Despite the city's heat, nearly 10 volunteers of different ages work together at the hospital's "Happiness Kitchen", preparing ingredients and hot vegetarian meals in time for lunch.
True to its name, the kitchen charges patients nothing, with volunteers saying smiles and words of appreciation are all they ask in return.
The kitchen opens at 11.15 am every Monday to Friday.
Tram Thi Hong Dang, 29, who manages the kitchen, said it serves around 300 meals daily to disadvantaged patients and hospital staff, with meals often set aside for long-term patients arriving late.
The kitchen also receives help from university students living nearby, while some patients stay behind after eating to wash dishes or prepare ingredients. Donors provide fruit, jelly, food supplies and cash, helping the kitchen remain in operation for more than five years.
A representative of Le Van Thinh Hospital said the dining area was previously a medicinal herb garden. As growing numbers of patients came for free meals, the hospital converted it into an eating area shaded by trees.
Work begins at around 8.30 am, hours before lunch is served, with volunteers washing vegetables, chopping ingredients, cooking soup and dividing meals.
The menu changes regularly and includes vegetables, tofu, plant-based dishes, vegetarian bun rieu noodle soup and hu tieu. Noodle dishes are served regularly because they are easier to eat for patients who are tired or have difficulty swallowing rice-based meals.
Kitchen staff recognise many regulars, paying particular attention to dialysis patients who must return for treatment. Some come daily, then one day simply stop appearing.
Funding comes mainly from donors, with support from the hospital's social work department. As fundraising has become more difficult in recent years, the kitchen operates on the principle of using whatever is donated, from rice and basic supplies to bags of fruit.
Le Thi Cham, 65, from Binh Trung Ward, is a regular who visits during weekly check-ups and sometimes comes even without an appointment when she cannot cook or afford a meal.
According to another regular, Nguyen Thi Cam Le, 52, the varied vegetarian meals eased the burden of hospital visits by saving patients food costs while they dealt with treatment and medication.