What Bun Rieu Means to My Family

The story of how my grandma sold Bun Rieu on the streets of Vietnam

One of my favorite things about food is that it always has a story. Whether that be a story about how it came into existence or what it means to a community. My favorite story about a dish is how my grandma ended up selling Bun Rieu on the streets of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City).

In 1979, my grandpa and uncle immigrated to the United States in search of a better life for the family. They left behind my grandma, my mom, and her 6 siblings because the family had limited resources and could only afford to send 2 people to the US. (Yes my mom is 1 of 8 kids.) That left my grandma in a bit of a dilemma because back then, the breadwinner of the family was my grandpa. She never worked a day in her life, and with him gone, she had to figure out how to support herself and 7 kids. Thankfully, she was an amazing cook, so she thought why not sell food. That’s how she ended up selling Bun Rieu on the streets.

Every day, she would get up early to shop and prep the food, then my mom would help her set up a small stand in front of the house. The stand consisted of a small table and a few chairs. Throughout the day, the whole neighborhood would come by and support the family by buying a bowl of Bun Rieu. The selling price was ~$0.50 USD. At the end of the day after all the customers had gone, my mom and her siblings would help my grandma clean up by breaking down the small stand and washing dishes. If there was any food left over, it became dinner that night.

The year that followed was filled with plenty of highs and lows. On the one hand, it was difficult to balance raising 7 kids while running this little business of hers. At the same time, it was a great way for her to connect to all her neighbors in the community. A community that rallied to support her family in a time of need. She did this everyday for a year before my grandpa was able to bring the rest of the family over to the US in 1980.

When I heard this story as a kid, it made me think of Bun Rieu in a whole new way. It’s crazy to think about how this one dish helped my family survive a tough year. I also love hearing these stories because it helped me understand my grandma a bit better. It makes me proud of where I come from and grateful that I never had to go through what she went through. My grandma was a petite 4’11 woman, but she was tough. I asked my mom if my grandma enjoyed doing it, and she said, “Yes! She enjoyed it. She loved people, and people loved her. She’s also a good cook!”

My cousins and I with our grandparents

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