Pham Thi Bich Hanh, who owns two restaurants, Ngon eatery and Ngon Garden on the Michelin Selected list, said good dishes are a must but she wants to bring more to subtle diners. 

Ngon (delicious) on Phan Boi Chau Street, Hoan Kiem District, has been favored by many international statesmen, artists and travelers for the past 20 years.

Eating flavors, eating love 

The eatery is inside a 1,000-square-meter French mansion with a beautiful garden. It is always full of diners day and night, and guests sitting outside waiting for vacant tables is a common scene. 

Ngon’s garden is home to kiosks selling Vietnam-style snacks and dishes, which looks like a traditional market in Vietnam or a food court in Singapore or Thailand. 

Hundreds of guests, including Vietnamese and foreign ones, visit the venue every day. Good food, good prices, good location and services attract people. 

A Da Nang specialty at Ngon eatery. Photo: DETO

When entering the eatery, there is a nostalgic feeling brought by a crowded fair full of traditional dishes and snacks, reminding people, especially overseas Vietnamese, of their childhood. 

Hanh, the owner of the eatery, shared that many overseas Vietnamese who came to her restaurant emotionally said thanks to her because they could taste bánh đúc nộm (Hanoi-style plain rice flan salad) which reminded them of their motherland. 

After nearly 20 years operating the restaurant, Hanh has witnessed happy feelings too numerous to mention. 

The restaurant was also favored by Thanh Tung, a Vietnamese song writer that Hanh admired very much, in his last days. This is a touching memory of Hanh. 

One year, Hanh gave lucky money to her diners in celebration of Tet (Lunar New Year holiday). Among these guests, there was an old man in a wheelchair.

In the afternoon, Hanh met the man again in her restaurant. She felt very glad and grateful to the loyal guest. 

Then, her staff told her that the man was the songwriter of whom she was a big fan. He lived near the restaurant and often came there. 

Hanh had not yet met him in real life, and luckily, delicious dishes gave her a chance to see him. 

Cuisine is not only Hanh’s passion but also gives her luck and precious encounters especially with art and artists. 

Pham Thi Bich Hanh showcases the pepper elder salad with passion fruit sauce at Ngon Garden. Photo: T. Dieu / Tuoi Tre

A thank you to remember

Hanh loves paintings, poems, music and gardens. Her love for art grows bigger and bigger thanks to Ngon eatery. 

After Ngon eatery, Hanh launched her second restaurant Ngon Garden, also inside a French mansion located on Nguyen Du Street in Hai Ba Trung District. 

It highlights a big garden overlooking the peaceful Thien Quang Lake and Thong Nhat Park.  

Hanh turned the mansion into a garden full of flowers. 

A beautiful corner of garden in Ngon Garden. Photo: DETO

A foreigner working for an embassy nearby said thanks to her when Ngon Garden was opened, Hanh recalled. 

It was because the man worried that the ancient mansion would be demolished to make way for building projects, like many mansions on the street. 

Therefore, he felt very happy when he saw a fairy garden covering the restaurant serving fusion dishes.

Nha Trang-style grilled beef at Ngon Garden. Photo: T.Dieu / Tuoi Tre

In Ngon Garden, there are not only great dishes, beautiful flowers, and a luxurious mansion but also paintings by contemporary Vietnamese painters and special guests. 

Although the restaurant has been run for a short time, it is favored by artists and journalists. The place has become a common venue for events, such as book launches and press conferences.

Nguyen Quang Thieu, chairman of Vietnam Writers’ Association, is also a regular who has invited many foreign writers to Ngon Garden to enjoy a meal. 

A version of pho rolls at Ngon Garden. Photo: T.Dieu / Tuoi Tre

The dining room is decorated with many paintings at Ngon Garden. Photo: T.Dieu / Tuoi Tre

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