Address: 2F Quang Trung, Hoan Kiem district, intersection of Trang Thi street, Hanoi city.

Opening hours: all days, from 06:00 to 14:00.

Reference price: From 25,000 VND to about 80,000 VND/bowl.

Hanoi is the land of exquisite gifts, where just one dish of bun rieu has hundreds of different variations. However, amidst the “matrix” of mushroom-growing eateries, there is one name that has remained steadfast for nearly four decades, despite the fact that the prices are always among the “top” of the capital.

Huyen Thu Bun Rieu: What's in the legendary 40-year-old bun rieu? 2

Huyen Thu noodle soup is one of the indispensable dishes of Hanoi capital’s culinary culture. Illustration photo: Thanh Nien Newspaper

Hanoi’s bun rieu culture is inherently a combination of the sour taste of natural vinegar, the greasy taste of crab noodles and the crunchiness of stuffed snails. Walking along streets like Hang Bac, Bat Dan or Nguyen Sieu, you can easily come across steaming piles of vermicelli noodles. However, Huyen Thu noodle soup at 2F Quang Trung has a very unique flavor, a flavor that people call “lowkey” – quiet but full of inner strength.

The shop is not located on a large frontage or has a luxurious space, even the entrance is only 1.5 meters, making it easy for first-time visitors to pass by. However, behind that humility is an incredibly large number of visitors. From rich people driving luxury cars to young gourmets, everyone gathers here just to satisfy their craving for a bowl of authentic Hanoi vermicelli noodles.

The reason why Huyen Thu noodle soup is known as “overpriced” is not only its central location in Hoan Kiem district. The core restaurant’s popularity comes from the meticulousness in choosing ingredients, creating a bowl of vermicelli where diners feel the cleanliness and essence in each spoonful of broth. Without loud advertising or ostentatious signboards, the restaurant still quietly attracts customers with a “unique” flavor that is difficult to copy anywhere else. Many people call this a bowl of “overpriced” vermicelli noodles. Yet, in the middle of the old town with hundreds of options, people are still willing to line up to enjoy a bowl of vermicelli here.

To have a solid brand like today, bun rieu Huyen Thu has gone through a long journey full of sweat and enthusiasm of owner Thanh Huyen. The story of the restaurant is not only a story about food, but also a story about the perseverance of a Hanoi woman who loves her job.

Going back in time to 1986, amidst the difficult years of the Doi Moi period, Ms. Thanh Huyen started her career as a sidewalk vendor at the intersection of Hai Ba Trung – Ba Trieu. At that time, her vermicelli stall consisted of just a few low plastic chairs, with diners sitting close together, but the rich crab flavor soon created a small fever in the heart of the old town. For more than 20 years of staying on the sidewalk, that noodle stall has raised the whole family and become part of the memories of many generations of people in this area.

Huyen Thu Bun Rieu: What's in the legendary 40-year-old bun rieu? 3

From a simple street vendor, Huyen Thu noodle shop has become an integral part of many generations of people in the capital. Illustration photo: Halotravel

In 2010, Ms. Huyen decided to bring the noodle basket into her house at 2F Quang Trung. Despite changing its form from a street vendor to a restaurant with a fixed address, the mind of the cook remains unchanged. She still stands directly in the kitchen, her hands quickly folding meat, scooping rice noodles, pouring broth, ensuring that each bowl of vermicelli served to guests must meet the “Huyen Thu” standards like the first day at the intersection of the old town.

One of the things that proves the value of Huyen Thu noodle soup is its strangely loyal customer base. There are customers who have eaten her noodles since they were schoolgirls, until they got married, had children, and brought their grandchildren to eat. They don’t just come to eat a bowl of vermicelli to fill their stomachs, but come to rediscover the taste of youth, the sour taste of natural vinegar that they have been familiar with for decades.

The attraction of the restaurant also spreads to foreign experts living and working in Hanoi. It’s not rare to see Japanese or European guests sitting attentively using chopsticks to pick up each noodle and slurp up the crab broth. They shared that, although bun rieu is a rustic dish, the clean service and natural flavors at Huyen Thu make them feel secure and love it. That is the success of a family-owned culinary brand: it does not need to be flashy but must have soul.

What makes the price up to 80,000 VND for a bowl of mixed vermicelli and snails here? The answer lies in the skill and quality of ingredients that few bun rieu restaurants in Hanoi dare to invest so heavily in.

The soul of vermicelli noodles must definitely be the broth. At Huyen Thu restaurant, the broth has a clear amber color, dotted with bright red tomato pieces and genuine crab scraps. The secret to creating the restaurant’s elegant, not harsh sour taste is the combination of pure crab filtered water and natural vinegar “privately purchased” by the owner from reputable sources.

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The highlight of the restaurant is the sour broth combined with tomatoes and natural vinegar. Illustration photo: Lao Dong Newspaper

Many noodle shops today often use tamarind or dracontomelon to create sourness, but here, the sourness must come from vinegar to match traditional noodle soup. The broth has a natural sweet taste from field crabs, greasy but not greasy, just a spoonful and you can feel the elegance and gentleness of Hanoi cuisine. The crab soup here is made from 100% real crab, not mixed with tofu or eggs to thicken the crab like many other places, so the crab is very fragrant, firm and has a rich alluvial flavor from the fields.

If broth is the soul, then stuffed snails are the “star” of the bowl of vermicelli noodles at Huyen Thu restaurant. While most of the cheap snail noodle shops today use golden apple snails or industrially raised snails with mushy and unfragrant meat, Ms. Huyen still perseveres with her selected line of stuffed snails (jackfruit snails).

Big, fat stuffed snails with crunchy meat are imported fresh every day from the Bac Ninh region. The processing process is very strict: snails are brought home from 3-4 am, meticulously cleaned by hand to remove all mud and slime but still retain sweetness. When a customer calls, the hostess begins to stir the snails or scoop out snails that have been cleaned and lightly sauteed with fat and dried onions to enhance the flavor but still retain the freshness and crunch. Eating a piece of snail here, diners clearly feel that the “expensiveness” lies in the quality of each carefully selected snail.

Besides traditional snail vermicelli, the restaurant also offers a diverse topping system to satisfy all diners’ needs. A full bowl of mixed food will overwhelm you with its richness. From fresh pieces of turtle beef that are blanched until just cooked, keeping the sweetness and softness; to the crispy pieces of sausage, fragrant with pepper. And of course, golden fried tofu pieces are indispensable, dropped into the broth to absorb the spicy and sour taste.

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A serving of vermicelli at the restaurant is considered to be full with a variety of side dishes, from beef cored with turtle, crispy spring rolls, golden fried beans and rich stuffed snails. Illustration photo: Thanh Nien Newspaper

Raw vegetables at the restaurant are also a big plus. Vegetables are chopped in traditional “chop vegetables” style, including banana flowers, lettuce, perilla and marjoram. Vegetables are always fresh, washed thoroughly, and eaten with a hot bowl of vermicelli is perfect. In addition, the restaurant’s bowl of homemade chili with its dark red color and characteristic spicy taste is also an addictive spice for those who like spicy food. All blend together to create a colorful taste feast.

It would not be an exaggeration to assert that Huyen Thu noodle soup is a place worth trying, especially for those who want to rediscover the standard noodle soup flavor of old Hanoians. The restaurant possesses the perfect taste of sour broth, real crab soup and especially crunchy stuffed snails that are unmatched anywhere else. For first-time visitors to the Capital, Huyen Thu’s bun rieu is like a vivid “summary” of the sophistication of Hanoi cuisine. It’s not cheap, but it offers good value for your money. A hot, steaming bowl of vermicelli in the heart of the old town will be the perfect start for the journey to discover the beauty of a thousand years of civilization. Pull out your travel suitcase and go to Hanoi!