There is a question we often ask ourselves at Maison 1929:
Why are there guests who travel to Vietnam four times – and visit us all four times?
It could be because they want to experience the full Michelin-selected menu.
It could be because of the corner where the Old Quarter unfolds in every direction.
But sometimes, it is because of a feeling that is hard to name – being remembered.
We once welcomed an elderly guest from the Netherlands. She first visited Maison 1929 with her son and daughter-in-law. They sat at a familiar corner table overlooking the Old Quarter, eating slowly, talking more than eating. As she left, she smiled gently and said the meal made her feel “comfortable, like being at home.”
A year later, she returned—this time on her own. As our staff came to greet her, before asking where she would like to sit, someone instinctively asked:
“Are you not visiting with your son and daughter-in-law this year?”
She paused for a few seconds. Then she laughed.
Not because the question was extraordinary, but because she did not expect to be remembered.
That is a moment no one can create without genuine care.
Some small things that bring people back
At Maison 1929, we rarely ask: “Would you like to try something new today?”
Instead,
Would you like the same table as last time?
Are you in the mood for something light, or something more indulgent?
You enjoyed this dish last time – shall we try something different today?
Some guests come from very far away, yet when they return, they are not looking for novelty. They are looking for familiarity.
A Japanese guest once told us that he could not remember exactly what he ate on his first visit. But he remembered the lighting, the chair, and the patient waiting for ordering with no rush. He returned because he wanted that feeling again.
There is also a Vietnamese couple living overseas who stop by Maison 1929 at least once every time they return to Hanoi. Not to “try something new,” but simply to “sit for a while before leaving.” They often order the same dishes, sit in the same area, and speak very little. Each time, we understand that what they need is a quiet evening.
Not every restaurant needs constant reinvention
We have come to realise that the restaurant world today often chases novelty at a relentless pace – new dishes, new concepts, new experiences. Yet some guests choose to return to a few places precisely because of what does not change.
That is Maison 1929. We do not intend to stand still until we become outdated, but we do hope that even as time changes many things, Maison remains a place guests can return to.
Our team remembers who prefers to sit indoors or outside.
Who does not eat spicy food.
Who likes to enjoy their meal in a very particular order.
These details have never been part of a formal system. They come from sincerity, from careful observation, and from seeing each guest as someone to care for – not just a service to complete. We do not make our guests feel “served,” but welcomed.
Returning, as a quiet and beautiful habit
Some guests do not come on a fixed schedule. Yet year after year, they return. Sometimes with family, sometimes alone, sometimes just for a single drink before leaving.
We do not ask why.
We are simply always ready.
Because at Maison 1929, a restaurant is not only a place to eat. It is a place people return to – and find that someone still remembers them, even through the smallest details.
And perhaps it is precisely those small things that become the biggest reason people come back.
