The owner tells the story of the honor of welcoming the President and Governor of Tokyo to eat Vietnamese bread.

During President Vo Van Thuong's high-level visit to Japan on November 28, President Vo Van Thuong and his wife, along with Japanese guests, enjoyed typical Vietnamese dishes at the "Banh Mi Xin Chao" restaurant.

Two brothers, Bui Thanh Duy (37 years old) and Bui Thanh Tam (32 years old, from Quang Nam) founded and developed the restaurant into 15 branches across Japan.

"Honor and pride"

Sharing with Thanh Nien , Mr. Tam said that he received information about President Vo Van Thuong, his wife, the Governor of Tokyo and a delegation of Japanese guests officially visiting the restaurant about a month ago. Honor, pride and a little nervousness were his initial feelings after hearing this information.

President Vo Van Thuong and his wife and Japanese guests enjoyed Vietnamese dishes.

On the day the delegation visited, he heard sincere words of encouragement from President Vo Van Thuong. The President addressed him as "anh" and "em" which gave the restaurant owner a friendly feeling, with no distance between the President of a country and the owner of a small business.

Quang noodles, bread, coffee... were introduced by the owner to the guests.

In a space imbued with Vietnamese culture in the heart of Tokyo, the President, his wife and Japanese guests enjoyed grilled pork sandwiches, Quang chicken noodles, iced milk coffee...

"Those are the best-selling dishes at the restaurant. I think bread and coffee are two dishes that can be considered the national soul of Vietnam. And Quang noodles are a dish that is typical of Quang Nam - my hometown," he shared.

The space of the restaurant "Banh Mi Xin Chao" has a strong Vietnamese style

According to the restaurant owner, the President once held the position of Secretary of Quang Ngai province, so he really likes and has a good taste for Quang dishes.

"That day when I brought out Quang noodles, the President said that the restaurant owner did not need to explain how to eat it and that the President himself would be the one to introduce it to the Governor and the Japanese delegation," said Mr. Tam.

Elevating Vietnamese cuisine

Mr. Tam said that, since the establishment of the restaurant "Banh mi Xin Chao", he had the desire to become a restaurant that is not inferior to any brand in the world. With his own efforts, the restaurant has been welcomed and supported by everyone over the past time. This event also gave him great motivation to bring Vietnamese cuisine to international friends.

Quang noodles are one of the best-selling dishes at Mr. Tam's restaurant.

"Not only me but also the staff of "Hello Bread" will have more spirit, motivating everyone to try to develop every day," said the owner.

Mr. Tam plans to open 4 more stores across Japan in the first 3 months of 2024. His decision to start and open a business store happened quite by chance.

Eight years ago, when he was a third-year student at Yokkaichi University (Japan), he visited Tokyo and accidentally saw diners lining up to buy a doner kebab (a type of Turkish bread). The young man suddenly thought of Vietnamese bread. In Tokyo in particular and Japan in general, no one sold Vietnamese bread, so he saw it as a great opportunity to do business with this dish.

Mr. Tam hopes to spread Vietnamese cuisine internationally.

The student realized that, in addition to buying and enjoying food, customers also pay attention to the faces and uniforms of the store staff to know which country the food is typical of.

"The first word that the staff says to the customers is "xin chao" (in Vietnamese). I think that for a foreigner to learn and know Vietnamese culture, they will probably learn the word "xin chao" first. The word "xin chao" has the same meaning as "hello" in English, "konnichiwa" in Japanese or "bonjour" in French. The plan as well as the name "Banh mi Xin chao" was born that day," he recalled.

President Vo Van Thuong and Japanese delegation visit Vietnamese restaurant in Tokyo

When he was in Vietnam, he didn't know how to fry eggs or cook. When he came to Japan, he started living independently and worked part-time at restaurants. From there, he learned the smallest things like stir-frying, cooking, and culinary thinking. After coming up with the recipe for making bread, he invited people around him to try it and they praised it as delicious. That was also the motivation that urged him to be determined to carry out his business plan.

As for Mr. Duy, he has experience working with small and medium-sized enterprises in Japan. This greatly supports Mr. Tam in making plans and strategies for the chain of stores. The two brothers coordinate smoothly in developing the Vietnamese bread business in Japan.

"In the book "Journey to the East" there is a saying: "When we try, the whole world will support us". I always think about that saying and my university graduation thesis on building the "Hello Bread" chain of stores was also voted the best in the faculty that year", the shop owner confided.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/chu-quan-ke-chuyen-vinh-du-don-chu-tich-nuoc-thong-doc-tokyo-an-banh-mi-viet-nam-185231129201810006.htm