OUR STORY
Founder:
During a Maoist regime in China, Vann Hong escaped the communist mainland to
reach Hong Kong, a free society of a British colony at the time. He was one of the fortunate
while others faced imprisonment or worse. Here, he worked very hard as a chef’s assistant and
absorbed all the knowledge of the Chinese Culinary. He had left the island shortly after a few
years and had bound for Cambodia a land of promising, a language of unknown, but with a
spectrum of opportunities.
A long journey of unsettled feeling awaited him, and he finally arrived in Cambodia. Upon
arriving in the second largest city called Battambang, Vann had to make quick adjustment to
the language and the society to survive. While there, he worked many different jobs but at last
landed a job of his dream of becoming a chef, that entrusted by his boss to manage the
restaurant. Vann has always wanted to become an entrepreneur and be his own boss. Here, he
met his wife Saroth, a young and beautiful Cambodian lady and began an apprenticeship in the
art of the Chinese and Cambodian culinary. The fusion was so successful that lead to an award
of a contract to become the head chef of the Cambodian Olympiads for the 1964 Olympics.
From 1962 to 1964, Vann became so popular that he had made a household name in the
restaurant business for many Cambodians, and he is known as “Chek Mann” or “Uncle Mann”
as his nickname.
The dream has been halted to a screeched and Vann had never thought that he would
experience the communist regime again in his lifetime when Cambodia had liberated by the
Khmer Rouge. In the four years that the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia, it was responsible for
one of the worst mass killings of the 20th Century. The brutal regime, in power from 1975-
1979, claimed the lives of up to two million people that included his oldest son and many
relatives of his wife family members. By the late of 1979, Cambodia once again was invaded by
Vietnam another communist regime. Vann had made a promise to his family that he will never
be living under the communist regime ever again. He and his family fled the country to Thailand
and temporary settled down in Khoa-I-Dang Refugee camp hoping to immigrate to America.
After almost a year and a few relocated camps, the family was sent to Mairut Refugee Processing
Center in Thailand, waiting to be immigrated to America. Finally, the long and exhausted waiting
has been a blessing in the sky when the family has granted the visa to travel to the United States of
America in late 1981.
As the plane landed at Chicago O’Hare Airport, for the first time in so many years, Vann could
see the freedom waiting for him to explore the journey of the land of opportunity. He started
working right after a few months of his arrival with a laser focus that one day he would own his
own business. With his entrepreneurial mindset, in 1988 he started his own restaurant six years
later in Logan Square. For almost 15 years of servicing the community, Vann has retired, and
Bunlang Hong one of the sons took ownership of the business. Bunlang has graduated from IIT
with Electrical Engineer, but with his unsurpassed passion and the love of culinary, he has
followed his father’s path and dreams to become the owner and the chef of Van Phat.
After more than 30 years of its establishment, Van Phat Restaurant has stood the test of time,
and proudly affirm that this is the American dream, with hard work and dedication, anything is
possible.
During a Maoist regime in China, Vann Hong escaped the communist mainland to
reach Hong Kong, a free society of a British colony at the time. He was one of the fortunate
while others faced imprisonment or worse. Here, he worked very hard as a chef’s assistant and
absorbed all the knowledge of the Chinese Culinary. He had left the island shortly after a few
years and had bound for Cambodia a land of promising, a language of unknown, but with a
spectrum of opportunities.
A long journey of unsettled feeling awaited him, and he finally arrived in Cambodia. Upon
arriving in the second largest city called Battambang, Vann had to make quick adjustment to
the language and the society to survive. While there, he worked many different jobs but at last
landed a job of his dream of becoming a chef, that entrusted by his boss to manage the
restaurant. Vann has always wanted to become an entrepreneur and be his own boss. Here, he
met his wife Saroth, a young and beautiful Cambodian lady and began an apprenticeship in the
art of the Chinese and Cambodian culinary. The fusion was so successful that lead to an award
of a contract to become the head chef of the Cambodian Olympiads for the 1964 Olympics.
From 1962 to 1964, Vann became so popular that he had made a household name in the
restaurant business for many Cambodians, and he is known as “Chek Mann” or “Uncle Mann”
as his nickname.
The dream has been halted to a screeched and Vann had never thought that he would
experience the communist regime again in his lifetime when Cambodia had liberated by the
Khmer Rouge. In the four years that the Khmer Rouge ruled Cambodia, it was responsible for
one of the worst mass killings of the 20th Century. The brutal regime, in power from 1975-
1979, claimed the lives of up to two million people that included his oldest son and many
relatives of his wife family members. By the late of 1979, Cambodia once again was invaded by
Vietnam another communist regime. Vann had made a promise to his family that he will never
be living under the communist regime ever again. He and his family fled the country to Thailand
and temporary settled down in Khoa-I-Dang Refugee camp hoping to immigrate to America.
After almost a year and a few relocated camps, the family was sent to Mairut Refugee Processing
Center in Thailand, waiting to be immigrated to America. Finally, the long and exhausted waiting
has been a blessing in the sky when the family has granted the visa to travel to the United States of
America in late 1981.
As the plane landed at Chicago O’Hare Airport, for the first time in so many years, Vann could
see the freedom waiting for him to explore the journey of the land of opportunity. He started
working right after a few months of his arrival with a laser focus that one day he would own his
own business. With his entrepreneurial mindset, in 1988 he started his own restaurant six years
later in Logan Square. For almost 15 years of servicing the community, Vann has retired, and
Bunlang Hong one of the sons took ownership of the business. Bunlang has graduated from IIT
with Electrical Engineer, but with his unsurpassed passion and the love of culinary, he has
followed his father’s path and dreams to become the owner and the chef of Van Phat.
After more than 30 years of its establishment, Van Phat Restaurant has stood the test of time,
and proudly affirm that this is the American dream, with hard work and dedication, anything is
possible.