Hanoi Pho Restaurant Owner Suspected of "Evicting Wheelchair Customers" Hopes to Close the Case

Regarding the case of a male TikToker who complained about being "kicked out of a restaurant because he was in a wheelchair" in Hanoi, Ms. Thuy - the niece-in-law of the owner of Nam Ngu chicken pho restaurant (Hoan Kiem district), who is also a night shift vendor - said that Mr. VML is a regular customer, usually eating in the evening. Every time he comes to the restaurant, he sits at the first table, right behind the vendor.

On January 11, Mr. L. arrived at the pho restaurant at around 1:32 p.m. It was the shift of the restaurant owner, who was over 70 years old.

Ms. Thuy said that her aunt is a difficult person, her way of speaking may not be tactful, but she never insults disabled people with the phrase "Who let this kind of person in here?". The restaurant later extracted the camera to clarify the incident.

"Maybe L. is too sensitive so she understands the doctor's attitude and way of speaking in a different way, causing misunderstandings," she said.

The woman said that L. simply wanted to share her bad experience on social media, but was unintentionally attacked by the online community for her shortcomings.

"We want the incident to stop here so that neither side is affected," Ms. Thuy shared.

Chủ quán phở Hà Nội nghi đuổi khách ngồi xe lăn mong khép lại sự việc - 1 — The owner of Nam Ngu chicken pho restaurant recounts the incident of welcoming the male TikToker (Photo: Vien Minh).

After the incident, the male TikToker had hidden all the posts on his personal page, only keeping the post about the two pho restaurants, but he had disabled comments. Meanwhile, many netizens continued to "attack", demanding that he apologize for making incorrect statements about Hanoi and causing regional division.

Earlier, on the morning of January 15, the owner of the chicken pho restaurant said that because the entrance to the restaurant was small and it was raining, he invited Mr. L. and his girlfriend to sit at the coffee shop across the street and then had the staff bring the pho over.

"But he still wanted to come into the restaurant, we welcomed him normally," said the restaurant representative.

L. and his girlfriend sat at the first table, behind the owner, next to the chicken weighing area. The owner reminded him not to sit in this position next time because it would make it difficult to sell.

"She was still smiling and eating normally, but after posting on social media implying that we were insulting her, that was not right," this person said.

Chủ quán phở Hà Nội nghi đuổi khách ngồi xe lăn mong khép lại sự việc - 2 — Male TikToker VML (far right) accused two pho restaurants of kicking him out because he was in a wheelchair (Screenshot).

Previously, Mr. VML said he and his girlfriend went to a pho restaurant near his house, but were refused by the staff "our restaurant does not have staff to carry someone like you".

At the second pho restaurant, L. said this was a "familiar restaurant" and the two of them ate normally. The seating area was small, and his wheelchair was slightly squeezed in between the female owner's seat.

"She stood up abruptly and scolded the staff, "Who let this guy in here to eat?" The staff said, "He often eats here, he usually sits like this." She got even more excited and said, "If I can't sell anything, then I'll stand."...", L. wrote.

He said "the meal was stuck in his throat, it was hard to swallow". While he got used to this feeling, his girlfriend "started to cry".

Speaking to Dan Tri reporters on January 16, the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications Inspectorate said it was coordinating with relevant units to clarify the incident. The Hanoi Police Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention has also stepped in to verify.

VML, 30 years old, owns a TikTok channel with more than 249,000 followers. An accident at the age of 3 left him paralyzed in both legs and confined to a wheelchair.

On his personal page, L. often shares videos about his daily life, inspiring and giving life to the community.

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