The Story Behind Ngon’s Kitchen

For me, food has never been just food. It is memory, family, place, and the quiet way people come together around a table.

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I was born and raised in Ha Long, a coastal city in northern Vietnam, and later spent many years living and working in Hanoi. My connection to food began long before Ngon’s Kitchen. In the 1990s, my family ran a restaurant, and some of my earliest memories are of being beside my mother in the kitchen - watching, helping, learning, and absorbing the rhythm of a family food business.

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Before coming to Montana, I worked in tourism, guided international visitors through Vietnam, and later ran a small restaurant in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. I also created cooking experiences that began in traditional wet markets, where guests could discover local ingredients, daily life, and the stories behind the food before cooking and sharing a meal together. When I moved to Bozeman, I fell in love with the landscape, the slower pace of life, and the warmth of this community. But being far from Vietnam made me miss the flavors and rituals that had always shaped my life: fresh herbs, busy markets, family meals, and the everyday dishes that feel like home. Cooking became a way to stay connected to home and eventually, a way to share it with others.

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Ngon’s Kitchen grew from that place: a way to share the Vietnam I know through intimate dinners, hands-on cooking experiences, and dishes rooted in family, regional flavors, and the stories behind each meal.

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Come experience Vietnamese food the way I love to share it!