The Bánh Xèo Lady of Nồi Rang Market

Many years ago, when Mr. Old Man was still strong enough to cycle from mountains to sea, wandering through rural landscapes in search of simple yet meaningful things, Nồi Rang Market was one of those memorable stops.

That journey later became an article titled “Discovering Rural Charm: Cycling to Nồi Rang Market”, published on Mr. Old Man’s blog.
(For those who’d like to revisit it: https://mroldman.net/discovering-rural-charm-cycling-to-noi-rang-market/)

It was also thanks to that article that Mr. Old Man had the chance to return—to sit down for bánh xèo again, and to bring along a copy of the magazine, which featured a photo of the bánh xèo lady, as a small gift for her.

He still remembers that moment.
Her husband took the magazine and ran around the market showing it to everyone, his face lit up like it was harvest time. He even suggested offering free bánh xèo to this “accidental journalist.”

Tempting, of course.
But Mr. Old Man still paid—for the sake of a better meal, and perhaps so he could return again without hesitation.

And just like that, six years have passed.

These days, Mr. Old Man no longer has the strength for cycling trips of hundreds of kilometers. But perhaps that is not such a bad thing. Every day, Facebook brings back an old memory—as if someone gently knocks and reminds him:
“You still owe life a few more journeys.”

Today, it brought back that trip to Nồi Rang Market.

And suddenly, everything returned.

A rural market that still holds on to its rustic soul, just like its name—“Nồi Rang”—which has existed for centuries.
The market still sells things that seem to have disappeared elsewhere: kitchen ash, molded cane sugar, clay stoves, even old-style “alchemy” goods…
And the elderly women, sitting quietly at their stalls, as if they have never left that corner of the market for a lifetime.

And of course, the bánh xèo lady—who, quite by chance, became part of the story with a very beautiful, very genuine image.

That alone was enough to make Mr. Old Man want to return.

Not necessarily by bicycle.
Any way would do.

Just to sit down again in that humble market, have a bowl of mì Quảng, order a few hot bánh xèo…

And this time, to bring something along.

Six years ago, Mr. Old Man took that photo at Nồi Rang Market.
Today, he had it framed—carefully, neatly—like preserving a piece of memory.

Not to hang.

But to… return it.

To return it to the bánh xèo lady—who had unknowingly stepped into that story, perhaps without ever realizing it.

He wonders if she is still there.
Or if someone else has taken her place at the stove.

But no matter.

Just go.

As long as the market remains, the memory remains.
And as long as the memory remains, there will always be a way back.

____

Mr. Old Man, March 23, 2026
At Traditional Café