from early morning until late afternoon. The money she earns is less than 150,000 dong. On some days, with unpredictable weather, she suffers from severe headaches, so she has to struggle to push her heavy cart home at midday.
"The money we earn is barely enough for daily expenses; we always have to be very frugal. I'm so happy to see charitable initiatives like this. It helps us workers save a little extra to provide for our families," Ms. Dao said emotionally.
Empathy for those difficult times
Having moved from her hometown in An Giang to Ho Chi Minh City to work as a domestic helper for over 6 years, Ms. Thai Thi Men (56 years old) shared that her simple joy is getting a free bowl of bun rieu (Vietnamese noodle soup) every day.
With her workplace right next to the "hanging" noodle shop, Mrs. Mến would come over every day to help Mrs. Hồng clean the shop and share portions of noodles with those in need. When she saw that no one else was coming, Mrs. Mến would approach and ask for a bowl of noodles to fill her stomach.
Many people who come to eat "hanging" noodles also stay to help Mrs. Hong for a while before leaving (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"At first, I didn't understand what 'hanging noodles' was. It wasn't until I saw people coming in to ask for some that I dared to stop by and try it. Being able to enjoy a delicious meal without worrying about the cost is truly a great comfort," Mrs. Mến confided.
Since opening her "hanging" noodle stall, whenever Ms. Hong goes to the market, she is greeted with bows and heartfelt thanks from the workers. "I tell everyone they don't need to thank me, because this is a contribution from many people. I feel like I've received so much in return, it's not simply about giving," Ms. Hong shared.
Previously, she had seen the "hanging" pho model in Hanoi and harbored a desire to do something similar for the poor laborers living around her. Initially, her daughter, fearing that Ms. Hong would have to work too hard, tried to dissuade her, but she was determined to create this model all by herself.
The security guard's smile upon receiving his "hanging" bowl of noodles (Photo: Nguyen Vy).
"There were days when I was on my lunch break, but when I saw people coming to ask for noodles, I immediately jumped up and served them. Sometimes, even when the shop had sold out, there were still many people waiting to eat, so I would run to the market to buy more ingredients to cook. The moment a worker gets to eat a hot bowl of noodles, I feel an indescribable happiness," Mrs. Hong confided.
Every day, this woman wakes up at 3 am to prepare the ingredients, and opens the shop at 6 am. At 12 pm, Ms. Hong will temporarily close the shop to rest, waiting until 2 pm to reopen until all the "hanging" noodles are gone. Many days, the shop closes late, and Ms. Hong doesn't get to sleep until 10 pm. Every day she is exhausted, but Ms. Hong has never thought about giving up.
"I used to be a poor laborer, selling goods on the streets to make a living and raise my children. I also experienced many hardships and felt the pain of going hungry for days, eating cold rice to get through meals. Therefore, for me, a delicious, nutritious meal is a huge motivation for struggling workers. I hope that more people will join me so that this model can be sustained for a long time," Ms. Hong said.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/an-sinh/bun-treo-tai-tphcm-treo-tinh-thuong-cua-nguoi-hao-sang-20240919160410473.htm
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