A Vietnamese restaurant founded by three Vietnamese PhDs near Guangxi University in Nanning, China, has seen 20% growth in its annual revenues over the past three years. This is a nice reward for the restaurant’s founders’ efforts to promote Vietnamese cuisine in Guangxi.

The three Vietnamese PhDs: Bui Thuy Van, who majored in the economics of nationalities at Guangxi University of Nationalities, Pham Thu Ngoc, who majored in public health at Guangxi Medical University, and Nguyen Tien Manh, who specialized in economics at Guangxi University, share a passion for Vietnamese cuisine. 

They decided to open a restaurant near Guangxi University to promote Vietnamese food to the local people.

"Since its opening, I have come here at least 2 or 3 times a week to enjoy the authentic Vietnamese food, which I really like. I’ve traveled to Vietnam many times and have become a big fan of Vietnamese Pho and fried nem. This restaurant offers very delicious Vietnamese food. I’m especially fond of the chicken Pho here, whose broth is very subtle, as well as the fried nem with diverse fillings," said Wu Rong Ke, a Chinese doctor, a regular diner at the restaurant.

One of the restaurant’s founders, Bui Thuy Van, has been studying in Guangxi since she was 18. Like any Vietnamese living abroad, she missed Vietnamese food but could not find no Chinese restaurants offering authentic Vietnamese food. So she joined with her friends to open a restaurant serving Vietnamese Pho ga. 

Customer feedback was so positive, they decided to expand the restaurant and offer more Vietnamese dishes. 

Van told VOV: "Six months after the restaurant opened, we had customers queuing in long lines for a table. So she decided to offer more dishes, like spring rolls and rice vermicelli with grilled pork, or bun cha, all of the food we love in Vietnam. We also hired a Vietnamese chef to work for us. Feedback from Chinese customers has been very encouraging. They love our food, which they say is delicious and new to them."

28-year-old Nguyen Tien Manh recalled the original idea of opening a Vietnamese restaurant: "Vietnamese noodles and spring rolls are among the typical dishes of Vietnam that have been promoted worldwide. We wanted to introduce Vietnamese food to Chinese people who may have heard about Vietnamese food but never had a chance to visit Vietnam. This was also our way of promoting Vietnamese tourism."

Pham Thu Ngoc said, "Our top priority has always been studying. We opened this restaurant because we want to promote Vietnamese cuisine and create a place for Vietnamese students living and studying in Guangxi to get together."

A regular customer of the restaurant, Doctor Wu Rong Ke advertises its menu on a free Chinese messaging website to help the restaurant reach more Chinese customers.

"I like the subtle taste of Vietnamese food with its fresh ingredients and drinking coffee with friends instead of drinking alcohol. Vietnamese have very healthy eating and drinking habits," said Wu Rong Ke.

VOV5