On the evening of January 25 (the 26th day of the Lunar New Year), while driving a motorbike from Ho Chi Minh City to his hometown Vinh Long to celebrate Tet, Nguyen Le Duy An (48 years old) and his wife unexpectedly came across a special "restaurant" at the intersection of National Highway 1 and the belt road passing through Tan An city (Long An).

The restaurant consists of rows of plastic tables and chairs neatly arranged in front of a business near the street. The restaurant has a large sign that reads: "Serving free meals."

While Mr. An was still curious about this restaurant, a woman warmly invited the couple: "If you're hungry, come in and have a bowl of noodle soup to regain your strength."

"Honestly, at first I was a bit hesitant. I also wanted to give the meal to people in more difficult circumstances. However, the owner was very enthusiastic and sincerely invited the couple to enjoy the noodle soup to regain their strength to drive home," said Mr. An.

Image of the owner of a free restaurant enthusiastically inviting people to come and enjoy. Photo: Duy An

As soon as the car stopped, Mr. An and his family were enthusiastically shown where to park and assigned seats by the restaurant staff.

Sitting at the table, the couple was served a bowl of hot pork leg noodle soup with pork leg, bones, soy sauce, lemon, chili, tissues, toothpicks, and drinking water. There was also an area to wash their faces, hands, and use the restroom, all completely free of charge.

"The food was hot and delicious, the staff was very attentive. Many families with small children also stopped by to eat. Everyone was happy. The owner did not charge any fees. I took some photos and shared them on social media, hoping to spread a beautiful, warm act on the eve of Tet by the owner and staff," said Mr. An.

People stop by the restaurant to eat free noodle soup. Photo: Duy An

According to VietNamNet reporters, the owner of this special restaurant is Ms. Le Thi Ngoc Hoa (60 years old, a businesswoman in Long An). Ms. Hoa and her family do not do food business. She opened this free noodle shop with the desire to help people on the way from Ho Chi Minh City or Binh Duong to the West to celebrate the Lunar New Year 2025.

Ms. Hoa's family and many company employees joined together to cook banh canh, serving people from the evening of the 25th of Tet. "On the first day, I prepared 80kg of bones and meat to cook the broth, plus 80kg of banh canh. I hung a sign for a free meal, but people were moving in a hurry and didn't pay attention. So I thought of a way, standing on the side of the road, inviting people to stop and have a bowl of banh canh to regain their strength," Ms. Hoa shared.

After about 2 hours, the number of people visiting the shop increased. Ms. Hoa had to go online, calling for more friends and siblings who were free to come and help serve. The shop operates from 4-10pm.

"I stood on the side of the road constantly offering food, everyone was worried that I would lose my voice from talking so much. It was tiring, but I was very happy. The first day the restaurant sold 80kg of noodles, the next day it sold more than 100kg, equivalent to 500-600 bowls," Ms. Hoa happily shared.

Initially, she planned to keep the free food stall open until the 28th night of Tet, but because it was her first time organizing it, she couldn’t mobilize many people to help, so she only had time to open it until the 26th night of Tet. On the 27th, she bought bread, milk, and drinks and continued to give them away for free to people on their way home.

"During the next holidays, I will re-organize this free restaurant. At that time, I will prepare more human resources to support people more and longer," said Ms. Hoa.

Ms. Hoa said that she has maintained charitable activities for nearly 20 years. She often contributes and participates in charity cooking at hospitals and ethnic minority areas. During the Covid-19 period, there was a period when her family cooked 600 meals a day to support quarantine areas and local people.

"This year the economy is difficult, my family's business is also difficult. But understanding the hardships of the workers, I still want to do something to share with everyone. A bowl of banh canh only costs a few tens of thousands of dong but it is our heart, wishing people to have a warm, delicious dinner, and a place to rest on the long journey home for Tet," Ms. Hoa confided. She was very moved when the image of the restaurant was widely shared on social networks with thousands of positive comments.

"I don't think my family's actions are anything special or great. Just seeing people enjoy their food and slurp up the whole bowl of broth makes me happy. I hope that in the future, not only me but many other benefactors can provide free meals during holidays and Tet like this," Ms. Hoa shared.

Modern or traditional, Tet is still filled with familiar sounds . In the bustling atmosphere, the familiar sounds of the end of the year blend with the sounds of digital life, creating a "symphony" of Tet that is both traditional and modern, full of emotions.