Open from 6 a.m. until 2 a.m. the next day, the shop is a favorite late night haunt for many of the capital's night owls. The restaurant's daytime set up of 7-8 tables expands with an additional 10 tables on nearby sidewalks during the busiest hours of 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Up to 80 diners can dine at the shop during this time. Three sellers, 58-year-old Kim Oanh, her sister Kim Cuc, and the sisters' sister-in-law, manage the restaurant at No.3 Tran Phu Street. The business is separated into three distinct shifts, each of which is overseen by one of the trio. On average, the shop sells about 400 to 500 bowls of pho per day. According to Oanh, each shift she and her employees serve customers while simultaneously preparing food for the following day. The shop was opened by Oanh's grandfather to serve north-south train commuters in the early 1970s. The business was then passed on to her mother. After her mother passed away, Oanh and her sister took over the business in 1998. Duong … [Read more...] about Eaters enjoy train sounds at Hanoi pho joint
Hanoi best shopping
Visa upgrade at heart of fresh approach to tourism
Visas, service quality, and technology were all part of discussions on a better-performing tourism sector Photo: Cuong Minh May’s National Assembly session is likely to help push ahead a revamp of the country’s rules on entry and exit for foreign visitors, after the Ministry of Public Security crafts amendments to the current law. The development will be an important basis for the issuance of new regulations related to the visa policy, removing difficulties for the tourism industry, and creating conditions to attract more international visitors this year, according to most observers. Dang Tuan Viet, deputy director of the Ministry of Public Secrutity’s (MoPS) Vietnam Immigration Department, said that the proposal emphasised two major areas related to unilateral visa exemption and electronic visa policy. The MoPS also proposes to expand the number of countries that can issue e-visas from 80 countries to the maximum. The MoPS will also ask to increase the temporary stay … [Read more...] about Visa upgrade at heart of fresh approach to tourism
Vietnam-grown Musang King durian more expensive than imports
A kilogram of husked local Vietnamese Musang King ranges from VND500,000-850,000 per kilogram, equivalent to VND1.5-1.8 million per kilogram (husk removed). The price has increased 10% over the a year ago. Malaysia’s Musang King is considered the "best durian in the world" and is currently grown by Vietnamese farmers in the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta. The fruit regularly sells out at local markets, and buyers have to wait between two weeks and a month to receive their stocks. Oanh, a durian connoisseur in Ho Chi Minh City, said Musang King durian flesh is fragrant, supple and fat. "I have to pay deposits a month in advance to receive the goods." A fruit shop in Hanoi also reported that it had just sold 10 unhusked Musang Kings for VND700,000 per kg (2-4 kg per fruit). "Since it is a fallen fruit, and is shipped by air, the quality is high. No matter how many we have, customers buy them all," the store manager said. Explaining the high price of Vietnam-grown … [Read more...] about Vietnam-grown Musang King durian more expensive than imports