Volunteers are arranging meals for diners. Photo: VOV

At 4 pm, the eatery "Shinbi Smile", located at the end of Chu Van An road, opposite K Tan Trieu Hospital in Hanoi’s Thanh Tri district, opens to diners, who are patients, their relatives, and poor workers. The owner and volunteer workers welcome them with warm smiles and friendly greetings, and give them a meal for just 2,000 VND.             

“They are strangers, but so enthusiastic and emotional. The food is like what we cook at home. I come to eat at this restaurant and find it delicious.”

“The food here is delicious and clean. They serve enthusiastically, and the menu varies. One day they serve fish, and another chicken. This means a lot to people who are undergoing long-term medical treatment, because it saves them a lot of money. Thank you to the sponsors and everyone at the restaurant, who are helping sick people.”

Every day, the eatery serves 150 to 200 portions, including 30 portions sent to the hospital’s Pediatric Department. The menu includes rice, vegetables, fish, meat, and desserts that change daily.

The Chef of Shinbi Smile, Nguyen Van Hai, said, “This place is special, unlike other food shops, because it serves the patients, their families, and the poor. I just want to cook cheap, nutritious meals for them. The food must be fresh. What I like most is when they tell me "the food is so delicious today."

Lam says the forerunner of this eatery was the Bong Sen Foundation, which began June 2021. Lam and his wife were volunteers at that restaurant during the COVID-19 peak. When the previous owner quit last month, Lam, with the financial support of a friend, took over the eatery because, he said, many patients and workers desperately needed the community's help.   

“I tell the other volunteers that they should consider this their shop, too. We have a long way to go together, not just one month, three months, six months or one year. I ask them to work with me, and so far everything is fine,” according to Lam. 

Do Thi Lan Anh, who lives in Thanh Xuan district, is one of the volunteers. “I receive customer feedback every day. They say our rice is as delicious as home-made rice and always thank us. That makes me happy. Although I am small, I am bringing joy to many people,” she said. 

Nguyen Tra My is Lam's wife, saying “Just one month after opening, rice was sent to us by philanthropists in Gia Lai and Bac Ninh province. Food and spices are delivered every day. I don't need to advertise much. I ‘m sincere, so others willingly join hands with me.”

To reply to the sincerity of the owners and volunteers, many of the eaters help clean the restaurant and wash the dishes. Nguyen Thi Binh, a relative of a cancer patient, said, “I come to help cook the rice. If the patients eat well, they will get well sooner, including my family member. The staff here are few. They work hard to serve a lot of people. So I try to help a little.”