Nguyen Qui Duc - a journalist, writer, editor, translator, broadcaster, with many achievements listed on the international Wikipedia page. From his origin in Da Lat, his life spanned many countries around the world - America, England, Morocco, Indonesia, Japan... Finally, he returned to Vietnam and chose stability in Hanoi. Amidst the intertwining of old and new, the waves of integration, the daily economic problems, this man of the 5x generation is "one of a kind", contributing to the capital a bit of cultural color, a bit of simple joy.

“The Greatest Bar in the Universe” is a mere 8 square meters, with a bar and 5 chairs, selling only unmixed whisky and gin, which are “worth every penny”. The owner loves whisky and Japanese culture - that is something anyone can easily see when coming to Uncle Ba, looking at the small bar or the Japanese-patterned curtains hanging around the door. This place is completely separate from all the glossiness and bustle that is often found in bars nowadays.

A man quietly walked past the bar, my friend bowed to him and nudged me, whispering: "That's Mr. Duc."

The next time I “met” Mr. Duc was at Tadioto. That day, Mr. Duc organized a memorial screening for Korean director Kim Ki-duk. The director passed away suddenly, so the screening was also organized suddenly. If you exclude me and Mr. Duc, this free event had only two audience members (although in fact, both were acquaintances of Mr. Duc). “Kim Ki-duk is my friend,” Mr. Duc said, a concise sentence that answered my question about the profit of the screening event.

Hanoi “followers” ​​probably all know Tadioto, a name that has existed for more than 13 years. Tadioto used to be on Hang Khay, Truong Han Sieu, Trieu Viet Vuong…, and now it is located on Tong Dan street. In the bar with a style that is a witty blend of Vietnamese, Japanese, American and many other cultural colors, it is difficult to see gorgeous branded clothes, boisterous laughter or customers' hands ready to take check-in photos. “Tadioto is not a bar for people to dress up and show off,” Mr. Duc shared. “There are not many customers here, but they are all selective people, have experience abroad or in life, they do not follow social trends. My customers are people who know what they like.”

In addition to the emphasis on painting and poetry expressed in the decoration, every week at Tadioto there are live music programs, mostly Jazz, performed by domestic and foreign artists. “For me, Tadioto is a space for artistic experimentation. I select interesting artists who are not too popular compared to other bars. They are foreigners, Vietnamese, old artists or even young people... Each person brings to the performance a personality, a unique cultural feature of their homeland. Through that, I just hope to contribute something more to the community”. The owner himself does not borrow beautiful words or splendid posters to introduce his programs, but only “advertises” with two concise words: Please. “I do not need customers to come here to listen to music and drink alcohol as a pastime” - he explained.

The name Nguyen Qui Duc in Vietnam is often associated with keywords such as "art" and "aesthetics", but to international friends, Mr. Duc is better known as a journalist. While his life now focuses on running a restaurant business, the concerns of a journalist for society are still expressed through environmental and human rights events organized by non-profit organizations at Tadioto. He does not organize any social activities, but is always ready to support groups of young people to carry out such programs. "I learn a lot when working with young people," he added.

My conversation with Mr. Duc paused when it was “time” for him to go into Tadioto to greet the guests. There were people who started out as his friends and then became regulars, and there were also people who went from being guests to becoming his friends. “At Tadioto, I get to do what I like, enjoy good music nights. Then there are people I don’t know, who don’t know me, who come in; they drink, listen to music and have the same spirit as me, the same experience as me. For me, that’s a way to share, a joy, a great motivation.”

Our third “meeting” took place in Uncle Ba. That evening, this 8 square meter bar had no customers hanging around except me (and the owner). In the small, rustic space, Mr. Duc shared more, expressing his joy more clearly.

But where does Mr. Duc's joy come from - when the shop is empty, the shop is crowded but lacks staff, and the shop even has to close (his clothing store in Hoi An has closed due to the impact of the epidemic)? From the perspective of a businessman, a person seeking wealth and money, it is hard for anyone to be happy. But Mr. Duc has the opposite spirit, he even excitedly told me about his plan to open the next shops... with a style that is both Hong Kong, Thang Long, Japan, and many other colors. That is when I realized that this shop owner does not put himself in the position of a businessman, but simply a "worshiper" of culture - the culture of his country, the culture of other countries. He "absorbs" the culture of the lands he has been to, then becomes a "transit station", spreading that cultural spirit to his customers. A little bit contemporary at Tadioto, a little bit Japanese at Uncle Ba, a little bit Middle Eastern at (clothing store) ÔZÙ..., just like that, he quietly contributes a little bit of joy to every corner of Hanoi.

“So what is your favorite job?”

“I have a house in Tam Dao, I often stay there alone to think, read books, write, draw, etc.”

“You mean work?”

“Well, I consider those things to be work. The work I like best.”

I stopped by Moto-san Uber Noodle when Mr. Duc wasn’t around. Moto-san is a ramen shop with a distinctly Japanese style, accented with a few contemporary Vietnamese touches (and consistently ranked high in the polls for the best ramen shop in Hanoi). While the shop was busy, a foreign band walked in, ordered five servings of noodles, and urged that they only had 10 minutes to eat before they had to go perform. The staff worked at full speed, the hot bowls of noodles were brought out from the kitchen one by one and placed on individual plates - this presentation made each staff member only able to carry one serving in hand, instead of bringing out all five at once. “They need it urgently, or should we not use plates anymore?” - I stood behind and observed and commented. “That can’t be done” - the staff replied firmly, then continued working. A “Japanese” spirit in a small eatery in the heart of the capital.

They say if you want to know a restaurant owner's character, look at their staff.