Experience the space of subsidized rice shops
Amidst the modern pace of life, in the bustling neighborhoods of Ha Long ward (Quang Ninh), Pham Thi Minh Thu's subsidized rice shop is like a "time machine" taking diners back to memories, back to "the old days".
As soon as customers enter the shop, old bicycles that have faded with time, rice mills, ice cream boxes, stone mortars, old tables and chairs... or inside the shop, every small corner evokes memories of old years with old radios, box TVs, thermos flasks, stamps, discolored wooden cabinets, porcelain bowls and plates with glaze neatly arranged on shelves.
The sound of old music gently echoes, harmonizing with the smell of hot rice and rustic dishes such as "water spinach soup, eggplant with soy sauce"... making the space become close and warm like a Vietnamese family kitchen in the old days.
Those items were collected and bought by shop owner Pham Thi Minh Thu at used goods stores or households in Bac Ninh, Hai Duong (now Hai Phong)... Some people sold them, some people gave them back because they really liked Thu's ideas. Thu brought them back, keeping almost the original items to preserve traces of time.
Pointing to me the set of pillars placed in a small corner of the shop, Thu said, this is one of the items Thu bought for the most money. The tables and chairs are old but very sturdy.
The journey to open a subsidized rice shop
Few people think that the creator of that nostalgic rice shop is a GenZ, a generation born when the subsidy period was far away. But for Minh Thu, memories of "grandparents' time" have never been strange when since childhood, Thu has always been able to relive the old days through the stories told by the elderly.
When I was a child, I often returned to my hometown in Hai Duong, mainly living with my grandparents. At that time, my grandparents still kept the kitchen and old items. Every time I returned, my grandparents told me about the life of the coupon era, the days of eating rice mixed with sweet potatoes... and memories of each item. Memories of the old days kept growing in me.
This year she is 95 years old, but every time I return to my hometown, she still tells me about those difficult and hard years. They are the biggest inspiration on my journey to open a subsidized rice shop," Thu recalled.
Although living far from home, and herself being a lover of travel, Thu always looks towards her family, wants to live a little slower and be more nostalgic. Every time she sets foot in a land in the shape of an S shape, Thu always seeks restaurants with the flavor of the two words "family" to live in a warm space with a simple meal.
Initially, Thu also faced opposition from family, friends and suspicion from everyone when opening a rice shop to recreate the "grandparents' era" because of the large capital investment. But Thu was still determined with her own choice. September 2025, the subsidized rice shop officially "launched" in Ha Long after a period of time Thu urgently started collecting and buying back old items.
Not only objects, every corner in the shop is decorated to recreate the space of a bygone era with each area such as "Brother farming cooperative - logistics area - emulation production team"; "Food and beverage service counter"... Or verses reminiscent of a difficult and deprived time, then folk songs expressing homesick feelings of children far from home.
Diners come to the restaurant of all ages, from locals to office workers and even tourists, foreigners... They come to the subsidized rice restaurant, both to experience family meals and to live in a simple, slow and loving memory.
The restaurant not only helps each individual find memories from a long time ago but is also a place to connect everyone in the family through a conversation throughout the meal. They can put their phones aside, temporarily forgetting the hustle and bustle of life.
On a simple tray of rice, grandparents can tell their children and grandchildren stories about each item, each memory they have gone through. And young people find curiosity and excitement before a period they have only heard through stories," Thu shared.
Having visited a subsidized rice shop during a business trip to Ha Long, Ms. Nguyen Hien (Hai Phong) still remembers the rich flavor of family meals.
For Ms. Hien, the cafe space is not too elaborate but makes people want to sit longer to feel the rare peace amidst the hurried modern life.
In parallel with operating the shop, Pham Thi Minh Thu still finds more items through old goods markets to make the shop space increasingly imbued with the old style.
Thu's dream of opening a subsidized rice shop does not stop in Ha Long. Thu wants to expand this model to many other localities in the future, so that memories of a past time will never be forgotten but always live in everyone's mind.
