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| Visitors try Hue Beef Noodles |
This event brings to mind the story of families in Hue who have preserved the tradition of Hue beef noodles through generations, like the family-owned Hue Beef Noodles restaurant of Ms. Cuong and Mr. Diep.
Mr. Nguyen Diep, the restaurant owner, shares that since birth, he has lived with Hue beef noodles, starting from his grandmother’s famous noodle cart in Xuan Phu, which was passed down to her daughter. Later, after marriage, he and his wife chose his mother's profession to start their own business, naming it after themselves: Ms. Cuong and Mr. Diep.
Their Beef Noodles business has now reached over 40 years, weathering many ups and downs - from carrying by using shoulder pole along Hue’s streets, to setting up under umbrellas on sidewalks, to renting spaces in alleyways.
Recently, leaving their small alley location, the Hue beef noodles restaurant of Ms. Cuong and Mr. Diep has established a new, impressive venue on Tran Thuc Nhan Street in Thuan Hoa District. In the two-story building, the restaurant is decorated with photos of Hue beef noodles on cyclos, on sidewalks, and on heavily-laden carrying poles. Mr. Diep says that these represent his family’s noodle memories.
It has been a long journey, with a new generation growing up and maturing alongside the noodle business. Despite difficulties that sometimes made Ms. Cuong and Mr. Diep consider quitting, they persevered. Their dream of building a more substantial family noodle restaurant, cherished for decades, has now become a reality.
Speaking about the newly opened location, Mr. Diep shares that finding the right place alone took several months of searching. His eldest son, a doctor, helps with TikTok promotion. His second daughter, an architect, handles design and decoration. The second son provides financial support to his parents. The eldest daughter assists her mother at the restaurant and will eventually take over the business.
Discussing the restaurant’s new chapter, Mr. Diep proudly mentions that several travel agencies have already reserved spaces for tourists visiting Hue during the April 30th national reunification holiday. “Hue has become a centrally-governed city now, so we must do things differently, more innovatively, and think more long-term,” Mr. Diep enthusiastically explains his new mindset.
He then shares another joy: since opening the new restaurant, many young people have come seeking apprenticeships. He tells the story of a young woman from Nghe An who, with entrepreneurial aspirations in cuisine, tasted beef noodles from Hue’s 10 best noodle shops before choosing to learn the craft here. Now, she runs her own An Cuu Beef Noodle restaurant at 151 Doi Can Street (Hanoi), using over 200kg of noodles daily.
Listening to his stories while enjoying Mr. Diep and Ms. Cuong’s bowl of beef noodles with its distinctive Hue aromas – lemongrass, fish paste, and mints – one can’t help but feel affection for this Hue beef noodles.
It’s not just noodles. It’s time, memory, reminiscence, and Hue’s sedimentation deeply infused in a bowl of beef noodles that countless generations and families like Ms. Cuong and Mr. Diep have preserved, keeping the flame of Hue beef noodles alive with gratitude for a profession that has sustained them.