Although set up modestly on a small sidewalk corner, this family-run porridge and noodle stall in Ho Chi Minh City has thrived for more than half a century, attracting crowds from midnight until early morning.

At night, after strolling around Ben Thanh Market (Ben Thanh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City), Thang (35) and his wife, along with their two young children, stop by the stall at the corner of Le Loi and Phan Boi Chau streets for a late supper.

Following them, two tourists from South Korea step in. Unable to speak Vietnamese, one of them points directly to the varieties of pork offal he wants to try.

Though referred to as a “restaurant,” the spot is simply a portable stall with two large pots, a tray of pork offal, and a few small plastic tables on the pavement. Yet, it has built a reputation for delicious flavors over five decades, passed down through generations.

Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, 68, the stall owner, said the business dates back to her grandmother, who sold late-night porridge during the French colonial era.

As a child, Huong accompanied her grandmother to sell porridge and noodles. When her grandmother passed away, Huong’s mother took over. Huong, in her youth, set up her own stall selling porridge, hu tieu, and noodles across the street from her mother’s spot.

When her mother died, Huong combined the two businesses into one at the current location. “Our family stall has been passed down from mother to child. I’m the third generation. It’s been over 50 years now,” she said.

Her grandmother sold from 7 p.m. to midnight, her mother kept the same schedule, while Huong initially sold from 1 a.m. to 4 a.m. Later, after her mother’s passing, she adopted the earlier evening start, selling from 7 p.m. to around 3 a.m.

Huong cooks porridge and noodle broth in two unusual, gourd-shaped pots with wide bases and rounded tops, which help both tenderize the food and retain heat.

A bowl of her pork offal porridge includes intestines, tongue, heart, pig’s ear, blood pudding, and fried sausage  -  the latter being the most popular. The fried sausage is made from a special filling and fried for aroma, while all offal is thoroughly cleaned to remove any odor.

Aside from porridge, she serves various noodle soups, such as pork offal noodles, chicken noodles, and pork rib noodles. The noodles are soft, and the broth  -  simmered from bones and chicken  -  is naturally sweet with low fat. Customers can pair their noodles with pork or chicken offal.

The later it gets, the more customers order porridge. Each night, she cooks about 2 kg of rice in the large gourd-shaped pot. Depending on the rice quality, she either roasts it first for more aroma or cooks it directly if it has less starch. The finished porridge is kept hot over charcoal, giving off a fragrant steam.

To ensure freshness, Huong shops for ingredients right after closing, around 2–3 a.m. Her son packs up the stall while she goes to the market and slaughterhouse for the freshest pork and chicken offal, which she then cleans and prepares for the next day.

Despite operating late into the night, the stall is not just a stop for laborers finishing shifts but also a favorite of night owls, artists, and celebrities. Among her regulars are comedian Tran Thanh and MC Hari Won, who often praise her cooking.

Huong recalled the old days when the nearby night market brought customers non-stop until 2–3 a.m., including locals, tourists, and entertainers. She still remembers one peculiar customer who ordered only pork uterus with hot porridge, eating an entire skewer by himself. When told the price was 80,000 VND (about USD 3.10), he angrily accused her of overcharging. Fortunately, other customers present defended her, and she was cleared of wrongdoing.

Since then, she hasn’t seen that man again, but many foreign tourists, overseas Vietnamese, and public figures have returned. “Whenever they visit Ho Chi Minh City, they come to my stall. I’m happy and proud that no one complains about my food anymore,” Huong said.