When I think of Nguyễn Thị Hiền, three words and the letter C come to mind: Cosmopolitan, Charity and Chicken…

Hien is a smashingly, sophisticated woman of great beauty and presence. She demands attention. And attention she got, when my sidekick Mai and I recently ran into her at her popular Cua Lo Beach restaurant, Gà Mẹt.

The first thing you notice about Gà Mẹt (besides the chickens perched on ledges or strutting about) is the motif. The restaurant itself has the thatched, traditional vibe of the highlands Tai people—steeped in homey ambiance.

Hien explained that she first visited Cua Lo in 2009. She was living in Que Phong at the time (having been born in Thanh Chương, Nghe An) She was instantly smitten with Cua Lo’s beauty and potential.

“My first impression of Cua Lo was that it was rather ramshackle. A poor town with the potential for a growing tourism market.”

And while it would take another 5-years before Hien would return to Cua Lo for good, the small, beachside hamlet was never far from her mind.

“Food has always been my passion. And while I didn’t get into the restaurant business until I opened Gà Mẹt in 2013. I had been involved in charity work in Que Phong, working on providing food for the less fortunate of the impoverished mountainous region.”

Mai and I both wanted to know why Hien had come to a beach town and opened a chicken restaurant? Hien explained: “I wanted to do something different. Of course, Cua Lo was known for its seafood but I wanted to bring the recipes of the mountains to the ocean.”

And that she did! Gà Mẹt is the mother of all chicken restaurants. The fowl are freshly plucked: fried, boiled, barbequed et al. Of course, there are plenty of seafood dishes, beef, pork, vegetables and fruit—but chicken and charity is what Hien (a mother of three) has become known for in this beachside community.

“During the COVID outbreak, so many families had no work, no money and no way to feed their families. I turned Gà Mẹt into something of a mobile soup kitchen. We made countless meals daily and provided them to the less fortunate.”

Hien has watched Cua Lo change, slowly but surely, over the past decade. She’s pleased with its growth as a tourist destination and is proud to be a solid contributor to its success…