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Nestled in alley 76A on Tran Huu Trang Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City, this small noodle shop will overwhelm diners with its surprisingly spacious and bustling atmosphere, filled with laughter, chatter, and lively calls for orders. Tables are placed against the walls, leaving space for the alleyway used by locals, creating a vibrant and authentic Saigon scene.
The noodle shop with the "hanging rope" has become a sensation on social media in recent days.
The restaurant doesn't have a fancy sign; it simply displays a "30K VND Noodle Soup" sign, enough for customers to know that they sell noodle soup. The space is simple, with a few tables and chairs, enough to seat about a dozen people. The first impression upon arriving is probably the absence of a vendor.
It turns out that Auntie Ba – the "soul" of the restaurant – is upstairs. When a customer orders, she prepares the food and then "lowers" it down to the customer using a rope. This unique feature is what makes the restaurant's "rope-lowered noodle soup" so famous.
Aunt Ba - the "soul" of this special noodle shop.
The way to order here is also quite interesting. Customers have to call out loudly so that Auntie Ba can hear them clearly. After ordering, Auntie Ba skillfully places the food down to the customers using plastic trays lined with cloth, each tray holding a maximum of two bowls of noodle soup. Auntie Ba is very careful, ensuring that the broth doesn't spill out.
The restaurant has staff who assist in serving food and collecting payments. However, during peak hours, customers can take their own food from trays and bring it to their tables. Even so, this is an interesting experience that attracts many diners to the restaurant.
The bowls of noodle soup are lowered into the water, and someone below will take the noodles out and hand them to the customers.
With her experience, Aunt Ba's bowls of noodle soup never spilled out.
Sharing with Travellive reporters, Ms. Nguyen Thanh Hong (affectionately known as Auntie Ba) said: "During the Covid-19 pandemic, I stopped selling, but many regular customers still asked to buy, so I came up with the idea of selling them by dropping them down like this. I sell about 10 bowls a day. Since the pandemic, I find selling this way convenient because I'm getting old and can't go up and down the stairs. This method of selling has also received support from many customers because of its unique and friendly nature."
This noodle shop is famous for its unique serving style:
For just 30,000 VND, diners can enjoy a bowl of noodle soup that's well worth the money at Aunt Ba's restaurant. The affordable price and quality of the food make it a favorite destination for many Saigon residents, especially students.
Aunt Ba's noodle soup, though simple, is packed with flavor. The broth, simmered from pork bones, is sweet and savory. The chewy noodles, combined with tender pork and fragrant homemade fried onions, create an irresistible appeal. Customers can choose between noodle soup or dry noodles according to their preference.
This bowl of noodle soup is simple yet full of flavor.
The 70-year-old owner confided, "I learned this noodle soup recipe from my family, and it has its own unique flavor."
What's special about Aunt Ba's noodle soup is that it doesn't contain heart, liver, or beef meatballs like other shops. However, this absence doesn't affect the delicious flavor of the dish at all. Instead, Aunt Ba focuses on the quality of the main ingredients such as pork, pork bones, and noodles.
After seeing a video of the restaurant on social media, Minh Chinh (22 years old, Ho Chi Minh City) said: "The noodles were surprisingly chewy and delicious, along with the rich broth and tender meat that melted in my mouth. It's these simple, very Saigon-style details of the restaurant that have left a lasting impression on me."
Aunt Ba drops the noodle soup down to the customers from the first floor.
And don't forget to ask about and chat with your customers.
Amidst the modernity and sophistication, there remains a sense of simplicity and openness, as exemplified by the one-of-a-kind "rope-lowering" noodle shop that operates daily: the bustling sounds of customers ordering, the owner's hearty voice echoing as he lowers a steaming bowl of noodles down the rope. This beauty is intimate, connecting the community in a warm space, imbued with the essence of a "Saigon alley."
