At 7 a.m., the May sticky rice shop on Hang Bai Street (Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) is bustling with customers. Many international tourists also line up, eager to watch the shop owner demonstrate her "lightning-fast" technique of cutting diagonal sticky rice. Dozens of people surround the stall, attentively observing, taking photos and videos of the shop owner quickly dividing sticky rice, slicing green beans, and cutting ham.
This sticky rice shop belongs to Mrs. May, now it is handed over to her daughter - Ms. Ngoc Anh. Ms. Ngoc Anh was born and raised in the famous sticky rice making land of Hoang Mai village (Hoang Mai district, Hanoi ). Up to now, she has spent more than 20 years with her mother making a living, wandering around the streets of Hanoi with baskets of hot sticky rice.
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May sticky rice shop once caused a "fever" on Korean television and became famous on social networks thanks to the seller's "lightning-fast" sticky rice wrapping.
May sticky rice shop currently sells 4 types of sticky rice: corn, sticky rice, peanuts, and gac fruit with a variety of side dishes such as eggs, fatty sausage, braised pork, dried pork floss, etc. "My family has more than a dozen people making sticky rice, busy from 2-3 am, on peak days my family sells out more than 100 kg of sticky rice," Ms. Ngoc Anh shared.
According to the owner, the reason why the restaurant always attracts customers is because all the ingredients for the sticky rice are homemade by her family, so it has its own unique flavor. "There are families who have been eating with my family for the past 20-30 years, and they have to visit the restaurant several times a week," she said.
The owner of the sticky rice shop performs the operations quickly and serves a portion of sticky rice to the customer in just a few seconds (Source: Kim Ngan)
Ms. Ngoc Anh's customers are mostly regulars, of all ages, from children to the elderly. Since appearing on Korean television in 2020 and being personally introduced by culinary expert Baek Jong Won - who owns many large restaurants in the land of kimchi - as one of the must-try dishes when coming to Hanoi, the number of foreign visitors to her sticky rice shop has increased significantly. Many times, customers line up so tightly that they have to sit at the cafe next door or sit on a stone bench across from the shop.
According to the owner, each day can sell 1000 servings of sticky rice of all kinds.
Every day, Ms. Ngoc Anh regularly wakes up at 2 am to make sticky rice, then prepares the goods to be transported to the point of sale at 6 am. Her shop is open until 1 pm, and she leaves early if it sells out early. On her tray, she can make 6 packages of sticky rice at the same time. With quick movements, on average, it only takes her 30 seconds to serve each customer.
"Sometimes I work too fast and cut my hand, it hurts so much. But now I'm used to it. Every day I see many beloved customers coming, I'm so happy, I work tirelessly," said Ms. Ngoc Anh.
Each portion of sticky rice here costs from 15,000 to 30,000 VND, depending on the type. In addition to delicious sticky rice and reasonable prices, Ms. Ngoc Anh's friendly attitude is also a plus point for the shop to always attract many customers.
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With customers who have visited the shop several times, Ms. Ngoc Anh clearly remembers their preferences in order to serve them. She shared: “Each person has their own preferences, some like onions, some like beans… Remembering what customers like is also a plus to sell more.”
“The shop has been able to retain customers until now thanks to my mother’s hard work and efforts. I am now also trying to develop the shop,” the female owner expressed.
From a sidewalk stall, Ms. Ngoc Anh's sticky rice shop has now expanded with 10 workers working at the same time, each with a task to serve customers on time, from standing to receive orders, collecting money to receiving goods, coordinating parking, helping to wrap sticky rice, etc.
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Ms. My Lien, a diner in Hoan Kiem district, shared: "I have been eating sticky rice here for more than 20 years, since the owner's mother was still selling. The taste of the sticky rice here is still the same, still delicious as before. Now it is so crowded that I only come here occasionally, and whenever I miss the taste, I come right away to enjoy it. It takes a bit of time to queue, but I can't find a place with sticky rice as satisfying as here."
Ms. Thuy Duong (born in 2001, from Ha Nam) came here because she was curious about the videos of the owner wrapping sticky rice as fast as a dance on social networks. “I think the sticky rice of the shop tastes quite delicious, the sticky rice and scallion oil blend together. Maybe I will become a regular customer of this shop. While waiting, I stood watching her make it, so it was fun to watch. The owner and staff are very generous.”
The image of diners lining up at some famous restaurants in Hanoi recently received mixed opinions. Many netizens said that it was "suffering and humiliating to eat", "it's not the subsidy period anymore, why do we have to wait for food". In addition, many opinions on the contrary said that, not only in Vietnam but also in developed countries around the world, tourists also have to line up to enjoy delicious dishes. Many restaurants and shops have become destinations that attract international visitors thanks to the image of queuing.
VietNamNet Travel section invites readers to share stories and opinions on the topic of Queuing for food: Civilization or 'humiliation'? to email dulich@vietnamnet.vn. Appropriate articles will be posted according to editorial regulations.
Thanks a lot.
Kim Ngan
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