Bun Cha 29 restaurant moved to the South thanks to... Tran Thanh, famous for minced pork patties and grilled pork belly

On Facebook, Tran Thanh shared photos of dishes at Bun Cha 29 restaurant and invited: 'Bun Cha with authentic Northern flavor. It's so delicious that you have to post it for them, I don't accept advertising fees!'.

Tran Thanh and Hong Dao came to support Bun Cha 29 restaurant - Photo: NVCC

Bun Cha 29 is located in an alley on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The restaurant's decoration style is retro with a cozy yellow paint color.

The owner, Mr. Quang Hung, said that the Ho Chi Minh City branch of Bun Cha 29 has been open for less than a year, but the original restaurant in Hanoi has been open for more than 30 years.

A special portion of bun cha and nem cua costs 80,000 VND - Photo: HO LAM

Opened the shop thanks to Tran Thanh's encouragement

Mr. Hung grew up in his mother's bun cha restaurant and knew the business process well. However, it was not until he decided to open a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City that his mother passed on her family's bun cha recipe.

Talking with Tuoi Tre Online , the owner of Bun Cha 29 said the motivation for him to bring the Bun Cha brand to the South was thanks to... artist Tran Thanh.

"I decided to open a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City largely due to Tran Thanh's encouragement. He often visited the restaurant in Hanoi and said that if my family opened a restaurant here, he would support me wholeheartedly...

Since I opened this branch, Mr. Thanh comes by two or three times a month.

He also brought his wife and colleagues such as Miss Tieu Vy, actress Viet Anh, Hong Dao... to enjoy" - the owner of Bun Cha 29 shared.

To ensure the restaurant’s bun cha is authentic, when it first opened, Hung’s mother had to live in Ho Chi Minh City for a while to teach her son the craft. The two spent months looking for the best source of meat and spices.

Only then did she feel secure in handing over the 30-year-old brand to her son so she could return to Hanoi to do business.

Grilled minced meatballs attract many diners - Photo: HO LAM

Best selling minced meatloaf and grilled pork belly

Some customers who come to the restaurant love the delicious, fatty but never-boring taste of the minced pork roll. The restaurant owner said that grilled pork belly and minced pork roll are the "best sellers" of Bun Cha 29.

The noodles at the restaurant are small, the vegetables are clean and fresh, and go well with the minced pork and pork belly. The minced pork is not too dry, has a fatty taste, and is seasoned well, while the grilled pork belly has a rich flavor and is not tough. In addition, Bun Cha 29 also has crab spring rolls with a crispy crust and sweet crab meat filling.

However, the minced meatloaf, grilled pork belly, and crab spring rolls still have a lot of oil. According to the restaurant owner, the secret to keeping the meat moist and not dry after grilling is largely in the selection of meat, with fresh quality and a harmonious ratio of fat and lean meat.

Mr. Hung also said that although his mother's recipe for marinating meat and making sausage is still the same, he has changed the fish sauce recipe a bit to make the dipping sauce sweeter, suitable for the taste of Southern people.

Crispy crab spring rolls - Photo: HO LAM

On Google Maps review page, Khanh Phi commented that Bun cha 29 scored 3.4 on a scale of 5 compared to other bun cha restaurants she had eaten at in Saigon and Hanoi:

"The meat has a mix of fat and lean meat, so you don't get bored of it. The meatballs are okay. The dipping sauce is rich. Not as excellent as some recent reviews. I will still come back because I like bun cha and next time I will try the crab spring rolls."

Camellia Tran shared: "On a hot day, I was craving Hanoi food, so a friend introduced me to a bun cha restaurant whose owner brought it all the way from Hanoi.

I don't rate the food stalls that bring food from the North to the South highly because I've tried many but I didn't really feel the taste. However, the bun cha here really wowed me. The minced meat is delicious, chewy enough, and fragrant. The basket of vegetables is clean, this is a plus point that is hard to ignore."

Bun Cha 29 restaurant is painted a cozy yellow color. According to the owner, Bun Cha 29 is most crowded from early morning to noon - Photo: TO CUONG

According to Ms. Hong Lien, the owner's wife, Tran Thanh and Hari Won always order grilled meat and sausage every time they visit, showing that these are his "specialty" dishes.

The owner also revealed that Tran Thanh is about to launch a series introducing his familiar restaurants and Bun Cha 29 is one of them.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/quan-bun-cha-29-nam-tien-la-nho-tran-thanh-noi-danh-cha-bam-tang-ba-roi-nuong-20250108233429292.htm