Busy during 'unusual hours', the cheerful single owner

Tucked away in a small alley on Nguyen Huu Hao Street, Aunt Mai's (real name Nguyen Thi Mai, 67 years old) noodle shop – run by a cheerful, single woman – remains a familiar haunt for many noodle lovers in Ho Chi Minh City.

"Aunt Mai likes it, so she's selling it!"

Around lunchtime, I went to Aunt Mai's noodle shop. The small shop had only a few tables and chairs, but it was packed with customers. Watching the steady stream of customers coming and going, Aunt Mai cheerfully explained that although the shop was open from 8 am to 4 pm, lunchtime was the busiest time.

Aunt Mai's noodle shop is located in an alley off Nguyen Huu Hao Street (District 4, Ho Chi Minh City).

[CLIP]: Aunt Mai's noodle shop, over 3 decades old in Ho Chi Minh City.

This small noodle stall has captivated customers for decades.

Aunt Mai and three other women, each with their own task, busied themselves preparing the food to serve customers as quickly as possible, ensuring no one had to wait long. A regular customer, upon hearing me talking to the owner, chuckled and said, "This place is full of women, not a single man in sight. It's all female bosses!" Hearing this, I and everyone else in the restaurant burst into laughter.

Some people who ate at my restaurant when they were children grew up, got married, and had children, and they still bring their spouses and children back to eat here. They say they're addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodle soup and have to come back again and again. Hearing customers say that makes me happy, touched, and it also motivates my sisters and me to run this restaurant for as long as possible.

Aunt Mai, the owner of the noodle shop.

Aunt Mai explained that the shop opened over 30 years ago, when she was in her thirties. Among countless professions, the owner chose to sell this dish simply because: "Aunt Mai likes it, so Aunt Mai sells it!", and there's no other particularly special reason.

Aunt Mai blanches the rice noodles and regular noodles before putting them in the bowl.

"Thanks to this eatery, I bet you raised your children and grandchildren well, that's why you're so healthy, Auntie?" I asked. Aunt Mai replied, "Yes! I raised many children!" The owner, with a kind smile, quickly explained that she was just teasing me.

Actually, Aunt Mai lives alone, without children, and runs this shop with her youngest sister and two other women who help out, for almost several decades now. Everyone here treats each other like family, helping each other with the business and making a living.

The dry rice noodle soup, a favorite among customers at the restaurant, is meticulously prepared by Aunt Mai.

The happiness of Aunt Mai and the other ladies who work at this restaurant lies in preparing dishes together each day, making the most heartfelt meals for their customers.

"Some people who ate at my restaurant when they were children grew up, got married, and had children, and they still bring their spouses and children back to eat here. They say they're addicted to the taste of Aunt Mai's noodle soup and have to come back again and again. Hearing customers say that makes me happy, touched, and it's also a motivation for my sisters and me to keep running this restaurant for as long as possible," Aunt Mai expressed.

From 3,000 VND, it's now 30,000 VND per bowl.

Recalling the early days of this eatery, Aunt Mai sold bowls for around 3,000 dong each, if I remember correctly. But back then, business was quite difficult because the restaurant was new and didn't have many regular customers yet.

Each serving of noodle soup at the restaurant costs between 30,000 and 50,000 VND.

The meal was delicious and filling enough to sustain me through a day's work.

Gradually, through apprenticeship, the dishes my aunt cooked became increasingly to customers' liking thanks to her willingness to listen to feedback and make changes. The restaurant also gained loyal customers who have been with her for decades.

Currently, the shop sells noodle soup with prices ranging from 30,000 to 50,000 VND per bowl, depending on the customer's needs. When a customer orders, Aunt Mai quickly takes a portion of noodles or vermicelli, and sometimes both, and blanches them in boiling water to soften the noodles.

Then, she puts it in a bowl, adding various ingredients such as chicken meat, chicken skin, chicken gizzards, pork... according to the customer's request. She doesn't forget to add scallions and fried onions before pouring a ladle of hot, flavorful broth over it.

The broth is rich and flavorful.

If customers choose to eat it dry, the restaurant also has a special sauce made by the owner herself. Customers eat the rice noodles with a bowl of pre-mixed dipping sauce to balance the somewhat "bland" flavor of the noodle soup.

In the sweltering midday heat of Ho Chi Minh City, eating a hot bowl of Aunt Mai's noodle soup while sweating profusely was a truly unique experience. The noodles were chewy, and the chicken, gizzards, and skin were all tender and firm, the meat not mushy, and the broth was rich and flavorful. It deserves an 8/10 rating, and I'll definitely come back for more when I have the chance, but perhaps on a cooler day or in the afternoon.

This regular customer is "addicted" to the noodle soup at Aunt Mai's shop.

Aunt Mai said she will keep selling until she no longer has the strength to do so.

Ms. Thuy (52 years old, residing in District 4), a regular customer of the restaurant for many years, also said that she loves the noodle soup here because of the owner's attentiveness to customers. Every time she comes here, she only orders chicken skin noodle soup because it is her favorite dish.

"I only eat the skin, and everyone here agrees. The broth is delicious and flavorful, and I really like the chewy texture of the noodles. I have to come here to eat 2-3 times a week, sometimes more, because the prices are reasonable and the food is delicious. The dish is a little bland, so you have to add a little more sauce or dip it in the dipping sauce to balance it out," a customer commented.

The pre-mixed dipping sauce balances out the somewhat bland flavor of the noodle soup.

Customers came and went in waves, mostly ordinary working-class people in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Aunt Mai's bowl of noodle soup thus filled the stomachs and warmed the hearts of countless diners, whether in the midday sun or the rain…

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