Bittersweet feelings for owners of Yellowknife's Vietnamese Noodle House as they prepare for retirement

After 18 years running Yellowknife's Vietnamese Noodle House, it's fair to say owners Kim Luong and her husband Hung Le, have earned a break.

But the sale of the popular restaurant has understandably led to mixed feelings for the pair.

The Vietnamese Noodle House will remain open under its current ownership for a few more days. After that, Le and Luong will officially retire, and the restaurant will be taken over by new owners.

"I'm feeling pretty good, because we worked so hard," Luong said. "A little bit sad, because we stayed here for a long time, and now we have to say goodbye. Happy and sad, combined."

Hung Le arrived in Canada in 1994, moving from Vietnam to Calgary. Luong arrived in the country the next year.

The pair then moved to Yellowknife, where Le was working as a taxi driver. A decade later, after saving up, they decided to purchase the restaurant.

"At that time, [there weren't] many Vietnamese restaurants up here," Luong said.

The Trailbreaker11:26The Vietnamese Noodle house is retiring.

After 18 years, the family that run the Vietnamese Noodle house is retiring. The restaurant in downtown Yellowknife has been around even longer than that. But, in 2004 Kim Luong and her husband Hung Lee purchased it and they've been cooking up spicy beef noodle soup and other Vietnamese hits ever since. They've also raised their children in Yellowknife. Hilary Bird dropped by the restaurant after the lunch rush yesterday, to hear their story. She spoke with Kim, Hung and their daughter Branda about their history and the changes that lie ahead.

Branda Le, the couple's daughter, said she also has mixed feelings about the sale — but for different reasons.

"I'm really happy for them because, they're gonna be finally retiring," she said. "It's definitely been a lot of hurdles with COVID and then the evacuations and labour shortages and just all sorts of different challenges."

"But I'm also just really happy for them," she said. "And I'm kind of curious, because my parents have been working since they were like children in Vietnam and they're so used to working all the time."

"So I'm curious as to see how it'll be when they'll be relaxing, because I know it's hard for them to relax."

Customers still have until Monday to visit the Vietnamese Noodle House. After that, the restaurant will close for a few weeks, until the new owners take over.