Verifying information about TikToker being kicked out of pho restaurant for being in a wheelchair

On January 15, responding to VTC News reporters, a representative of the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications Inspectorate said that the unit is verifying information shared by a TikToker on social media about eating at a pho restaurant but "being chased away because... he was in a wheelchair".

Previously, social media shared the story of TikToker VML “being kicked out of a restaurant because… he was in a wheelchair”. L. said that on January 12, he and his girlfriend went to a pho restaurant in Hanoi. When his girlfriend asked the staff to carry L. up the steps, he refused with the answer “our restaurant doesn’t have staff to carry someone like you”.

At the second pho restaurant, L. said that this was a familiar restaurant, the two of them went in to eat normally. The seats were small so L. squeezed in a little bit to the female owner's seat. "She stood up abruptly and scolded the staff, "Who would let this kind of person come in to eat?" The staff said, "He often eats here, he usually sits like this." She got even more carried away, "If I can't sell anything, then I'll stand"..." , L. wrote.

He said “the meal got stuck in his throat – it was hard to swallow” . He was used to the feeling, and his girlfriend “started to cry”.

The article is causing controversy on social networks. (Screenshot)

Under the post, L. added a story about accidentally meeting foreign tourists who were traveling to Hanoi for the first time and being comforted when they learned what had happened before.

The article received mixed reactions after being posted, with over 47,000 likes, over 20,000 comments and shares. Many people were outraged by the actions of the two pho restaurants that discriminated against people with disabilities.

In addition, many people doubted the authenticity of the article, asking L. to name two pho restaurants to clarify the information. In the video VML posted on TikTok with the content "Goodbye Hanoi", netizens discovered that the familiar pho restaurant that L. mentioned in the Facebook post was a chicken pho restaurant on Nam Ngu Street (Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi).

A representative of the pho restaurant confirmed that L. was a regular customer who often ate pho in the evening. On the morning of January 12, L. and his girlfriend came to the restaurant. Because the entrance to the restaurant was small and it was raining, the owner invited the two to sit at the cafe across the street and then had the staff bring the pho over.

“But she still wanted to come to the restaurant, we welcomed her as usual,” said the restaurant representative. L. and his girlfriend sat at the first table, behind the restaurant owner, next to the chicken weighing area. The restaurant owner reminded L. not to sit in this position next time, as it would make it difficult to sell.

“She then smiled and ate normally, but it was not right to post on social media that we were being disrespectful,” the person said. The restaurant owner affirmed that he never used vulgar language to chase away customers, especially people with disabilities.

Wisdom

Source