S.Korean shooting coach Park Chung Gun opens ‘bun cha’ restaurant in Hanoi
Sunday, January 26, 2025, 20:36 GMT+7
Park Chung Gun, the renowned South Korean shooting coach who has made significant contributions to Vietnam's sports history, has opened a bun cha (rice noodles with grilled pork and meatballs) restaurant in Hanoi.
Park is the first South Korean person to open a restaurant of Vietnamese food in Vietnam.
Park Chung Gun, a name synonymous with Vietnam's shooting successes, helped Vietnamese shooter Hoang Xuan Vinh win one gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics and Pham Quang Huy secure one gold medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.
In 2024, he guided shooter Trinh Thu Vinh to a fourth-place finish at the Paris 2024 Olympics, marking the best performance of the Vietnamese delegation at the Games.
After the Games, he retired from his coaching role and was awarded a third-class Labor Order.
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| Park Chung Gun (L) has cultivated two generations of Vietnamese shooters who have achieved regional and international success. Photo: Huy Dang / Tuoi Tre |
Upon leaving the post, Park expressed his deep affection for the country, stating, “It's time to say goodbye to everyone. The beautiful memories of my time in Vietnam will always be in my heart. No matter what, my love for this country will always be in my heart.”
After a brief period with his family in South Korea and the U.S., Park returned to Vietnam.
“When you want to be with someone for a long time, it means you're deeply in love. Vietnam has become my second home. I came back as I wanted to be with the people I love,” he shared.
And so, Park decided to open the restaurant, his long-held dream and the beginning of a long journey in Vietnam.
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| South Korean customers are fond of Hanoi-style 'bun cha' at ‘Ong Park - Bun Cha Viet’ restaurant. Photo: Hoang Tung / Tuoi Tre |
In an earlier interview with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper after helping Hoang Xuan Vinh win the gold medal at the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, Park had expressed his love for Hanoi's bun cha and his desire to open a restaurant.
Now, at the corner of Tran Van Lai and Vu Quynh Streets in Nam Tu Liem District, Hanoi, the South Korean man in a suit warmly welcomes customers to his restaurant, 'Ong Park - Bun Cha Viet,' personally escorts them to their tables, and enthusiastically introduces bun cha and nem cua be (crab spring rolls), which are prepared according to Vietnamese recipes.
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| Park Chung Gun (R) warmly welcomes customers and introduces ‘bun cha’ to them. Photo: Hoang Tung / Tuoi Tre |
Explaining his decision to open the bun cha restaurant, the former coach said after surveying nearly 400 South Korean restaurants in the My Dinh area in Hanoi, he realized that no South Korean had opened a Vietnamese restaurant.
Bun cha is Park’s favorite Vietnamese dish and he wants to introduce it to many more South Koreans.
He hopes to open similar restaurants in Da Nang, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City, and maybe even in South Korea.
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| Park Chung Gun (C) considers Vietnam as his second home and has a deep passion for ‘bun cha,' which is the reason why he decided to stay in Vietnam and open a ‘bun cha’ restaurant in Hanoi. Photo: Hoang Tung / Tuoi Tre |
Park is being supported by South Korean friends and former Vietnamese shooting coach Nguyen Thi Nhung.
“Park loves life in Hanoi. The city is a bit bustling and also peaceful. Everything is just right. With his new job, he's still the same, always dedicated with all his heart,” shared Nhung.
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