{"id":69822,"date":"2025-12-03T17:14:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-03T17:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/69822\/"},"modified":"2025-12-03T17:14:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T17:14:13","slug":"after-nearly-40-years-in-orlando-little-saigon-is-closing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/69822\/","title":{"rendered":"After nearly 40 years in Orlando, Little Saigon is closing"},"content":{"rendered":"

V\u0169 Nguy\u1ec5n gestures toward the wide windows at Little Saigon<\/a> Vietnamese restaurant on Orlando\u2019s East Colonial Drive. Outside, cars whiz past and pedestrians amble by, many headed into Mills Market next door, where the early lunch crowd is beginning to accumulate.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were not that many people here,\u201d S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n says, translating in places for his older brother. \u201cTraffic was more open. Half the area was actually American.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was a store that made custom rubber stamps and a debt collection business and a dog groomer.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlso, a video store that rented kung fu and martial arts movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brothers, along with their sister Mai Hu\u1ef3nh, laugh at the memory.<\/p>\n

Over time, all three spaces were absorbed into Little Saigon\u2019s footprint. They point out the sections, tacked on as their square footage grew.<\/p>\n

Little Saigon opened in 1987 as one of the area\u2019s first Vietnamese restaurants. They will close for good on Dec. 27, happy to have served Orlando for so long, happy to move into the next phase, but also happy to reflect. The plans for the property have not yet been announced.<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Saigon co-owners V\u0169 Nguy\u1ec5n, left, Mai Hu\u1ef3nh, right, and their brother, S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n, who manages the restaurant, stand at the front entrance of the longtime Orlando dining mainstay. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family did street food when we lived in Vietnam, so it felt familiar to us,\u201d Nguy\u1ec5n says, explaining how they got their entrepreneurial start. It was the siblings\u2019 business, but their parents enjoyed coming in to pitch in, to help their children\u2019s business thrive.<\/p>\n

Back then, the space was just 1,000 square feet. There was no walk-in, no slicer. Meats for the pho had to be hand-cut. All, says, Nguy\u1ec5n, was made and sold in the same daily cycle.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe restaurant was open from 10 a.m. to 9 pm., but we would usually be here until 2 or 3 in the morning to prepare for the next day. Go home, sleep, come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Saigon manager S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n checks in with diners at the longtime Orlando dining mainstay on Dec. 1. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Hu\u1ef3nh, then a young mom with a baby at home, didn\u2019t see her little one much early on.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe restaurant had to be my baby,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But over time, and with three or so large Vietnamese markets in the area, Little Saigon grew, becoming a regular stop for families in other cities \u2014 Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville \u2014 where the community wasn\u2019t as large.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey would come here on the weekends to shop, then come to the restaurant with their bags and coolers to have a hot meal before driving back home,\u201d he remembers. \u201cThe restaurant would be full.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Saigon customers Robert Forgit, left, Philip Forgit and their mother, Phyllis Forgit, dine at the longtime Orlando dining mainstay on Dec. 1. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Now, says S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n, the streets are, as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many more people now,\u201d he marvels. He\u2019s been involved with the business since 1990.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe area is growing unbelievably fast, and it looks better. I think it\u2019s better for the community, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

His sister, Mai, looks forward to doing more to help it as she eases into retirement.<\/p>\n

\"AA wall of accolades awarded to Little Saigon is displayed at the entrance of the longtime Orlando dining mainstay. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

\u201cI am excited to have a day to go see a doctor and not have to change my appointment,\u201d she jokes. The restaurant business is a demanding one. Philanthropy will have a kinder schedule. Her brother V\u0169, too, has long been volunteering with the St. Philip Phan Van Minh Catholic Church<\/a> \u2014 the area\u2019s first Vietnamese parish.<\/p>\n

He looks forward to doing more. And to traveling some, as well.<\/p>\n

\"LittleAfter 37 years in business, the brother-and-sister co-owners, Mai Hu\u1ef3nh and V\u0169 Nguy\u1ec5n, have decided to close the Mills 50 restaurant’s doors. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

Meantime, the siblings will be happy to host Orlando, and say some goodbyes, through Dec. 27, as they recount fun stories logged over nearly 40 years, like that of then-Disney animator James Parris, a regular during his time in Orlando who did a Mulan sketch for them before heading to California. And celebrity sightings, including Jennifer Aniston and Martha Stewart (both ordered summer rolls), along with Wesley Snipes, who chatted over lunch with S\u01a1n Nguyen.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe had to go to court or something,\u201d he quips.<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Saigon co-owner Mai Hu\u1ef3nh works on receipts at the counter of the longtime Orlando dining mainstay on Dec. 1. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

There have been pro basketball players. And coaches. And lives saved (V\u0169 once helped a regular whose sugar went low and had to be shuttled out via ambulance; he recovered just fine). There have been friends meeting for lunch, couples for dates and families for large events.<\/p>\n

All while their restaurant family handled the details.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are so many memories,\u201d says V\u0169 Nguy\u1ec5n. \u201cThis is like a home away from home. We all spent so much time here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"LittleLittle Saigon manager S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n helps diners check out at the longtime Orlando dining mainstay on Dec. 1. (Rich Pope\/Orlando Sentinel)<\/p>\n

They\u2019re ready to move on, they say, but they will miss the customers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe live here, but we will not see them every day,\u201d says S\u01a1n Nguy\u1ec5n. \u201cWe want them to know we appreciate them. It was all of our loyal customers who made our business grow.\u201d<\/p>\n

They went through good and bad times, he says, but they never worried about competition when more places opened, or in times when things got slow, because the regulars always showed up.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe never thought we\u2019d close, even when it was slow,\u201d he says, looking around. \u201cBut now, we\u2019re just ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram\u00a0@amydroo<\/a>\u00a0or on the OSFoodie Instagram account\u00a0@orlando.foodie<\/a>. Email:\u00a0amthompson@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. For more foodie fun, join the\u00a0Let\u2019s Eat, Orlando Facebook group<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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