Tran Trung Kien, a Hanoi native, decided to open an eatery in the Vietnamese capital city to provide meals for needy people, as he experienced and understood hardships facing families of children with life-threatening diseases.

The eatery, called 1K, operates twice a week on Wednesdays and Saturdays, offering tasty and nutritious meals from different cuisines such as Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, or Europe to child patients at no charge.

It prepares around 150-200 meal boxes on each operational day for children in medical treatment at Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi.

From the father’s story

A few years ago, Kien’s daughter, who was nicknamed Nhim (hedgehog), was diagnosed with cancer and received medical treatment at the hospital.

Given his great love for the little girl, the then-soldier sought to be discharged from the army to devote himself to taking care of his daughter.

Staying by his daughter’s side every day at the hospital during her cancer journey, the father understood difficulties that child patients and their families were confronting.

Since then, Kien came up with an idea of opening an eatery where patients only need pay 1K, which means VND1,000 (4 U.S. cents), for a delicious and healthy meal.

When Nhim departed this life, the father could not stop thinking about her. This urged him to put the idea of opening the eatery into action.

In late 2021, Kien launched the 1K eatery.

“Some parents told me that their kids kept waiting for two days [Wednesday and Saturday] to have yummy meals served by the eatery. It’s heartwarming to hear that,” Kien said.

The 35-year-old called on his friends and generous donors via Facebook to join him in running this charitable business, as it could be impossible for him to handle the eatery alone in the long run.

Knowing his story, friends and philanthropist from different regions have been willing to lend him a helping hand.

Benefactors donated most equipment and cooking utensils in the eatery and offered Kien financial support to run the not-for-profit business.

Many mothers and willing volunteers also joined to cook and prepare meals for the needy.

The majority of these mothers have little kids and are often busy taking care of them, but they always make it to be present at the eatery very early in the morning to do the voluntary work.

Tran Thu Huyen, a resident of Hanoi’s Thanh Xuan District, who has volunteered at the eatery since the very first days of establishment, expressed her thanks to the eatery founder and child patients for helping unlock her potential in the kitchen.

Huyen said she only cooked meals for three people before, but now she is able to cook and prepare meals for up to 200 people.

Mai Anh, a volunteer residing in Hanoi, said she called on her husband and her two children to join her at the eatery.

She wanted to teach her kids the spirit of giving to support underprivileged people, Anh said.

…to meals offered to child patients

One Wednesday noon at a lake opposite the entrance of the Vietnam National Children’s Hospital in Hanoi, the 1K eatery offered 170 meal boxes, each with purple rice served with aromatic sauteed shrimp and green vegetable soup, to child patients.

Although the eatery was named ‘1K,' it offers free-of-charge meals to child patients, Kien explained.

The eatery also worked with the hospital to understand the demand of child patients and their families, in order to work out the number of meal boxes it needs to prepare.

Besides a fixed number of meal boxes, the eatery prepares an extra amount to give to the poor in the area and those in need.

Nguyen Thi Thuy, 27, a native of Nghe An Province, north-central Vietnam, burst into tears when receiving a meal box from the eatery. Her 12-month-old baby had to undergo heart surgery at the hospital.

“My family, despite being poor, has always tried to seek medical treatment for my child. I’ll enjoy this meal to be able to breastfeed my baby,” Thuy said.

All the 170 meal boxes were delivered to child patients and their parents in just 20 minutes.

Among the beneficiaries that noon, Kien recognized many familiar faces of the hospital.

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