Nestled in the alley at 86 Nguyen Du Street (District 1, Ho Chi Minh City) near Notre Dame Cathedral, the crab soup shop of Mr. Tam and his wife has been a famous snack place in Saigon for nearly 28 years. Previously, the shop was opened by Mr. Tam’s mother in front of Hoa Binh Primary School to make a living for the family. However, for about 10 years now, she has passed on her skills and the restaurant to the shop’s husband and wife. 7-8 years ago, due to the increasing number of diners coming to the restaurant, Mr. Tam and his wife decided to move their business to Nguyen Du street as the present. Since then until now, Notre Dame’s crab soup shop is still packed with a cart, two rows of plastic chairs placed close to the two sides of the alley for customers to eat on the spot. Every day, the shop starts selling from 10:30 to 21:00 or until the stock is out. During that time, Mr. Tam’s wife and an employee were always in a state of chaos, from cleaning up, preparing ingredients, changing soup pots to serving customers to buy and use on the spot. “In the morning, my husband still has to deliver goods, drive more cars, so I can only go down the afternoon. So I have to handle a lot of things, very busy!”, The owner shared. Over the past two decades, Notre Dame Crab Soup has always been a favorite destination for many diners thanks to its delicious taste and unchanged quality after years of trading. A full cup of hot soup costs 20,000 VND, including ingredients such as soft shell crab, flour, shiitake mushrooms, snow mushrooms, quail eggs, herbal eggs and many spices. His wife Tam revealed that this soup recipe was kept by her mother-in-law since 1993, and now passed on to the couple doing business. Every day, the owner and his wife always get up at 5am, go to the market early to choose the freshest ingredients, then deliver the goods from their home in Phu Nhuan district to the point of sale. “Food business is not easy. Waking up early in the morning and at noon have to wait for customers to rest their hands and then keep busy until evening. When I took over the restaurant from my mother-in-law, my wife and I found it quite hard because we were not used to it. Now it is different, “said the owner. His wife Tam said that due to the business along the two alleys, not every place has a roof. Every time it rains, diners have to sit crouched inside, but it is hard to avoid being thrown. However, few people complain because most of them are “real customers” and curious young people. In addition, the shop also has many customers who buy it to take away, avoiding the situation of waiting too long. Around 5:00 pm, the crab soup shop of Mr. Tam and his wife started to get crowded. Mr. Tam (38 years old), in time to finish his morning job to help his wife trade. As soon as he arrived, the boss quickly welcomed the customers, listened to order and brought soup. “In the old days, I used to help my mother to do business and do some errands, but when I personally run this place, I find it difficult. Now that I get used to it, I am happy with the customers,” said this man. Thanks to its location in the central area, affordable price and long-standing reputation, Tam’s family crab soup shop has received a lot of love from the people of Saigon. Mr. Tai, an office specialist of 8X generation, is one of the customers who regularly visit the restaurant. “I find the crab soup here is quite delicious, the price is commensurate with the business location in the city center. Hungry afternoon, eating a cup like that is enough to work until evening,” he said. Ms. Le Vy (29 years old, living in Phu Nhuan district) identified herself as one of the “real customers” of Mr. Tam’s restaurant. Ten years ago, when I was in high school, she often came here to eat. Now, sometimes she still visits the restaurant to eat crab soup with her friends. “The point that I love most about this soup is the herbal egg. Many people may not eat it, but I really like the taste of it,” said the flight attendant.

Recently, the international media has reported very boldly that France has chosen the “standard material” to rebuild the completely damaged dome, arrow tower and bell tower of Notre Dame . This can be considered as one of the most happy signals because the fire disaster of Notre Dame took place on April 15, 2019 has caused not only the French people but the whole world in shock and pain. Accordingly, about 1,000 old oak trees in more than 200 public and private forests were cut down at the end of March. “Oak trees will be selected from all parts of France,” said Jean-Louis Georgelin, former Chief of Staff of the French Army assigned to the special agency to oversee the repair of Notre Dame . This is a country-wide project. The restoration will ensure the building can stand for at least 8 to 10 centuries ”. To take such practical steps, the French government had to go through many challenges from recruiting experts, finding restoration materials and listening to people’s reactions. In July 2020, in the context of fierce public opposition, French President Emmanuel Macron had to reject the idea that the bell tower designed by Eugène Viollet le Duc could be rebuilt in concrete to limit dust. radioactivity, if unfortunately there is a fire. After that, Mr. Macron announced, Notre Dame will be rebuilt like before. And this kicked off the hunt for woods across France, culminating in a thorough selection in January and February. According to experts, the reconstruction of Notre Dame in wood is a difficult prospect because inside this ancient building is a “network of complex wooden beams”. Specifically, 52 acres of forest wood were cut in the twelfth century to erect the church’s roof and each beam was made from a tree trunk. However, Mr. Jean-Louis Georgelin asserted: “This is historical responsibility. If everyone gets to work together and everything is well planned, bringing the church back in within the next five years will not be an impossible feat. ” Expected, Notre Dame will begin to be restored in the fall of 2022. Source: Reuters. In order to race against time and limit errors, the Notre Dame restoration specialists had to work very seriously and meticulously. This is reflected in the first stage including the selection and processing of wood. The oaks with this historic mission must meet the standards of quality and outstanding metrics, such as the trunk must be more than 1 meter in diameter and have a minimum length of 18 meters. In addition, they must be “harvested” by the end of March to avoid more sap production and wet weather that can degrade the quality of the wood. In particular, the “soul” of Notre Dame including the bell tower and the 93-meter-high arrow-top will be reconstructed with eight oak trees cut from the royal forest of Bercé, which once belonged to the French kings. When examining a series of oak trees over 200 years old in the Bercé forest, Aymeric Albert, Commercial Director of the French Forestry Commission, commented: “The trunks here are in excellent condition, without any any defect. They are large enough to be 18m long beams, the length needed if you want to bear the weight of the sharp tower. It is known that the oak trunks in the Bercé forest cost about 15,000 euros / stem, and will be dried for 12 to 18 months before proceeding with further treatment. In addition, after the planned timber is cut, the forest rangers will plant seedlings to replant the new trees. It is expected that the restoration of Notre Dame will start in the autumn of 2022 and be completed in April 2024. The mission of solidarity The Church has always been at the center of social change, Insider said. This may not be “always true” but is extremely accurate in the case of France. Immediately after President Emmanuel Macron announced a fundraising campaign to rebuild Notre Dame, many individuals and organizations in France and around the world voiced their support both financially as well as participating in the restoration of architecture. . Just two days after the fire, the fund’s donation exceeded a billion dollars. This is also the estimated cost to restore Notre Dame in the most aesthetic and quality way. This fact shows that, at that time, France, a people more divided than ever since World War II due to the many months of “Golden Vest” protests, became should unite in a common mission. Michel Druilhe, President of the French forest network France Bois Forêt said: “As the largest cathedral in the heart of France with a long history in the world, we are very pleased with the staff in the forestry sector. Industry, from the woodcutter to the sawmakers, was mobilized to join hands in rebuilding Notre Dame. This is a very meaningful job ”. President Macron also declared: “It is up to us to turn this terrible disaster into unanimous opportunity … This is not the time for politics”. Back at the time of the fire at Notre Dame, according to a statement from the French Government, the fire happened at around 6:50 a.m. on April 15, 2019 local time (23h50 ‘on April 15, 2019, Hanoi time. ) at the top of the tower, then spread to the entire roof of the church. Disaster caused the bell tower to collapse, and devastate the roof of this famous Gothic-style building. However, things could have gotten worse and Notre Dame could have been completely burned down if the Paris firefighters arrived 15-30 minutes later. Precious items include the Crown of Thorns – believed to have been worn on Jesus’ head during the events that led to his crucifixion; The Le Grand Orgue – a musical instrument dating back to the 1730s and the XIII century robe of Saint Louis were both saved from the fire. Obviously, if the fire and bravery of the firefighters were able to prevent a more horrifying disaster for this project, at present, the consensus and efforts of the government, the people as well as French architects and experts bring hope for a Notre Dame of cohesion and peace. Affordable, in the future, the pricelessness of Notre Dame will be “redefined” by the solidarity of everyone !? Notre Dame Cathedral Paris Notre Dame is located on the island of Cite in the middle of the Seine in the center of Paris. This special geographical location has made Notre Dam become a historical symbol, associated with the formation and development of Paris. In 1163, the first stone was placed in the presence of Pope Alexander III and King Louis VI. The construction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Gothic style lasted until 1345 with the participation of many famous architects at that time such as Jean de Chelles, Pierre de Montreuil, Pierre de Chelles, Jean Ravy and Jean. le Bouteiller. Notre Dame witnessed the coronation of King Henry VI in 1431, the coronation of Emperor Napoleon in 1804, and the canonization of the French heroine Joan of Arc in 1909, presided over by Pope Pius X. Funerals of the two late French Presidents Charles de Gaulle and Francois Mitterand also took place at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is known that Notre Dame was the place with the highest chop in Paris until the completion of the Eiffel Tower in 1889. According to the BBC, there are no other landmarks that represent France in a separate and unique way like Notre Dame. Maybe you don’t know? The flag of the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam once flew at the top of the bell tower of the Notre Dame Cathedral. It happened on the night of January 19, 1969, the day before Richard Nixon was sworn in as the 37th President of the United States and six days before the opening of the Paris four-way conference, negotiating peace in Vietnam. It is known that French police had to mobilize helicopters to remove the flag. There hasn’t been any official source yet to confirm who hung the flag. However, this can be considered as one of the special images throughout the 9-century history of this architecture.

Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France during post-fire restoration. Photo: THX / TTXVN

He also emphasized the need to continue to mobilize all efforts in the next three years to meet the government’s target of restoring this over 800-year-old symbol of France within 5 years.
President Macron made the above statement when visiting the Notre-Dame Cathedral exactly two years after the fire at this historic site. The French leader assessed that the restoration of the church had achieved great progress.

Jean-Louis Georgelin, who was chosen by President Macron to direct the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral, said although the church will be reopened for devotees to pray in April 2024. but there is still a need to continue restoration work thereafter. This reconstruction effort received financial support of approximately 833 million euros (991 million USD) through donation campaigns in France and around the world.

Regarding the investigation of the cause of the fire, investigators have found several weaknesses in the safety system, especially in the alarm system and in the electrical system of a church lift. .

The fire at Notre Dame on April 15, 2019 lasted for up to 15 hours, collapsed the tower and burned a part of the roof of this historic site. President Macron has pledged to rebuild the church within five years, meaning it will open its doors to visitors when Paris is the host city of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

For nearly 9 centuries, Notre Dame Cathedral has been standing in the middle of the Ile de la Cite island on the romantic Seine river, witnessing the ups and downs of French history, becoming an endless inspiration for poetry and music. illustrates and welcomes millions of visitors each year.