Vietnam Restaurant, originally operated by husband and wife team Thuyen Luu and Nhu Lai, has been a staple in Chinatown since 1984.

Their son, Benny Lai, took over the business at age 22 and helped maintain its significance to the community, culminating in the restaurant being named a recipient of a 2024 James Beard Award, writes Maddy Sweitzer-Lamme for Philadelphia Magazine.

Vietnam Restaurant will be receiving the America’s Classics award, which highlights local restaurants that serve quality food, have timeless appeal, and reflect the character of their community.

Originally, Vietnam Restaurant’s customers were mostly Vietnamese and Chinese.

“When a non-Vietnamese person would come in, you would just see everything stop for like two seconds,” said Lai.

Eventually more non-Asian customers started coming in, and by 2000, they started hosting press dinners to allow more people to try the food. 

The restaurant’s popularity only increased from there, as people from the Main Line, Chestnut Hill, and other parts of the region started coming in.

Over the years, Lai has excelled at learning how to approach people and help familiarize them with Vietnamese cuisine by comparing it to foods from other cultures.

According to Lai, the announcement of its James Beard Award has helped increase business by 50 percent.

Read more about Vietnam Restaurant and its owner at Philadelphia Magazine.

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