With the desire to bring delicious meals to people in difficult circumstances, the VND 1,000 meal model has been spreading recently in Da Nang and many localities nationwide.

VND 1,000 instant noodle stall with popular accompanying dishes such as eggs and sausages. Photo: KHANH HOI

After finishing several morning passenger transportation trips, Mr. Nguyen Van Toi, born in 1978, a resident of Chinh Gian Ward, Thanh Khe District, arrived at the VND 1,000 instant noodle stall located at 17 Thai Thi Boi Street. In less than 5 minutes, Mr. Toi and other guests enjoyed hot bowls of instant noodles served with eggs and sausages.

Mr. Toi said “My friends, who are 'xe om' (motorbike taxi) drivers, told that this stall offers delicious VND 1,000 instant noodles, but I didn’t believe it because how could I buy a bowl of instant noodles at that price. When I came to the stall and saw many people eating, I felt secure. From then on, every day after picking up a customer, I come here”.

This special model is implemented by Ms. Tran Thi Bich Hue, the owner of An Phuoc Beauty shop, and her friends. Stemming from the desire to share with low-income workers and people in difficult circumstances, they joined hands to open an instant noodle stall with a price of only VND 1,000. The stall opens from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm every day.

In the spirit of self-service, when coming here, visitors will make their own bowl of instant noodles with noodles, eggs, sausages, vegetables and chili. After finishing their meal, they only need to pay VND 1,000 or simply... a smile.

Customers only need to bring VND 1,000 or pay with a smile. Photo: K.H

According to Ms. Hue, from 4:00 am, staff of the An Phuoc shop take turns going to the market to prepare ingredients. The operating costs of the instant noodle stall come from the revenue of the shop and from Ms. Hue's group, without calling for donations from individuals or other organisations. However, given the kind meaning of the model, many kind-hearted people have proactively contacted Ms. Hue to support ingredients for the noodle stall with the hope of having more meals for needy people after hours of hard work.

“I chose to serve instant noodles instead of other dishes such as rice and bread because I want to bring quick, warm meals to everyone. Above all, I hope to maintain the stability of the model in order to use the revenue from the noodle stall to support children in the highlands - one of the activities that I and everyone have tried to do for many years”, Ms. Hue shared.

At a small corner at the intersection of Dong Da, Le Loi and Tran Quy Cap streets in Thach Thang Ward, Hai Chau District, there is a similar model with bowls of instant noodles and porridge priced at only VND 1,000.

Around the noodle stall, there are pieces of paper with messages “The food basket is here, please keep it for the next people!”, and “One egg per person! Thank you!” to remind diners to use the food reasonably to save it for others.

A customer enjoys a VND 1,000 bowl of instant noodles. Photo: K.H

Mrs. Dang Thi Tham, 58, residing in Thac Gian Ward, Thanh Khe District, confided “I come here to enjoy a bowl of instant noodles every two days. Thanks to that, I save money on food and drink to take care of my children. I feel extremely lucky and grateful for the kindness of the owner and everyone”.

Ms. Ha Mai Suong, born in 1994, the owner of the model, said that “Although I have long cherished the intention of doing charity activities, due to time and financial constraints, I decided to open a VND 1,000 instant noodle shop to help those in difficult circumstances ease some of the burden of life”. With that purpose, her shop targets a variety of customers and ages. Ms. Suong thoughtfully prepares instant porridge in service of the elderly and children.

Charging VND 1,000 for each meal is just a symbolic form because Ms. Suong, Ms. Hue and those who opened this model in general want people to come here without hesitation or thinking of "owing" anyone. For them, "A VND 1,000 bowl of instant noodles" is not only a meaningful charity activity but also helps spread love to people in need. In the future, we hope to receive more support and attention from many individuals and organisations so that such models can continue to be expanded in the near future.

Reporting by NGOC HUYEN, KHANH HOI - Translating by M.DUNG