That's the unmarked eatery of Ms. Vu Thi Kim Dung (63 years old), affectionately known by customers as Ms. Dung's beef noodle soup or the "cheapest beef noodle soup in Ho Chi Minh City".
Even before the official launch, customers were already coming to inquire.
Ho Chi Minh City was cool in the morning. I woke up early and rode my motorbike to Ms. Dung's beef noodle soup stall, located in a small, winding alley off Thanh Thai Street (District 10, Ho Chi Minh City). The stall didn't open until 8:30, but by 8:00, customers were already arriving and asking, "Is the beef noodle soup ready yet, Ms. Dung?"
At 8:30 a.m., Ms. Dung's beef noodle soup restaurant was crowded with customers.
Many people were already seated at tables waiting, while some customers decided to "take a stroll around" and return when the restaurant opened. Among those waiting was Mr. Phi Thanh (46 years old). After chatting with him, I learned that he's been a regular customer for the past 3-4 years, traveling from Tan Binh District almost every week to enjoy the beef noodle soup and crab noodle soup at Ms. Dung's restaurant.
"This place sells the cheapest beef noodle soup in Saigon! I say that because I've never eaten beef noodle soup for 10,000 dong before, and it still comes with pork sausage, and the sausage is fresh and delicious. The owner makes it delicious, and the price is so cheap, it's worth traveling a little further and waiting a little," he chuckled.
Ms. Dung, suffering from arthritis, has difficulty walking. This elderly woman, with the help of her younger sister, Ms. Vu Thi Kim Phuong (57 years old), who lives next door and sells rice rolls, struggled to carry out the kerosene stove and two pots of broth. One pot of broth was for beef noodle soup, and the other for crab noodle soup.
Each bowl of beef noodle soup here costs from 10,000 VND.
Mr. Phi Thanh is a regular customer of the restaurant.
[CLIP]: The noodle soup stall with 10,000 VND/bowl that's the 'fastest-selling in Ho Chi Minh City': Sold out in less than an hour.
Having prepared the rice noodles, accompanying vegetables and dipping sauce, the owner started selling at exactly 8:30 AM. By this time, all the tables were already occupied. Upon closer observation, it became clear that the customers at this eatery were mostly neighbors, struggling laborers, lottery ticket vendors, and people with disabilities…
I was surprised that each serving of noodle soup that Ms. Dung sells, both beef noodle soup and crab noodle soup, costs at least 10,000 VND, but customers can also order for 15,000 - 30,000 VND, or even more. Mr. Thai Hien (33 years old), a lottery ticket vendor, said he has been eating Ms. Dung's beef noodle soup for more than two years now.
"Ms. Dung sells it to me cheaply because she sees I'm disabled and selling lottery tickets; she only charges 10,000 dong per portion. So I come to her every day to save money, because I don't sell much each day. Ms. Dung's food is the best, but you have to hurry because it's all sold out in about an hour," a regular customer shared.
Why are they selling them so cheaply?
Indeed, although they started selling at 8:30 AM, by around 9:20 AM, the two pots of broth at the stall were almost empty. Throughout the selling time, Ms. Dung had to stand and prepare dishes for customers continuously without a break.
The owner said that over 30 years ago, after giving birth, she moved to this area. To earn a living and make ends meet, she decided to open this eatery. Back then, if she remembers correctly, a meal cost around 2,000 - 5,000 dong.
The noodle soup was flavorful and delicious.
With affordable prices and the owner's knack for business, word of mouth has led to Ms. Dung's shop receiving great support from customers to this day. Ms. Dung says she has kept the current prices for almost ten years without raising them.
"Why is it so cheap, miss? Are you making a profit?" I asked, and the owner smiled kindly.
Ms. Dung, the owner of the shop. 
The shop is open for one hour.
Accordingly, every day, Ms. Dung wakes up at 3 a.m. to go to the market early. She says she wakes up at that time to buy fresh, high-quality ingredients and prepare everything in time to sell to customers in the morning. Because she works alone, she cooks just enough to sell within an hour, never more.
The broth pot was running low, and the customers were dwindling. The owner was drenched in sweat after an hour of hard work... barely having time to breathe. But Ms. Dung said she felt happy and content, being able to do business and serve customers from near and far who came to support her.
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