The presidential couple made an unannounced stop at the 15-square-metre eatery in an alley on Do Duc Duc Street before leaving Hanoi, where they joined members of their delegation for lunch and sampled banh xeo served with fresh herbs.
After the meal, Kim asked staff if she could try cooking the dish herself. Guided by the restaurant’s long-time cook, she learned how to pour the batter, add fillings and fry the pancake, smiling as the president watched nearby.
Restaurant owner Xuan Thang said two South Korean aides accompanied by several Vietnamese officials arrived about 30 minutes beforehand to notify staff of the visit.
The couple arrived shortly after 11 am with a delegation of around 10 people, surprising staff at the tiny shop.
The group ordered five portions of banh xeo, each containing two pancakes, served with herbs, and also brought in bun cha purchased elsewhere to accompany the meal.
For security reasons, Thang did not serve the couple directly but watched from a distance, saying the meal unfolded in a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.
Nguyen Thi Quy, the 60-year-old cook who prepared the banh xeo and guided Kim through the process, said she sliced and wrapped the pancakes before showing the couple how to eat them.
She said the couple appeared relaxed and friendly throughout the visit, chatting and laughing during the meal and Kim later told her through an interpreter that the dish was delicious.
Since the visit, customer numbers at the eatery have surged, with many diners coming specifically to try the dishes ordered by the delegation and sit at the table where the couple had lunch.
The culinary stop followed an informal outing around Hanoi’s Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, where the South Korean visitors sampled local street foods including pho, grilled meat skewers and sugarcane juice.
In a social media post to his more than 1.3 million followers, President Lee Jae Myung said his walk around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter had been especially meaningful, and expressed hope for deeper friendship and exchanges between the two countries.
President Lee Jae Myung and his wife visited Vietnam on a state visit from April 21 to 24 at the invitation of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam and his spouse.
