'1 hour' noodle shop closes permanently: Western customer makes many people cry

In recent days, before the news that the noodle shop that sells noodles in 1 hour, or as many diners jokingly call it, "the fastest noodle shop in Vietnam", announced that it was about to close permanently, many diners expressed regret.

Bánh canh 'bán nhanh nhất Việt Nam' đóng cửa vĩnh viễn: Khách Tây làm điều xúc động - Ảnh 1. — On the last days of opening, the "1-hour noodle soup" shop in Ho Chi Minh City was packed with customers from very early on.

Bouquet of flowers from French guest

It is a long-standing noodle shop owned by the five sisters of Mrs. Phi (66 years old, living in District 1). In recent days, a notice has been posted in front of the shop, making many regular customers both shocked and regretful:

"Banh canh will stop selling from May 30, 2025. Thank you to all customers who have supported Banh canh in the past time!".

Among the many customers who support the restaurant, there is a special French customer, Mr. Noel Mckay (63 years old), a violinist and his Vietnamese wife. He said he has lived in Vietnam for over a year, since he got married. He and his family are currently living in District 11 (HCMC).

Bánh canh 'bán nhanh nhất Việt Nam' đóng cửa vĩnh viễn: Khách Tây làm điều xúc động - Ảnh 2. — Mr. Noel Mckay, a French diner, gave flowers to the restaurant as a thank you and goodbye.

His wife has been a regular customer of this restaurant for nearly 10 years. Since he got married, he has also become a regular customer here, when he was taken to try the noodle soup and has been addicted to the taste of the noodle soup ever since. "The noodle soup here is the best!", the French customer commented.

By chance, he came to the restaurant during the last days and read the sad notice in front of the restaurant. The next day, Santa Claus decided to come back here, bringing a bouquet of flowers to give to Mrs. Phi's sisters as a thank you and a goodbye.

Seeing the bouquet of flowers, the silver-haired old ladies were so moved that they could not speak. They smiled at each other and expressed their sincere thanks. The affection that customers have for the restaurant, for the sisters, and for the food over the past two decades is what makes it so hard for them to say goodbye.

Bánh canh 'bán nhanh nhất Việt Nam' đóng cửa vĩnh viễn: Khách Tây làm điều xúc động - Ảnh 3. — The French man and his wife are regulars at this restaurant.

However, due to poor health, the members of the restaurant cannot maintain operations, and there is no generation to pass on the profession. "The restaurant cooks banh canh normally, just making the ham delicious is the key!", the owner shared when asked about the secret to cooking banh canh.

Noodle soup for 1 hour now… 15 minutes and it's gone

Thanh Nien noted that on the last days of opening, although the shop officially opened at 3pm, by 2pm, many people had already come and waited to get a seat in the shop. Those who arrived a few dozen minutes late, had no seats and had to wait.

After 15 minutes of opening, because of the large number of customers, the restaurant announced that it was out of food and would not accept any new customers but would instead focus on customers waiting and lining up in front.

Although there is no sign, customers still call this restaurant "the silver-haired lady's restaurant" because most of the women in Mrs. Phi's family are old and have silver hair. In addition, those with white skin and open personalities are very popular with customers.

Bánh canh 'bán nhanh nhất Việt Nam' đóng cửa vĩnh viễn: Khách Tây làm điều xúc động - Ảnh 4. — The shop has not opened yet, many customers are already waiting in the last days of sale.

Bánh canh 'bán nhanh nhất Việt Nam' đóng cửa vĩnh viễn: Khách Tây làm điều xúc động - Ảnh 5. — Long lines of people waiting to enjoy the famous noodle soup

Before, this was a street stall that her sisters pushed to sell. Before, Mrs. Phi's older sister was the main seller, and her sisters helped out. Later, her older sister became weak, so she and her sisters replaced her as the main seller.

For many diners, this restaurant is not just a normal restaurant, but a "legend" of the unique cuisine of Ho Chi Minh City, a place that leaves them with many beautiful memories. Currently on social networks, many people also wrote emotional lines, sending goodbye to this special noodle shop.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/quan-banh-canh-1-gio-dong-cua-vinh-vien-vi-khach-tay-khien-nhieu-nguoi-rung-rung-185250528174939008.htm