As food takeaway services in selected areas in Hanoi reopened on Thursday following a relaxation of social distancing rules, many residents can be seen outdoors, searching for  the local delicacies they have been craving for nearly two months spent at home.

According to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper correspondents, food stall and service businesses in Ba Dinh District, Cau Giay District, as well as 17 other districts declared safe from the coronavirus had prepared for their reopenings since early Thursday morning.

After nearly two months of social distancing, these safe zones managed to contain the coronavirus spread, which allowed them to relax the ban on non-essential businesses and outdoor travels.

Nguyen Van Van, 36, owner of an eatery on Ba Dinh District’s Doi Can Street that specializes in ‘bun cha’ (grilled pork with rice noodles), said he started cleaning up his place on Wednesday after news of the reopening had emerged.

As stated in the mandate, Van’s stalls, as well as other food businesses in the capital city, would be restricted to takeaway-only.

“I woke up at 6:00 am today to buy ingredients for the shop’s reopening,” he said.

“After spending two months at home, this is the day that I have been waiting for.

“I can finally make some money and stop my body from idling.”

Despite receiving many phone orders since the early morning, Van did not open his stall until 12:00 pm to ensure the best food quality.

“Many have called for ‘the biggest bowl of bun cha ever’ to make up for the craving that has built up over the past weeks,” Van said.

Also on Doi Can Street, Nga, a roadside 'pho' seller, said she had been looking forward to the reopening as the business provides her with work and income to support her family.

She had prepared a pot of pho broth on Wednesday evening to resume business right when the authorities allowed her to.

Many other services were also reopened on Thursday morning, including the bike repair shop of Doan Van Tri on Thuy Khue Street.

“Rents for this shop were still due during the social distancing months, so we’re glad that the place is allowed to resume operations,” Tri told Tuoi Tre.

“I have arrived early to disinfect everything in the shop, but customers are still required to wear masks and keep safe distances.”

In the meantime, local residents also show their eagerness to revisit street food stalls and pick up their favorite dishes.

Grabbing two servings of pho at an eatery on Doi Can Street, Pham Van Quan, 30, said he had been anticipating the reopening since a week ago.

Also searching for local delicacies, Nguyen Hong Hoa, 30, pulled up at her favorite bun cha stall on Thuy Khue Street.

“It feels nice being out on the street after spending weeks cooped up in the house,” she said.

Hanoi is seeing positive progress in pushing back the virus, with a total of 5.27 million jabs distributed to more than half of the local populace as of Friday, the municipal Center for Disease Control reported.

Local authorities target to test all residents for the novel coronavirus in an effort to drive back its spread and revive the capital's socio-economic development.

The city has recorded 4,360 coronavirus cases and 48 deaths since the pandemic erupted in Vietnam in early 2020, the Ministry of Health reported.

Nationwide, there have been 656,129 coronavirus infection cases and 16,425 fatalities.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!