Despite having no sign, it's still crowded with customers.

Early in the morning, on the bustling Ton That Tung street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City), there is a small, unmarked sticky rice stall that is always crowded with customers.

The owner, a 63-year-old woman with a simple carrying pole and an old hat, sits with her back to the street selling sticky rice to customers. Her name is Luu Thi Kim Hoang (63 years old, District 4). Curious about the taste of the sticky rice, I stopped to try it.

Passed down from mother to daughter.

I visited the sticky rice stall around 7 a.m. Many people were waiting in line to buy sticky rice with mung beans, as it's a signature dish. On a small carrying pole, banana leaves, coconut milk, shredded coconut, mung beans, and puffed rice cakes were displayed, along with two types of sticky rice: purple sticky rice and golden yellow sticky rice with mung beans... it was incredibly eye-catching. Mrs. Hoang sells there from 5 a.m. to about 9 a.m.

Ms. Hoang has been selling sticky rice for 42 years.

Mrs. Hoang, suffering from arthritis, has difficulty walking. This elderly woman, with the help of her husband, Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh (66 years old, District 4), assists her in packing sticky rice, serving customers, and handling payments.

The couple were very welcoming and enthusiastic. Whatever the guests wanted to eat, or how much they wanted to add or subtract from the food, Mrs. Hoang and her husband quickly fulfilled their requests.

Sticky rice is wrapped in banana leaves with a layer of puffed rice underneath, then topped with salted peanuts, shredded coconut, and mung beans. The special feature of this sticky rice is the rich, creamy coconut milk, fragrant with pandan leaf aroma.

[CLIP]: Mrs. Hoang's sticky rice stall has refused to raise prices for 42 years.

Speaking to a reporter, Ms. Hoang said that because she has been selling sticky rice for decades, people are familiar with its taste, so every morning, as soon as she sets up her stall, there is a constant stream of customers. Thanks to her extensive experience and quick, skillful hands in wrapping the sticky rice, customers don't have to wait long.

According to Ms. Hoang, she helped her mother sell sticky rice from a young age. After her mother passed away, she continued the business, and has been doing so for 42 years now. Most of her customers are regulars, including laborers, students, and others. Ms. Hoang knows each person's favorite sticky rice dish by heart, so when they arrive at the stall, she just needs to look at their face to prepare it right away.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong (50 years old, District 1), a regular customer, shared that her whole family loves Mrs. Hoang's sticky rice: "I'm a loyal customer of hers. I've been eating here for several years now. I'm so used to the taste of Mrs. Hoang's sticky rice that I rarely eat it anywhere else. The best thing here is the chewy, soft texture of the rice combined with the aroma of pandan leaves and coconut milk; it's a very familiar and distinctive flavor. Especially, the owners are always cheerful and enthusiastic."

We will not raise prices.

Ms. Hoang shared that it was thanks to the love and support of her customers that her family had been able to cover their living expenses for the past several decades. She is grateful and cherishes her customers as if they were her own family.

Mr. Quoc (70 years old) is a delivery driver from Dong Nai who came to Ho Chi Minh City to make a living. He said that every day he stops by Mrs. Hoang's sticky rice stall for breakfast. "Because I'm afraid of the crowds, I usually come early. The sticky rice here is soft, delicious, and has a familiar, old-fashioned flavor that can't be mistaken for other stalls. Eating a handful of sticky rice keeps me full until noon." He gave the quality of the sticky rice a 9 out of 10, but with the friendly owners, he generously gave it a 10.

A handful of sticky rice costs 10,000 dong.

A packet of sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves at Mrs. Hoang's stall costs 10,000 dong. She chose this price because she wants to provide a satisfying meal for ordinary working people. According to her, the appeal of sticky rice lies not only in its price but also in its familiar flavor, fresh ingredients, and suitability for most customers. "I've kept this price for almost ten years. In these difficult economic times, many people are unemployed, and I feel bad selling it at this price. I sell it this way so people can have something to eat and feel full. I'm just making a small profit, not raising the price," Mrs. Hoang confided while selling.

Selling at a low price, coupled with the owner's knack for business, "good news travels fast," and Mrs. Hoang's sticky rice stall has received great support from customers to this day. Mrs. Hoang says she has kept the current price for almost ten years without raising it. Currently, while the prices of many ingredients have increased, she and her husband have no intention of raising the selling price. She says this price is just right for her and for her customers.

The sticky rice stall is always crowded with customers.

The owner said she is happy and content with her current life, spending each day with her sticky rice stall, bringing her heartfelt sticky rice to customers near and far who come to support her. Despite the hard work of waking up at 11 PM to prepare and traveling from District 4 to District 1 early in the morning to sell, she is determined to keep selling as long as she has the strength.

At her age, she wishes for nothing more than to maintain good spirits and health so she can continue selling sticky rice for as long as possible…

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/ganh-xoi-chi-10000-dong-ngay-trung-tam-tphcm-47-nam-qua-khong-bang-hieu-van-dong-khach-185231025133330795.htm