The singer ventured into the culinary field six years ago, facing many difficulties. He once invested in opening a seafood restaurant in the US but was forced to close it due to the pandemic. Later, he partnered with friends to open a Vietnamese restaurant, which also proved unsuccessful.
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Han Thai Tu cooks, packages, and delivers food to customers. *Photo: Courtesy of subject*
According to Han Thai Tu, his biggest initial barriers were language differences and a lack of understanding of local legal regulations. His limited English and trusting nature led to him being scammed, resulting in significant financial losses. Learning from these failures, he has fully transitioned to a model of selling packaged food, delivered directly to the Vietnamese community across US states.
His menu primarily features hometown-flavored family dishes such as: suon ram, pha lau, banh phong ca thac lac, and ca kho to. Priced at 15-16 USD per serving (approximately 400,000-500,000 VND), the singer believes this is a reasonable cost compared to the average income of Vietnamese people in the US.
Daily, Han Thai Tu spends about 5 hours in the kitchen preparing food, then personally checks orders and delivers them. He handles every step, from preparation to packaging, by himself. "The income is just enough for me to cover living expenses and ensure my four children can study", he said.
In addition to selling food online, Han Thai Tu also creates short videos sharing about his daily life and introducing cuisine. The singer hopes to open his own restaurant in the near future.
To sustain himself abroad for the past eight years, he has not hesitated to take on any manual labor, from delivery driver, kitchen assistant, ride-share driver, to catering chef. Occasionally, he accepts weekend performances to keep his passion alive and ease his longing for the stage.
Currently, Han Thai Tu lives with his family in Dallas, Texas. The singer keeps details about his wife and children private, only revealing he has four daughters. Daily, he drives his children to school. He recently bought his own house after six years of renting. The house has a spacious garden, allowing him to comfortably grow hometown vegetables and fruits like: dau bap, mong toi, rau muong, cang cua, and ca tim.
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Han Thai Tu grows plants and fruits in his home garden in the US. *Photo: Courtesy of subject*
Han Thai Tu, 40, graduated from Ho Chi Minh City University of Stage and Cinema. In the 2000s, he was a prominent name in youth music, having released 8 solo albums and many hit songs such as: Ngheo ma co tinh, Tha em dung yeu toi, Biet tim dau, Hai lan dau, Em voi toi, Anh lai nho em. The singer moved to the US in 2018.
Han Thai Tu sings "Cho toi ly ca phe da". *Video: Courtesy of subject*
Hoang Dung
