At 11:30 AM, under a blazing sun, I made sure to be here. I'd heard rumors about Uncle Hai's restaurant for a long time, but only now had the chance to experience its unique and unusual features firsthand.
The doors opened precisely at 12 noon, with customers already waiting.
Ho Chi Minh City has no shortage of delicious banh canh (rice noodle soup) restaurants, but the one run by Uncle Hai (55 years old), located in an alley on Bui Minh Truc Street (District 8), is not only delicious but also unique to me.
The shop only starts selling at 12 o'clock.
[CLIP]: Unique and unusual "waiting noodle soup" in Ho Chi Minh City where customers have to wait 30 minutes to 1 hour to eat.
Uncle Hai's giant pot of noodle soup.
I was surprised that even though the shop opened at 12 noon, dozens of customers were already crammed into several tables – small tables but packed with 4-5 people each. Not to mention the many people surrounding the shop, willing to wait in the sweltering sun just to buy a bowl of the noodle soup from the vendor.
At this point, I wondered what was so special about this bowl of noodle soup that customers arrived 30 minutes early just to secure a seat?
Uncle Hai was busy preparing food for customers waiting in line as well as for takeout.
After chatting with Mr. Tung (37 years old, residing in District 8), the customer said that he has been eating at this restaurant for over a decade, and that it's a normal occurrence. He said that if you don't arrive early to eat, there won't be a seat, and you might not even get all the ingredients in his favorite bowl of banh canh.
Mr. Tung, a regular customer of Uncle Hai's restaurant."Many people are willing to wait 30 minutes to an hour here, it's normal. Firstly, the noodle soup here is delicious; secondly, it's cheap; and thirdly, it's close to home. I eat here 25 out of 30 days a month," he said with a smile.
Next to her, Ms. Thuy (60 years old, residing in District 8), who has also been eating here for several years, added. She said that no one would be foolish enough to torture themselves by waiting 30 minutes to an hour to eat a dish, but this restaurant is an exception for her.
Uncle Hai has been skilled at this job for the past 39 years.
“The broth here is sweet from the bones, not from sugar, and I love this unique flavor that I can't find anywhere else. Everything in the bowl of banh canh, from the pork trotters, meatballs, meat, blood pudding… everything is delicious and clean. Honestly, because I'm so in love with the banh canh here, I feel it's worth the wait no matter how long it takes. If you like it, waiting is fun. Also, I understand the restaurant's situation; there are a lot of customers, and mainly just the husband and wife running the business, so the slow service is understandable," Ms. Thuy said, explaining her willingness to wait.
While waiting, customers pour and prepare their own iced tea at a table placed in a corner of the cafe. The tea is strong and fragrant; sipping it while chatting and gossiping under the shade of a fig tree makes time fly by and lessens the harshness of the Ho Chi Minh City sun.
The cake looks simple, but customers love it.
The broth is rich and flavorful, and the ingredients are harmoniously combined.
Around 12 o'clock, Uncle Hai and his wife finished preparing and were busy cooking for dozens of customers who had been waiting for a long time. Tung was also satisfied and felt his early arrival was worthwhile, as he managed to order his favorite pork tail noodle soup. As for me, I ordered a regular portion of pork knuckle.
Taking a sip of the broth, I immediately fell in love with this bowl of banh canh. It was rich, flavorful, and had the very traditional taste of the banh canh my mother used to cook for me. The noodles were pristine white, chewy and soft, and while not particularly special compared to other places, they harmonized perfectly with the meatballs, pork trotters, and other meats. The broth was the real selling point of this bowl of banh canh.
Ms. Thuy is used to waiting to enjoy her favorite bowl of cake.
Personally, I'd give the taste of the noodle soup a 9/10. I also understand why so many people are willing to wait to eat at Mr. and Mrs. Hai's restaurant. However, I would also like to point out that this eatery is not for those who are extremely hungry, irritable, or impatient, because the wait isn't pleasant. Some impatient customers rush the owner only to receive the reply: "We've run out of this dish!" Many customers say that's the phrase they hear every time they rush the owner, and knowing the implication, they don't rush anymore.
You can buy it for 10,000 dong.
When I asked the owner about this, he quickly explained: "That's what the customers say, dear! On busy Saturdays and Sundays, we sell out quickly, but on normal days it takes longer. Sometimes, when it rains, we don't sell out and have to wait until 5 PM."
Tung likes the part of the noodle soup that includes pork tail.
Regarding the long wait for customers, Mr. Hai said he felt a little guilty and sorry for them. However, since only he and his wife are selling, and many customers arrive early to get their favorite dishes, they try their best to prepare everything as early as possible and bring the food out to customers as soon as they can.
Ms. Thuy, a regular customer of Mr. Hai's restaurant.Being supported by customers like this for decades is a joy and a source of happiness for food vendors like him. 39 years ago, he and his sister opened this eatery. He sold the food, and his sister cooked. After more than a year, his sister stopped selling, but he decided to keep the eatery going to make a living.
The sausage is delicious.
Gradually, with its special recipes, the restaurant gained more and more support from customers near and far, and it has a stable base of loyal customers today. "I cook with heart, with meticulous care and hygiene, and customers can feel that when they eat. Preparing dishes for our customers every day is a joy for my wife and me," the owner said.
Here, each bowl of banh canh costs 35,000 - 50,000 VND, which is quite reasonable. Mr. Hai's wife also mentioned that if customers want a bowl for 10,000 VND, the owner sells it.
Every day, Uncle Hai tries his best to bring the most heartfelt cakes to his customers.
This eatery is the culmination of Uncle Hai's hard work over several decades, so he says he will strive every day to reciprocate the love that customers have shown him. Many customers also say they will continue to support the restaurant as they have for decades, because they have fallen in love with this unique noodle soup place…
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