“Looking back at my story, I see that the decision to return to the beginning may be a bit

reckless but still right, the US may be more favorable, but Vietnam gives me happiness with
relatives, friends, contributions. Although small for his country. My father later returned and
opened his own French restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, after graduating from university in
the US, he also tried to return to Vietnam with his parents and "rooted" here with his wife.
It's difficult, but the difficulties in our homeland are warm."
Alain Tan and his wife Lynn Dao and their son Huynh Trung Khai both chose to return to
Vietnam.

Stopping at Pho 2000 restaurant on Le Thanh Ton Street (District 1, HCMC) on a hot
afternoon, I met the owner Alain Tan who was busy going in and out, up and down the stairs
leading up to the lobby. It's not that the shop is too crowded, but he is dealing with an
incident: a power outage across the street. After 10 minutes the generator had started, the
lights were on again, the air conditioner was blowing cool air, and his wife Lynn Dao rushed
to the kitchen to take care of the pot of broth to prepare to welcome the Indian tourist
group that had booked. before lunch.
Wiping a drop of sweat on his forehead, Mr. Tan smiled: "It's been a long time since this
area has had a power outage. But we are always prepared. Besides, I am used to this city's
power outage decades ago, the sentence involuntarily recalled a heaven of memories. Thirty
years ago, Mr. Alain Tan Huynh (Huynh Trung Tan) and "baby" Dao (as he called his wife -
Ms. Huynh My Truc Lien) - the couple left the restaurants that were making money in the US
to return. orange plus suffering with Ho Chi Minh City, with Vietnam.

VIETNAM IS HOME
Mr. Tan said: "I am a Saigonese, my family sent me to the US to study abroad in 1971. Mr.
Huynh Lap - my father - is a famous ocean merchant. He traded, delivered, and distributed
goods in different countries to Saigon port, then sent them to the South. Because of that, on
April 29, 1975, he was able to bring his family and a few friends' families on board at Bach
Dang wharf and leave. The ship arrived in the Philippines, entered a refugee camp, and then
the families were taken to the US one by one.
The upheaval in Vietnam made it impossible for us to study. I and my friends in the
international student union went to newly established refugee camps to welcome and help
Vietnamese people who are coming to the US from all directions. One night in June 1975, I
was distributing warm clothes to everyone when a bus brought new arrivals. My father got
out of the car, and behind him were my mother, brother and sister. My family reunited.
22-year-old Alain Tan suddenly became a support, in addition to his family, there was also
the family of Mr. Huynh Lap's close friend, including Huynh My Truc Lien, then 17 years old,
a bewildered Gia Long schoolgirl whose name was at home is "baby Dao". 17 people
crowded into a two-bedroom student apartment, Alain Tan had to go and beg the landlady:
"She was also a refugee in the past, now please understand our situation." Young people go
to school, adults have to find jobs to survive like tens of thousands of Vietnamese people
who were scattered at that time. With the capital he brought with him, Mr. Lap tried to
return to his old business, but the environment and circumstances have completely
changed. What? Walking around with a twisted question, he suddenly told Tan: "This rich
neighborhood lacks French restaurants. I will open a restaurant.”
The whole family is determined. Alain Tan studied hotel management more, Mr. Lap sought
an apprenticeship with a famous French chef who served the royal family, the younger
sisters of both families practiced from things like keeping hats and shirts. Serving guests,
taking orders, clearing tables, serving, cooking. In 1976, they opened the first French
restaurant, then 1978, 1980, 1983... formed chains in big cities and beach resorts following
the strong development momentum of the US economy. Alain Tan and "baby Dao" got
married. Tan's career flourished even more when he joined the government's social
program to open a restaurant-hotel vocational training center for migrants and refugees;
supporting small businesses to create jobs for the disadvantaged... “It's great, but I'm happy,
especially when I help Vietnamese newcomers get a job, regain their confidence, get rid of
the feeling of being subsidized", Mr. Tan reminded.
In 1989, US-Vietnam relations were still very tense. However, a delegation of overseas
Vietnamese was connected through many gateways to return to Vietnam, including Alain
Tan. To this day, he still remembers the excitement when his friend invited him back to
Vietnam to play and see what Hanoi's 36 streets were like. Excited to accept, Tan hid his
family to go. Only "baby Dao" knows him about Vietnam.
“Arriving in Saigon - Ho Chi Minh City, alas, it's sad. The city is poor, the houses are not
repaired and painted, and the electricity is cut off at the hotel several times a week. It's just
nice to see some friends, relatives, grandparents, but then sad because most of them are in
a situation where they don't have a job to have a better future. Then I followed the group to
Hanoi, even more lonely. On the second day in Hanoi, the tour guide - also a security officer
- invited me and two other brothers to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Not sure what
happened, but we went anyway. The building was very beautiful and we met Mr. Vu Khoan,
then deputy minister in charge of North America with Minister Nguyen Co Thach, invited to
drink lotus tea and eat jam. They talked very sincerely, without color or artificiality, shouting
slogans like I heard rumors in the US. Mr. Thach said: “You guys are successful intellectuals
in the US, but Vietnam is your homeland. My country is still very poor, I really need your
help. Some people need to wait when the situation is more favorable, but some things can
be done immediately, such as Mr. Tan - he pointed to me - he has the expertise, can
coordinate to help the tourist team train human resources to prepare. welcome guests from
capitalist countries when Vietnam opens. You can also open a restaurant, a hotel…”.
I decided to use "trick" to seduce "baby Dao" "Go back to Saigon to play. There, the child
will be able to ride a cyclo to Bach Dang wharf, eat pancakes, banh khot, and meet old
friends. It's fun." Say it every day, then the wife also nods."
HUNDREDS OF DIFFICULTY WITH INNOVATION HCMC
Flying to Thailand to get entry to Ho Chi Minh City, fulfilling the promise of "cyclo, banh xeo"
for a few days, Mr. Tan continued with his partner Mr. Dang Van Tin, director of Du
Company. Vietnamese calendar persuaded his wife to agree to sign the joint venture under
his cousin's name. One side has a house, has a business mechanism, welcomes foreign
guests; One party invests and trains to have a standard French restaurant. For three
months, Mr. Tan turned around to buy high-class dishes and utensils from abroad, went to
the diplomatic flea markets to buy alcohol, buy flour, buy butter and cheese, went to Cho
Lon to find the source of whey, spice; learn how to make charcoal toasters on the lower
coals - small radiator fan, slot oven, Mrs. Dao must learn how to bake cakes, fry meat, cook
sauces with the right recipe, the right temperature without using gas, no electricity, no AC
ovens and all the modern kitchen appliances she was used to in America. After studying, she
had to re-train the staff, the chef who had long only cooked simple Vietnamese dinners in
difficult times... She went to Ben Thanh market to choose the fabric for the staff's uniform,
and also the fans. Paper, cloth fans are beautiful to give to customers when the power goes
out - it happens like a meal.
“Hundreds of difficulties and thousands of difficulties, but at that time we were just over 30
years old, passionate about our profession, confident enough and not afraid of challenges. I
have to do it, I told myself, and finally, in December 1989, the upscale French restaurant Le
Mekong was born at 159 Ky Con, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. After operating smoothly, we
returned to the US and handed it over to Party A with confidence in the commitment to
"guaranteeing the source of international visitors". Three months later, I was sitting at my
home in the US reading the report: a 3-month loss of tens of thousands of dollars, no
customers. Calling to ask, Mr. Tin replied: Our guests in Eastern European countries follow
the protocol, spending norms are not enough to pay for meals at Le Mekong.
Tan once again persuaded "little Dao" to come back to save Le Mekong, saving his promise
to "do something to help Vietnam, first of all his relatives and friends". Now, the biggest
problem is Khai, their only son is only 9 years old. Ho Chi Minh City at that time did not have
a suitable school. Thinking forever, but then the determination was greater, Mr. Tan and his
wife brought Khai back to Ho Chi Minh City to play for a week and then sent him to
Singapore to study boarding. Two people in a 12-square-meter "old" room on the terrace of
Le Mekong restaurant, determined to revive their brainchild.
Sure enough, there were owners and guests who started to come. At that time, Ho Chi Minh
City began to have a 5-star floating hotel at Bach Dang wharf. Tourists, diplomats, investors
coming to Saigon began to know our restaurant, introduce each other about a place with
high standard French food, the owner communicates English - French comfortably,
spontaneously. course. A few months later, the restaurant started to make a profit, even
though "baby Dao" would go out on the terrace every night to cry like rain because he
missed him.
BRIDGE TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE USA
Ho Chi Minh City has always led the country in trade, tourism, and economic development,
especially when Vietnam gradually integrated with the world in the 1990s. In that context,
Mr. Tan and his wife became one of them. leaders in the high-end restaurant business,
Quickly, the chain of restaurants they opened one after another entered the tourist map,
the introductory list of the city: Le Mekong, Vietnam House, Lemon Grass, Blue Gringer ,
Dalat House... The ups and downs, the 1998 Asian financial crisis heavily affected luxury
brands, including restaurants and hotels. Customers of the food and beverage industry are
always evolving, just changing the segment. Then I changed - he discussed with his wife - to
choose a traditional product: pho, mentioning Vietnam is referring to pho.
The couple traveled around Saigon and Hanoi to taste pho at famous heirloom restaurants.
Each restaurant has something to learn from each taste, each feature, but the common
point that needs to be changed is hygiene and service style. After a few months of eating
and cooking pho at home, Ms. Dao was confident with the pot of broth, Mr. Tan had
established a standard pho restaurant. In 1999, the first Pho 2000 was born on Vo Thi Sau
Street - the famous Pho Hien Vuong street of old Saigon - With a luxurious style, cherishing a
bowl of pho from popular to delicious. Customers line up on the sidewalk. The Pho 2000
chain quickly became successful and appeared in many new locations. Tourists flocked to
familiarize themselves with pho without worrying about vegetables, garbage, and rude
waiters. “An American friend who works at the consulate has a Vietnamese wife, so he loves
pho very much. Since the day Pho 2000 opened near the north gate of Ben Thanh market,
he stopped by to eat every week. Once, he asked, "If there is a group of VIP guests coming,
will you be able to continue?" I said, "Okay." That's it. Several times later, he came and also
went to the kitchen to observe the processing process. At the end of the year, there was
news that the first US presidential delegation would come to Vietnam, to Ho Chi Minh City, I
understand the consul had prepared but not sure if the restaurant was chosen at that time,
my family opened a restaurant again. While we were taking care of our business over there,
Pho 2000 was honored to welcome US President Bill Clinton and his wife while we were
there. VIP.” On the wall of Pho 2000, there are always pictures of VIP guests who have been
to family restaurant chains: President Bill Clinton, President Bush, Japanese Prime Minister
Murayama Tomiichi, Prime Minister Vo Van Kiet, General Vo Nguyen Giap, Minister Nguyen
Co Thach, Wave after wave crushed Wave first, the aura of that high-class restaurant chain
is now just a "ghost of a time" in the growth of the tourism service industry. These days, Pho
2000 is also joining the city's other restaurants in a struggle to survive after the COVD-19
storm. The owners and grandparents stood to welcome each guest, taking care of each bowl
of pho like in the old days...