New joys in my second home!

When Park Chung-gun sold noodles

On a corner of Tran Van Lai Street in Hanoi , a bustling street full of shops and restaurants, there's a restaurant with a very unusual name: "Mr. Park - Vietnamese Bun Cha." And at this unusual restaurant, a very familiar owner is standing at the door to welcome customers. Dressed impeccably in a smart suit and with his characteristic gentle bow, expert Park Chung-gun is embarking on a new chapter in Vietnam: opening a bun cha restaurant bearing his name.

Coach Park Chung-gun is no stranger to Vietnamese sports . He is the most successful foreign coach the sports sector has ever collaborated with, having trained talented shooters like Hoang Xuan Vinh, Tran Quoc Cuong, Pham Quang Huy, and Trinh Thu Vinh alongside coach Nguyen Thi Nhung. The pinnacle of Coach Park's collaboration with coach Nguyen Thi Nhung was the gold and silver medals won by Hoang Xuan Vinh at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Park Chung-gun's Vietnamese bun cha restaurant on Tran Van Lai Street (Hanoi).

Expert Park Chung-gun is dedicated to introducing dishes to diners.

Coach Park Chung-gun welcomed special guests, including reporters and experts who have been closely associated with Vietnamese sports for many years.

To date, Hoang Xuan Vinh's gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol event remains the highest peak that Vietnamese sports has ever conquered.

Subsequently, expert Park Chung-gun continued to train Pham Quang Huy, who won the gold medal at the 19th Asian Games (2023) in Hangzhou, China. To date, this remains the only gold medal in shooting that Vietnam has ever achieved at Asia's biggest sporting event. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, under the guidance and instruction of expert Park, shooter Trinh Thu Vinh finished fourth in the women's 10m air pistol event, and then advanced to the final of the women's 25m sport pistol event. The athlete, born in 2000, achieved this feat in her first appearance at the Olympic Games.

However, Park Chung-gun did not renew his contract with the Vietnamese shooting team. The South Korean expert decided to take a break to spend time with his family. After returning to his homeland and then moving to the United States (his family lives there), Park Chung-gun decided to return to Vietnam to start a bun cha (Vietnamese noodle dish) business.

"Is the bun cha delicious?" Mr. Park asked me and the other diners with kindness, even though his Vietnamese wasn't very fluent. Nguyen Thi Nhung, former coach of the Vietnamese shooting team, who assisted Mr. Park in opening the restaurant, selecting ingredients, and designing the dishes, confirmed that Mr. Park is very meticulous in his choice of ingredients.

The bun cha dish at Mr. Park's restaurant.

Korean tourists also love the Vietnamese flavor in bun cha.

"Mr. Park Chung-gun loves Vietnamese food and wanted to create a bun cha dish that was both authentically Vietnamese and met the discerning tastes of foreign diners," shared Coach Nguyen Thi Nhung, dubbed the "iron rose" of Vietnamese shooting. Initially, many customers came partly out of respect for Mr. Park and partly out of curiosity about the intriguing name "Mr. Park's bun cha." Then, thanks to the delicious food, many returned, even choosing it as their favorite restaurant because of its familiar and tasty dishes.

I love Vietnam with all my heart.

Despite being relatively new and not yet widely publicized, Park Chung-gun's noodle shop is bustling with both Vietnamese and Korean customers (due to its proximity to a large Korean community). Even with the large crowd, the former Vietnamese shooting team expert diligently serves each table, listens to feedback, and takes notes to inform the kitchen staff about necessary adjustments.

"I always want to pay attention to every detail, no matter what I do. Whatever I do, I must give it my all, be dedicated, and do it with love and gratitude, whether it's shooting training, business, or service," Park Chung-gun shared, his characteristic gentle smile having become an impression on many generations of shooters.

After leaving the shooting team, Park Chung-gun was torn between staying in Vietnam or moving to the United States. Ultimately, the allure of friendly and peaceful Vietnam drew the South Korean expert to stay.

"Even if I leave the shooting team, I'll still stay in Vietnam. Everything is great here. I have Korean friends, and my close friend Park Hang-seo too. I want to enjoy every moment," Park Chung-gun shared with the author nearly two years ago. He kept his word and stayed here to continue enjoying life in what he has long considered his second home.

"Mr. Park likes life in Hanoi. It's just the right amount of hustle and bustle, just the right amount of peace, everything is just right," coach Nguyen Thi Nhung shared.

For his contributions to shooting in particular and Vietnamese sports in general, expert Park Chung-gun is expected to be awarded the Third-Class Labor Medal by the President of Vietnam .

In response, Mr. Park Chung-gun shared: "For over 10 years working here, I have always considered Vietnam my second home. I have experienced both success and failure. But in the end, they are all beautiful memories."

I've always believed that the Vietnamese shooting team can achieve even greater success, rather than stopping at the achievements of the past. I hope that Vietnamese shooting will be able to recruit more talented and outstanding experts than me so that the shooters can win gold medals at the ASIAD and the Olympics."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-park-ban-sung-mo-quan-bun-cha-o-ha-noi-niem-vui-moi-o-que-huong-thu-hai-1852501141613434.htm