$10 Eel Porridge: What Does the Cua Lo Restaurant Owner Say About this Case?

On July 22, Mr. Cao Minh Tu, Chairman of the Cua Lo Ward People’s Committee in Nghe An Province, shared important updates with Dan Tri reporters. Local authorities officially submitted a report regarding a large bowl of eel porridge sold for $10 (250,000 VND). Verification confirmed that the incident took place at the Minh Kiem late-night eatery, located in Thu Thuy 1 block, Cua Lo Ward.

According to Mr. Cao Minh Tu, the ward police worked directly with Ms. N.T.M., the 57-year-old restaurant owner residing in Thu Thuy 2 block. Authorities also questioned Ms. H.T.T., a 32-year-old local resident. Ms. T. is the owner’s daughter-in-law and served as the staff member who took the order from the group of diners.

The customer’s social media post regarding the price of the eel porridge has since been removed. Photo: Screen capture

According to testimonies from the owner and staff, a group of about 15 people arrived at the night restaurant around 1:00 AM on July 20. The group ordered two large bowls of eel porridge, two bowls of oyster porridge, two plates of fried bread, and two pitchers of iced tea. When placing the order, both sides did not discuss prices in advance. A short time later, a young man from the group walked into the kitchen area and asked for extra eel. The kitchen staff informed him that the standard price for a large bowl of eel porridge was $8 (200,000 VND). The customer insisted on adding more eel anyway and returned to his table.

Due to an oversight, the restaurant added extra eel to the two bowls of porridge. This action raised the price of each bowl to $10 (250,000 VND), but staff failed to notify the group of the new price beforehand. About an hour later, the group requested the bill. The total amount for all food items came to $29 (720,000 VND).

According to the restaurant’s representative, the group raised no complaints or questions about the bill at the time of payment. Afterward, information regarding a $10 bowl of eel porridge appeared on a travel forum, quickly drawing widespread attention.

According to the report by the Cua Lo Ward People’s Committee, the post reflecting the incident on the travel forum has now been removed.

Earlier, a diner posted on a travel forum complaining about having to pay $10 for a large bowl of eel porridge in Cua Lo. The post included an image of a phone displaying a total calculation of $29 alongside the restaurant menu. This information quickly sparked public interest, with many comments calling on authorities to inspect price listings and ensure compliance.

The large bowl of porridge requested by the customer (left) and the regular-sized bowl of porridge. Photo: Nghe An Newspaper