At 10 p.m., most of the houses on Vo Thanh Trang Street were about to close, ending a busy day, but Ms. Diep's bakery was still bustling with customers coming and going, and business was bustling.
“Take 5 normal loaves, just a little bit of vegetables, okay?”
“Take 2 loaves to take home, no chili.”
Customers kept calling from the sidewalk. Inside the shop, five people were quickly stacking the bread according to customers’ wishes, one reminding the other to make sure the bread was exactly as requested. The people working at the shop were all descendants of Mrs. Diep’s family.
"Because of my old age and poor health, I no longer have the strength to stand and sell all day. Every day, I go to the shop 1-2 times to watch my children and grandchildren sell and remind them of a few things. Instead of looking for someone outside, I want to create jobs for my children and grandchildren, as well as preserve my mother's traditional profession," Ms. Diep confided.
Bustling sandwich shop at 10pm (Video: Nhu Khanh)
The bakery has a compact space, without elaborate displays, only a signboard with the words “Ms. Diep’s Bread” printed on it and a small stainless steel table placed in front of the porch. On the table are neatly arranged fresh ingredients to stuff the bread such as pate, butter, sausage, cold cuts, pork belly, shredded pork, meatballs, raw vegetables, and sauce. All are made by Ms. Diep’s family to ensure quality.
"I pay attention to spices. For example, MSG and seasoning powder are all purchased from reputable places, because if you buy cheap, unlabeled products, it will not be safe for consumers. All other ingredients are imported early in the morning, ensuring that they are sold out within the day, never left until the next day," Ms. Diep shared.
Mrs. Diep’s bakery is open from 6-7am to midnight every day. Nearly a dozen members of Mrs. Diep’s family take turns selling in the morning, noon, afternoon, and evening. Before peak hours, the bread is stocked up in time to be sold.
The price of bread here is about 12,000 VND - 25,000 VND per loaf. There are customers who are in difficulty and only buy a loaf for 7,000 VND, but the shop owner is happy to sell it. According to Ms. Diep, on average from 6am to 10am, they will sell 600 loaves. From 10am to 2pm, about 200 loaves. The rest of the time, the shop sells about 700 more loaves. On average, Ms. Diep's bakery sells 1,500-2,000 loaves per day.
“I sell to all kinds of customers, from young to old, from poor to well-off. Sometimes when they are in such a difficult situation that they only have a few thousand left, I sell or give them away. For example, for 7,000 VND, this loaf has pate and butter, which is enough to warm their stomachs.
The ingredients at the shop are as traditional and simple as other places, but the important thing is the quality of the food and the attitude towards customers. I always tell my children to be happy, friendly, and respectful to any customer who buys bread," Ms. Diep confided.
Like the butter at the store, she chooses the oil to make the butter so that the finished butter is not too greasy but still fatty and fragrant. "The special thing is that the oil I use does not cause indigestion like regular cooking oils," said Ms. Diep.
The clock struck 10 p.m., and the bakery owner was still delivering two more large baskets of hot bread, each containing about 120 pieces, to the shop from now until midnight. The bread, after being delivered, would be continuously heated by the shop in a charcoal oven located below the ingredients counter.
“Not every place heats the bread crust like this, our shop does it this way so that the bread is always warm, crispy and fragrant. It will also be more delicious, especially at night like this,” said Ms. Thuy, who has been helping Ms. Diep sell bread for more than ten years.
Bui Thi Ai (born 2002, Binh Tan) stopped by the shop to buy some bread to fill her stomach at night after coming home late from school. “I like her bread, the bread crust is always warm, the stuffed meat is fresh, delicious and the price is reasonable. But sometimes the sauce is a little too little so it is a bit dry. Overall, the shop is friendly and cute,” this customer shared.
The shop starts receiving bread and fresh meats from 5am, then Mrs. Diep and her children and grandchildren start preparing the ingredients to sell in time. As with cold cuts, Mrs. Diep said she uses a mold to press the meat and a machine to slice it thinly, so that the meat is smooth, beautiful and edible, not too thick or too thin. Instead of cutting the ham and cold cuts into small pieces like many other places, she chooses to cut rectangular pieces along the length of the bread to spread the ingredients evenly.
At 73 years old, Mrs. Diep is still lucid and loves her family's traditional profession. She followed her mother to sell bread at the age of 10, and is also the only one in a family of 13 children to follow in her mother's footsteps. Mrs. Diep is happy because her only daughter also follows in her footsteps. Now, seeing her daughter and grandchildren taking turns helping to look after the shop and preserve the profession, Mrs. Diep feels secure.
"I'm telling the truth, selling bread is easy to get rich. Now, if you ask me to sell bread to raise 10 children, I'll do it. Even though it's hard, I love it and am very passionate about it," Ms. Diep confidently affirmed.
"For the past few decades, I have been going to bed at 2am, because after watching my children and grandchildren sell, I have to think about the ingredients and supplies for the next day's sale. Only when everything is done can I go to sleep with peace of mind. So sometimes my blood pressure rises, but I have to try. I love this job so much, what can I do?", Ms. Diep confided.
Vo Nhu Khanh
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