Free Pho warms the hearts of the poor in Sa Dec

Over the past 2 years, this pho restaurant has become a familiar destination for many people in difficult circumstances, serving thousands of free bowls of pho to people. The pho restaurant we are talking about is called Co Ut Hai Hien in Ward 1, Sa Dec City, Dong Thap Province.

Ms. Sao Ly (right) prepares free pho for the poor people of TGCC

Arriving at the Pho Co Ut Hai Hien restaurant located at the intersection of Le Thi Hong Gam and Le Thi Rieng streets, we saw that at just over 5am, there were already many customers waiting to enjoy the 0 VND pho. Mr. Nguyen Thai Binh - the owner of the restaurant was taking care of the outside work, arranging parking for people to eat pho; while inside, his wife and the kitchen assistants were busy preparing to serve the people. "To have 100 bowls of pho to serve early in the morning, my wife and I had to prepare the bone broth the night before. Everyone here is poor laborers, so they come to eat to go to work early. At 6am, we start serving 0 VND pho," Mr. Binh shared.

For over 2 years now, Pho Co Ut Hai Hien has not only been a familiar address for people in Sa Dec but also a destination for special guests on the 10th day of the lunar month. They are called special guests because they only come to eat once a month, most of them are street vendors, low-income people, and people with difficult circumstances in life.

For example, Nguyen Thi Truc Mai and her daughter, who live in Tich Thien commune, Tra On district, Vinh Long province, have to rent a house in Sa Dec to sell lottery tickets for a living, so saving money for daily expenses is her top priority. Therefore, on the 10th of every month, the two of them often go to the zero-dong pho restaurant. Mrs. Mai shared: “My mother and I sell lottery tickets all day, so we don’t make much profit, so we don’t dare eat pho. A bowl of pho like this requires selling 40 lottery tickets to have enough money to eat. Therefore, when we found out about zero-dong pho, my mother and I took the opportunity to come here every month to eat. Even though it’s zero-dong, the restaurant owners leave the meat the same as the pho they sell every day, it’s very delicious.”

The free bowl of pho given by the owner has the same value as the daily bowls of pho sold for 40,000 VND TGCC

Or like Mr. Nguyen Van Hai in Hamlet 3, Ward 1, Sa Dec City, this year he is over 70 years old, lives alone, has to sell lottery tickets every day to make a living, since the pho restaurant started serving pho for 0 VND until now he has been there to enjoy it. Mr. Hai confided: “As I am old and weak, selling lottery tickets every day does not make much profit, so having a free bowl of pho like this is very precious, I am very grateful for the kindness of the restaurant owners here. I think this is a very meaningful thing…”.

Our grandparents often say "the way you give is better than what you give". Although it is a free pho, the value of this bowl of pho is no different from a normal bowl of pho. The owner is still warm and welcoming to welcome customers, customers are served attentively, both pho and iced tea are free. For that reason, in just over half an hour, 100 bowls of pho were given to the people.

Ms. Huynh Hong Anh, 72 years old, living in Hamlet 1, Ward 1, Sa Dec City, works as a scrap collector. Up to now, she has had free pho at the restaurant more than ten times. What she feels at this pho restaurant is not only the delicious taste of the pho but also the kindness of the owners. “I collect scrap, if any neighbor has bottles, beer cans, etc., they will give them to me. Selling a few thousand a day is not enough to live on, so if anyone gives me rice or porridge, I come and get it to eat, but as for eating pho, I don’t dare think about it. The owners of this pho restaurant are kind-hearted, they give me this, I am very grateful, but to be honest, I don’t have money to think about eating pho…”, Ms. Hong Anh said.

Many poor people come to enjoy free pho in Sa Dec city TGCC

Ms. Le Tran Sao Ly, owner of Pho Co Ut Hai Hien, said: "Regular customers will eventually know that on this day they will not come to the restaurant but will give their seats to special guests. We start serving free pho here from 6am until we finish 100 bowls, then we stop. That day is considered a day for us to relax."

Regarding the idea of ​​giving free pho to the people, Ms. Le Tran Sao Ly confided: “The Hai Hien pho brand has been present in Sa Dec for more than 50 years. I am my mother's youngest daughter. She came from a poor background and often does charity work in many places, so I want to continue her work. Many people who do charity choose to give gifts or money, but I think that if I give people 100,000 VND, they will not dare to spend 40,000 VND to eat a bowl of pho. So I thought of giving a bowl of pho as a gift so that people can occasionally enjoy the delicious taste of my family's pho.”

The meaningful work of Mr. Binh and Ms. Ly is not only loved by the people but also receives the support and companionship of the kitchen staff and the restaurant's servers. Every day, people gather at the restaurant to serve for free, with the desire to bring joy to the poor, and also contribute to spreading the beauty of mutual love in life.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/pho-0-dong-am-long-nguoi-ngheo-o-sa-dec-185240925113659635.htm