Bui Hoai Phuong, the owner of Than Thien Vegan Buffet, has been running the restaurant successfully for over a year.
Despite his success, Phuong remains humble and generous. Instead of keeping all the profits for himself, he allocates a portion of the earnings to provide a free buffet once a month for laborers, students, and people in need.
Since the introduction of the free buffet four months ago, over 2,000 meals have been given away.
On Tuesday, November 28, on the 16th day of the 10th lunar month, Than Thien prepared 15 different vegan dishes for lottery ticket vendors, students, and low-income laborers. The buffet was replenished until 2:00 pm.
In addition to dine-in, the restaurant also offers free takeaway boxes for visitors.
Huynh Thi Banh, a resident of Cao Lanh’s Ward 6, shared that she took two boxes of vegan food from the buffet to have as breakfast and lunch.
“I work as a lottery ticket vendor and often have my meals here. I take advantage of the free meals every month. The dishes are delicious. This restaurant has kindly provided me with free meals during times when I am struggling to sell lottery tickets,” Banh expressed.
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| Guests can enjoy meals at the eatery or take their food to-go. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre |
Satisfied with the quality of food, Tran Van Tu, a lottery ticket vendor and resident of Cho Moi District in An Giang Province, expressed his gratitude towards Than Thien for the free meals provided.
Phuong, the owner of the restaurant, has been a vegetarian since he was young and has always had a passion for cooking. After completing his university studies, he held various jobs before deciding to open Than Thien.
“Since the seventh month of this lunar year, we have been offering free meals on the 16th day of each lunar month. We serve around 700 vegan meals on each occasion. I hope to expand it to twice a month. Despite the increasing prices of rice and gas, I try my best to keep the prices at the restaurant affordable,” shared Phuong.
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| Bui Hoai Phuong, the owner and chef at Than Thien vegetarian eatery. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre |
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| A group of students enjoy a free vegan meal. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre |
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| Vegan dishes at Than Thien. Photo: Dang Tuyet / Tuoi Tre |
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