Hang Truong

As the sun starts to rise over Dalat in southern Vietnam, Hang’s family gets to work at their restaurant, just a few blocks from their home. Her mother strains the broth that has been simmering overnight and brings it to a boil; her father sharpens his knife and slices raw beef paper-thin; Hang’s three brothers move the metal tables and bright plastic stools onto the front sidewalk, and Hang and her two sisters carefully wash fresh basil, cilantro, and bean sprouts. In the next few hours 250 to 300 customers will stream in, first high school and college students on their way to class, then parents on their way back from dropping kids off at school, then workers heading to their offices. They all buy steaming bowls of phở bò, the Truong family’s specialty. The restaurant closes whenever they run out, usually by 11 or 11:30 a.m.