Sweet soup is a familiar and popular snack in Vietnam. If the Northern sweet soup is famous for its simplicity but extremely sophisticated with dishes such as: Che con ong, che com, che sen, che troi nuoc... The Central region attracts diners with Hue sweet soup dishes with royal style such as: Che longan hat lotus, che dau ngu, che luc tau xa... Meanwhile, the South is famous for sweet soup dishes such as: Che chuoi tapioca, che khoai ca, che ba ba, che mex cam... Depending on the regional culture, or locality and the seller's recipe, sweet soup will have its own distinct flavor.
For me, chè is a snack associated with childhood memories of eagerly waiting for my mother to come home from the market to enjoy its sweet, cool taste. I also remember my school days, hanging out at cafes with friends, enjoying chè while sharing about school. Later, when I started working, chè was the sweet I craved whenever I needed to relieve work pressure.
Mr. The has been selling tea since 1969. Up to now, his tea shop has been around for nearly 60 years.
That's why I often spend time looking for good sweet soup shops. And then I went to the "Duong Qua Sweet Soup" cart located on Nguyen Van Thu Street in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. Mr. Vo Van The (76 years old, District 1) named his sweet soup cart "Duong Qua" because he resembles the character Duong Qua in the Chinese movie "The Condor Heroes" with only one arm. Mr. The has been selling sweet soup since 1969. Up to now, his sweet soup shop has been around for nearly 60 years.
Visiting the “Duong Qua” sweet soup shop on a hot afternoon when it had just opened, I quickly ordered a glass of mixed sweet soup. Mr. The was busy preparing ice, while Mrs. Nu (54 years old), Mr. The’s granddaughter-in-law, quickly made sweet soup and coffee for customers to take away.
The desserts here are not as colorful as the ones I have eaten at, but the taste is surprisingly delicious. The beans are well-cooked, the water chestnuts with coconut rice are sweet and refreshing. The desserts are moderately sweet and extremely appetizing. There are many different types of desserts here, such as: Mixed water chestnuts with coconut rice, grass jelly, tapioca water chestnuts with green beans, water chestnuts with red beans and coconut rice, poria cocos, and various types of yogurt, coffee, etc., with prices ranging from 15,000 to 20,000 VND.
“Duong Qua Sweet Soup” is located on Nguyen Van Thu Street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
The desserts here range from 15,000 - 20,000 VND.
Not only do I love the simple yet delicious flavors, I also admire the owner's optimism. He smiled warmly and said that when he first lost an arm, he was in crisis and mentally broken, but gradually he tried to overcome it and start a new life. In the past ten years, his sister has been sick, so he and his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Nu (54 years old), took over the dessert shop. He still rides his bicycle to deliver goods to customers if they are in nearby locations, and if they are far away, he will text customers to book a ride.
On a hot afternoon, the heat enveloped the entire space, Mr. The removed the canvas to cover his sweet soup stall. I not only enjoyed a delicious sweet soup but also learned from the shop owner the optimistic spirit of not giving up in the face of difficulties.
Mr. The still rides his bicycle to deliver goods to customers if they are in nearby locations.
Duong Qua sweet soup stall is open from about 11am to 6pm
Mrs. Nu, his granddaughter-in-law, shared: “Before, my mother-in-law and he sold. But in the past 10 years, she has been sick, he is also old, has no wife or children, he lives with his mother-in-law and my husband and I. It is boring at home, so he comes to sell with me." According to Mrs. Nu, when making sweet soup, you need to pay attention to every step. Because if just one step is wrong, the flavor will be very different. Every day at 8 pm, she comes home. At her husband's house, she helps prepare the ingredients and soak the beans in advance. She has dinner while watching the pot of beans, busily preparing the ingredients until 1 am before she goes to rest.
At 8am, she prepares water chestnuts and coconut rice to prepare the stall and open for business at around 11am. She said that before the pandemic, they sold about 300 cups a day. After the pandemic, they sold about 100-150 cups a day. Depending on the number of customers and the weather, if it was a rainy day, they could only sell about 50-60 cups.
Mr. Quang has been a regular customer of Duong Qua sweet soup shop for 4 years. He shared: “I work at a hospital nearby. I often stop by the shop to buy sweet soup on hot days when I feel tired. I used to eat mixed sweet soup but now I have switched to Poria cocos and grass jelly. The taste of mixed sweet soup here is rich, fatty, and fragrant, the coconut milk is thinner and more fragrant than the other shops I have eaten at.”
Duong Qua sweet soup stall is open from about 11am to 6pm. His sweet soup not only evokes the taste of childhood, is a gift for tired days that need a little sweetness but also gives me motivation and optimism.
