Vietnam Pho shop owner goes viral for resembalance to Hong Kong diva Faye Wong

Photos of the woman, who bears an uncanny likeness to Wong, first surfaced on Chinese social media platform RedNote in February, The Straits Times reported.

A tourist from Shanghai, visiting the eatery in Hanoi, posted images of the owner preparing food, dressed in a black top and grey down jacket, with short silver-grey hair and a serious expression.

Hong Kong diva, Faye Wong. Photo from Weibo

"I met ‘Faye Wong’ in Hanoi. She really looks like her! What do you think?" she wrote in her Feb. 1 post.

The post has since gained over 5,700 likes and nearly 2,000 comments, with many netizens expressing disbelief. One user remarked, "Even Faye Wong’s mother couldn’t have given birth to someone who looks so similar." Another joked, "She really does look like her! Even Nicholas Tse (Wong’s singer-actor partner) would be stunned for three seconds if he saw her!"

According to SCMP, citing Vietnamese newspaper Nhan Dan, the restaurant owner, Nguyen Cat Le, is a popular local figure and philanthropist.

Her eatery is popular among both tourists and low-income workers, offering 30 free bowls of pho daily under the 'suspended noodles' initiative. Inspired by Italy’s 'suspended coffee' model, Le introduced the program as a way for customers to pay it forward by prepaying for bowls of pho, which are then given to those in need.

Though free, these portions are often more generous than standard servings, she says.

Nguyen Cat Le, the pho shop owner. Photo from Facebook

"During the pandemic, I watched a television programme about the ‘suspended coffee’ model in Italy, and that is when I conceived the idea for ‘suspended pho’.

"However, due to various reasons, it is only now that I have been able to realise this long-cherished idea."

Wong, 55, gained fame in the 1990s after moving from Beijing to Hong Kong at the age of 18. She became a well-known figure in Cantonese music and earned international recognition for her roles in films by Wong Kar-wai, such as "Chungking Express"" and "2046".

Since 2014, she has rekindled her romance with Hong Kong actor Nicholas Tse, whom she first dated in the early 2000s. She was previously married to Chinese actor Li Ya Peng, with whom she has a daughter.