With the intention of helping the poor enjoy free delicious meals, the ‘Zero-VND’ vegetarian eatery operated by the city-based An Nhien Charity Group at 47 Bui Duong Lich Street, Nai Hien Dong Ward, Son Tra District, Da Nang has gained popularity and public praise for its act of kindness.

Nguyen Thi Tuyet preparing free meals for the financially needy

When asked about what really inspired the opening of the Zero-VND vegetarian eatery, Ms Dang Thi Lien from Nai Hien Dong Ward, one of the founders, said she and her colleagues share the common desire for exerting a small amount of efforts to partly ease their financial burden facing the underprivileged.

Preparation for free meals usually begins in the afternoon, when the An Nhien staff map out the menu and go shopping for fresh ingredients. They then wake up early the next morning to start cooking.

At around 10.00am, this eatery starts to welcome customers. Everyday, a total of over 100 portions of supplementary meals accompanied by drinking water are offered gratis to the financially needy.

Despite their hard working with such an early start, all the tiredness seems to fade away the moment they see the excitement and happiness in their customers’ eyes whilst enjoying free meals.   

Customers who are deeply impressed by the delicious vegetarian food, the place’s tidiness, and especially the enthusiasm and warm hearts of the An Nhien group’s staff. The diners feel at home as they are allowed to choose what to eat and how much of it they want.

Actively engaged in handling the cooking at the eatery, Ms Nguyen Thi Tuyet said she usually sees many street vendors selling lottery tickets and scrap often skip breakfast to save money because of their difficult circumstances. Witnessing the reality, she and other cooks at the eatery always strive to finish their work as soon as possible.

 “You can’t do anything with an empty stomach. That’s why I’ve tried to maintain the free-meal service in the timely fashion to those in hardship,” said the kindhearted woman.

“Everyone here all admires the eatery’s charitable drive”, remarked Ms Ho Thi Nga, a needy street vendor from the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.

Such good philanthropy made by the An Nhien staff is really worthy of public praise for their high dedication to enhancing the well-being of underprivileged members of the community.

By MAI LY – VAN HOANG - Translated by A.T