Pho and family: Grad school student son helps dad run struggling NY Chinatown Vietnamese restaurant 

This is so beautiful. I remember being embarrassed bc my dad drove a beat up van for his work. He would drive me to school each morning and I would tell him to drop me off a block away. In 8th grade, I realized how hard he worked to provide for the family. One morning I told him to drop me off in front of the school. He was so surprised and thrilled! And whenever classmates would ask, I would proudly say - "Yeah! That's my dad's truck! Is there a problem?!" I was proud to be dropped off in a broken down van bc it represented all my dad did for his family.

I'm not old but I agree with the dad. The menu needs pictures. I like seeing the visuals when I'm ordering food (especially with unknown dishes) and sometimes the pictures might even convince me to order more food.

It’s crazy that no matter how hard it is when humans come together we can be stronger and succeed. I honestly loved how the son and dad have this amazing bond and they will probably be helping each other forever. All the best to this family.

Instead of going out on the weekends, he chooses to help out his family instead. Admirable.

I definitely agree with the dad’s vision on the menu having more photos. Tony’s vision of the menu would only really work on other Vietnamese people who know all the food on the menu and what they are so they don’t need visuals and can easily order what they want. However, that’s probably only a small percentage of all the customers they have so Tony’s dad suggestion on having more photos on the menu is better for people who don’t know what the dish is and how it looks like.

I'm totally with the dad on the issue of photos . It's way easier for customers to order food by just looking at the photos.

Hey Tony, photos can help customers to decide easier what food they would like to have which will greatly helped them make decisive choices. Billboard advertisers don't use ALL words with no graphics to represent their products mate. We are visual creatures.

Tony is so admirable with his family oriented values.

This is how it should be , most Asian children are like this, because we know how much our parents struggled just to give us a better life, i relate so much to this story.

If you haven't tried Vietnamese Pho, you should really give it a try, one of the best dishes I've ever eaten

My family ate here this week and this was some of the best food we’ve ever had. Super friendly people! I hope they are still around for a long time. And we used the pictures on the menu to help us decide on what to order, so Dad is right 😁

I know this is irrelevant but the son’s skin is flawless

Not all Asians are like Crazy Rich Asians. The world needs to understand that most of us are hardworking, ordinary people.

Man, ngl this guy can be a youtuber his voice is so soft

I'm half Egyptian and Moroccan. I love eating "Pho" beef noodle soup. It's my favorite and one the best food in the world.❤😊

Family is irreplaceable. I wish this family and all others the best.

To anyone feeling embarrassed by your parents, just don't. What looks silly or embarrassing to you is a source of pride/joy to them. Celebrate your parents' hard work, love them without second thoughts(just the way they love you) and try to give back to them whenever you can. Life's short and time is limited, love your family wholly, shortcomings and blessings combined. People who don't have the privilege of loving families, I pray you find that comfort and love somehwere else. Thank you for reading this far. :)

I think the old man was right about the menu. Lots of tourist associates with pictures. Instead of explaining the menu ingredients. The old man also right to change it little by little. He has seen and experienced it 7 days a week.

Beautiful story about a son’s love for his father.

A great story of resilience. Seeing what his son has grown up to be, Tony's dad has the biggest smile and you can see his heart on his sleeve. All that hardship he has endured was worth every second.

It is great that he helps his dad but he needs to understand his dad’s restaurant business. A Chinese Vietnamese restaurant or A high class restaurant. Normally a high class restaurant menu does not have picture. But a classic Chinese Vietnamese restaurant menu is more inviting with lots of photos. People will just look at the photos to order. Even myself who can read all three languages, but i prefer a menu with lots of photos than a menu with lots of words like the high class one. Eating does not need to look smart. Delicious and enjoying are the key. One of the important key when you present photos in the menu, you have to deliver exact how it looks like in the photos.

I loved the food sooo much! Best Vietnamese in NY. Everyone should go :))

I can’t imagine entering a new country with nothing and not knowing the language to having a job and owning a restaurant. Nice

It's nice to see that he appreciates all the effort his dad is making. 加油!

What a great story, and people wonder why Asians are so hard working; it all comes from their parents/background.

I admire the positive attitude that Tony has, putting his family as first priority. I am touched by his appreciation on his dad’s hard work. He will be successful wherever he goes.

The things we take for granted doesnt equate to the things our parents sacrificed for us, so we are fulfilled and can live out our dreams. This video is a reminder how blessed I am.

I can relate to this so much! Pho is one of my favorite foods, would love to come try your dad's restaurant next time i am in NY.

What's the restaurant called I'm going to NYC in 3 weeks I want to come and have a meal here with my family!

Asian American stories don’t get told enough.

I didn’t expect to cry, this is so touching!

the father is still more logic and experienced than his well educated son. He is trying to listen and pass on his knowledge to his son but not trying to overrule his son ideas.

Are we all going to ignore the fact that the son has perfect skin. There's the American dream, and the dream skin.

You, young fella are an amazing story teller. Your parents are proud. He will look back fondly

The dad has experience and if they are not careful his son with little to no experience will change too much too soon and it will backfire. Having photos on a menu is a great idea. In Japan meals it is common for restaurants to display food made of plastic to get a very realistic impression of what the meal will look like.

I remember someone asked me why I send money to my family all the time. He said that it’s not my responsibility to take care of my parents. And I was thinking, why is this man so disrespectful? The differences in culture was there yet he forgot to notice it. As an Asian in a foreign country, that was eye-opening. I remember telling my Asian friends who are also my co-workers about that and they thought the same thing. We agree on the same thing, the only reason why we’re there was because of our family and parents. I couldn’t even finish school if not because of my aunts and uncle. I can’t go to a foreign country for work without the help of my aunt. So yes, I need to send money to them coz I want to repay all their struggles just so they could raise me.

The father knows best when it comes down to what the customers want. Pictures help when ordering food, especially if it's my first time at a restaurant too.

There is a beautiful and professional menu with pictures, your dad is right, for Asia food, it’s better to have a picture. It creates sales instantly. You can ask customers, they will always love to see pictures. That’s why Japanese restaurants used to made pops, simple! I am very proud of you that how much you love your dad! Learn from your dad, he knows what he is doing.

I see many agree with the photos but the longer a customer takes to order translates directly to lower sales. You want them in and out and quick as possible, not sit there looking at pretty pics wondering which dish they want instead.

Please add photos! It’s so much more easier and appetizing to see what delicious food is available on the menu than just words. Even as a Chinese person, a Chinese menu with just words is a struggle for me.

PHOTOS dad is right

Hats off to your family and bless you. Lived decades in Manhattan, I know Pasteur, great food, great service. Wishing you more success. Respect to your family.

Chung is a surname in Vietnam, not as popular like Nguyen, Tran, Le but still a Vietnamese surname.

I personally would like to have photos on my menu… its easier to know what you want and understand what’s in your food. Moreover, i truly agree with his dad on the menu and design of the restaurant

Fantastic and heart warming story, wish them success

The saying goes "a picture is worth a thousand words". So much of that is lost when you boil it down to just a "minimalist/trendy" black and white doodle that's like 1.5x2 cm. Like what the father was saying about the difference between pho noodle and lo mein noodle. Who's gonna be able to tell the difference in the drawing without having to read the description!? A picture shows you how big the potion is, what it comes with, how it's cooked, how it's served, etc. All of that effects what the customer with order. We also "eat with our eyes" so pictures are definitely enticing and convincing. Like look at how big food Instagram is‼

Who else would love to watch a series on this family and their restaurant?

I personally think keeping photos on a menu is a great idea. A lot of time, we go to Vietnamese restaurant to eat, he always look at the photos to have a better idea how the food gonna look like. Although in the menu, it is clearly explained the food ingredients but I bet he still can’t picture the food yet. And even though, I am Vietnamese but certain food with photos on menu it is so helpful to show him and explain a bit more about flavor or the region where it is originally comes from.

Here in Hanoi we couldn’t buy pho for months because of COVID lockdown. When restaurants opened everyone lined up to buy takeaway pho.

Tony you are a definitely a every parents dream child. I wish you very best in everything you do in life. 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

Dad is right about photos!!! I’m Asian American but I don’t understand what anything is so seeing a picture helps a lot!!!

Glad to see the father and son relationship, I’ve gone through a similar situation. Btw, this place makes the best banh xeo! Perhaps I’ll swing by tmrw!

#AsianAmericans ☕This is definitely another inspiring and touching story about Chinatown history globally!

When I first came in NewYork USA, my sis bought this noodle for me . It’s tasty . Happy to listen your father and son story👍

Your parents are so blessed to have a son like you😍❤️

I'm Hmong and resonate with this so much. My grandparents fought during the Secret War while my parents were young. After the war, they crossed the river and jungles to safety at refugee camps and eventually got sponsored through U.S. Christian organizations. My parents grew up with little to nothing, on welfare with no English, and in small homes with 6+ siblings. They successfully graduated school and worked so hard to get my siblings and me everything we needed and wanted, living in a very nice expensive neighborhood at that. Like Tony, I remember my dad working every day, two jobs. I would not see him until he got home from his second job at 2am. I always stayed up, cooking for him so we could eat and work on homework together. When I look back, I hate how he had to work so hard. He was always so tired but still had time for our school work. He wanted us to be the best at school. Today, my dad still works, and my mom recently got laid off. She now spends time looking after our grandpa (her dad), while trying to find work. I see the wrinkles and gray hair being more prominent every day on them, cherishing them more than ever.

I’m SOLD BY HIS DAD IDEA! Many of us have no idea what a Foreign foods look like but when they look at the pic they kinda have an idea what the food look like! I’m from Ethiopia and I worked at Ethiopian restaurant. Almost all of the customers were American and they point at the pic and said “it looks delicious!” I definitely will go with your dad idea

To those who've never been there, this is simply one of the best Vietnamese restaurants around in the New York area, ironically in the middle of Chinatown! I have been going there now for almost twenty years, the food and service has always been outstanding, the subdued atmosphere makes it a really comfortable, enjoyable experience... I'm so happy to learn the history of the place and can't wait to mention it to the owner when I go back! For What It's Worth, the menu DOES need pictures lol! I'm familiar with Vietnamese Food now but years ago I wasn't, and definitely chose my order by picture!

"Catch what you can" vs "Chase what you want" - that stuck with me as a Vietnamese-American

What a sweet story… their father and son bond is so touching….

But, how does it end…? Your telling me there’s no ending or follow up??

This is such a touching story and I am so happy for the son that even after achieving his dream he is there for his father and is now helping him to achieve it

He reminds me of my father and uncles. The hardships they had to go through moving to a foreign soil. FOB in a sense... May he RIP Love you dad!

Chung is definitely Chinese Vietnamese.

An exceptional short film about family, respect, loyalty, history and love. Tony is a wonderful young man.

I used to eat there all the time when I was living in NYC. Great food and staff! Hope they're still around when I return to the Big Apple next year.

When I am in NY, will definitely support this Pho restaurant

I like the menu with photos. Personally, I need photos to see what I like.

I'm going to eat here next time I visit NYC. What a wholesome story.

I am in tears. Thank you so much for sharing.❤️ we should continue our family legacy. A piece of our history.

Menu with photos helps a lot specially to foreign customers not familiar about the foods or cuisine..but I understand the father concerns to retain the old customers and change should be applied little at a time.😅..word of mouth from loyal customers are better than ads..I admire son desire to help and his bond with his father..i like also the family life story to U.S.

Tony is kinda handsome :)

Parents will always do their best to make sure their children having education and a better future

thank you..."catch what you can or chase what you want"...which one will leave you with regrets???...just remember to release what you don't need...

I honestly feel bad for these people. They work harder than everyone else still struggle to live. Hope his son can make a change for him

I definitely understand him...my family also left vietnam during the war. We move to the USA also.

Tony, I think your dad's idea about menu with lots of photos has its merit. Prepare 1-2 special menu books with photos for such customers. I noticed that some customers do prefer to see lots of photos to decide on what to eat, while others are ok with short list full of writings.

Napakaganda aral ito. Salamat sa inyo.

What a lovely and inspirational story! It's wonderful to see a son FINALLY understand, realize, appreciate, admire, and is grateful for all the struggle, sacrifice, resilience, and love of a father for his family. The son is repaying the father by helping him with the restaurant and wanting to continue and preserve their legacy.

photos on the menu are fine, its not a michelin star restaurant and for people who never had Vietnamese food it will help make an educated guess as to what they might like

Their story just tugged at my heart. It's wonderful to see the father son duo trying to do their best amongst all adversities and trying to mind a middle ground for the benefit of their restaurant. Hoping people who live in this area who watched the video will visit them!!!

Relatable story. My two cents. Just perfect the pho broth recipe and keep that as the main menu. You already have the restaurant and the equipment. The pho game in NY is weak compared to pho i’ve had in Philly, TX and CA, and yes i’ll pull the i’ve been to vietnam too. In NY, the Pho Bangs i’ve frequented over the years seem to have gone down in quality and places like Madame Vo overcompensate their weak broth game with giant bone marrows.

This hits very close to home and I empathize with Tony. The beginning of the video, I could tell how much Tony cares about his father; you choke up cause you now realize as an adult how much your mother and father sacrificed for their family, especially when they're in an unfamiliar country, learning everything from scratch all due to the circumstances they didn't ask for. My father also had to leave Vietnam (got shot as he was fleeing the war). He was the oldest of siblings (16 years old when the war happen) and had to leave his mother and younger siblings behind. His father was taken to a forest and was cold-blooded executed 1. For being a chief of his town and 2. All because he spoke out against the VietCong. After some 40 years, they were able to finally find his body. My father was also a fisherman and had his own crew; he was his own boss. People don't realize that all the immigrants that come to Canada, UK (plus it's Commonwealth countries) and USA had lives and proper paying jobs, but get treated like insects and very poorly when they come here. To Tony, I send well wishes to your family! Be safe!

I can feel the desperation to leave a communist regime. I'm glad this guy was able to raise his family by going to America.

A handsome guy and humble dad.

i am going to eat there tomorrow to support this guy

Tony is fulfilling his dad's American Dream and this is the way he respect and proud of his father too

it was an amazing video, it was like a documentry or inspiring video as my family is in same crisis but im very younger than tony . but it gave me confidence to achieve , thanks for the video

I dont think its about the text font size its about the customer being afraid of tasting new culture food, cuz u know its easier to go to Mcdonalds

I like high quality pictures in the menus to help decide. It’s kind of like looking at Yelp.

I need to go here now!

I'd like to eat there someday 😊

can i suggest a separate photo menu? one that comes with every table that way there isnt excess of the photo menu but still being able to have the classy menu at hand

Im going here the first chance I get. Much love from a Viet-Norwegian and much love from Oslo.

Great man. Vietnamese people and food are so special. Best thought to you

A great story, thanks for sharing!

I feel like that guy Harry Trinh needs to get some love in the comments too lol. He was a delight. Also, the menu with drawings turned out great IMO if you look at the restaurant's website. I do think there was nothing wrong with photos though and photos would have been better for people who don't know the food.

Apart from the beautiful story, Tony is majorly cute :P

Word i feel my mom was a single mom she could never come to my games or school events but when she did she passes out in the stands but i know now as a man she put her life and body on the line just to see me

Tony, you’re so lucky to have parents so working hard 😓 to give you a beautiful future .. I hope you’ll make them happy once you earn your own money ... show them your love ❤️ and gratitude 🙏 Don’t wait until it’s too late to let them feel you love them...