Thien Tam, a charitable team led by Pham Hoai Phong, a civil servant, has opened a vegetarian restaurant at 219 Thu Khoa Huan Street, Ward 1, Tan An City, Long An Province.
The restaurant is open from 5:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., from Monday to Friday a week. It is worth noting that the restaurant has no cashier counter. All diners have to do is to serve the meal by themselves; after finishing the meal, they can get out without payment, or they can pay VND1,000 (4 U.S. cents), VND5,000 (20 U.S. cents), or any sum at will, into some boxes placed in the restaurant.
The money from the boxes, plus the contributions of the 10 members of the team, and from philanthropists, are used to buy ingredients for cheap or even free vegetarian meals serving mainly poor diners to the restaurant. To be able to serve vegetarian meals for those in need, all the team members have to take turns to prepare and cook dishes from 4 a.m., five days a week.
On the first and the 15th days of every lunar month, all diners can have their vegetarian meals at the restaurant gratis, thanhnien.vn reported.
South Korean father and son join cross-country run in Vietnam
Kim Byeong Sam, a 59-year-old South Korean man, and his son are undertaking a cross-country run across Vietnam. Their journey is fueled by a heartfelt desire for their Vietnamese friend to recover fully after undergoing surgery.
“At first, I intended to travel with my son and some friends across Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Unfortunately, at the end of May, my friend had unexpected surgery in HCMC. So we decided to come to Vietnam and started our journey to wish our friend a quick recovery,” he told the Tuoi Tre news site.
The duo began their run on June 8 and aims to complete it by August 30. Along their route, they have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support from locals, they remarked.
Last year, Kim Byeong Sam completed a marathon run from Ca Mau to Hanoi and back, lasting from January 1 to May 29. Inspired by his father’s adventurous journey in Vietnam, his son felt captivated and interested in taking on a similar challenge.
Beef noodle soup eatery named in Michelin selected entries
The renowned Hue-style beef noodle soup eatery owned by 67-year-old Ly Thi Kim Nhu in the heart of District 3, HCMC, has recently been named among Michelin’s selected entries. This is the first Hue-style beef noodle soup shop in HCMC to make it onto the prestigious list.
Her eatery has been serving customers since 1995. Originally, each bowl of soup was priced at around VND3,000-VND4,000, and the eatery operated as a small sidewalk stall. Over time, the owner moved the business into her house further down Alley 274 on Vo Van Tan Street, District 3, HCMC, according to the Thanh Nien news site.
Nhu’s beef noodle soup is tucked away in a small alley. It might take some effort to find, but it is worth it for the delicious beef noodle soup. First-time visitors should try the mixed beef noodle soup. Adding a bit of chili sauce makes it even tastier, said the Michelin Guide.
Collective wedding for poor workers
It was the first time that a free mass wedding was held for 10 couples of poverty-stricken workers in Binh Duong Province by the province’s Labor Union on June 30 to celebrate the Vietnam Family Day (June 28) and the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.
The Trade Union of Binh Duong Province, the organizer of the collective wedding, informed these selected couples earlier that they would have a free wedding ceremony held at the Labor Cultural Center of the province. Each of the 10 couples would have two banquet tables, wedding photographs, wedding gown for the bride and suit for the groom, gifts (in cash and in kind), and two wedding rings. Wedding cars would transport the couples to and from the wedding hall.
According to vnexpress.net, the mass wedding ceremony was solemnly organized with a well decorated hall, light and sound, music, and invitation cards sent to the relatives and friends of the 10 couples. The event was a present and great encouragement to the couples, who have lived with each other for years and had children, but could not afford an actual wedding ceremony, said a representative of the organizer.
