Vietnamese restaurant owner who gave away free meal receives home after viral fundraiser
An 86-year-old Vietnamese restaurant owner whose generosity touched millions online has recieved a life-changing gift of her own, after a viral fundraiser helped secure her a new home.
Lieng Le, the owner of Café Bích Nga in Pinellas Park, Florida, became an internet sensation back in April, after 24-year-old content creator Julian Becerra posted a video showing her refusing payment for a meal at her restaurant, despite being Becerra being the business's first customer "in hours."
In the video, Lieng is seen refusing a tip from Becerra, who gives the food a positive review.
"How SICK would it be to return here a week from now to see it PACKED. Let's make it happen," Becerra wrote in the post's caption.
A few days later, in the comments of a follow-up video about the restaurant, Becerra wrote that he had "just found out Mrs Lieng has been homeless this entire time," and was sleeping in a foldout chair in the lobby of her restaurant at night, after working long hours each day.
Becerra wrote that he had started a fundraiser "to help her out," encouraging others to share and donate.
Within 24 hours, the fundraiser had reached nearly $127,000, according to Becerra. Weeks later, the fundraiser had surpassed $200,000.
On June 1, with the help of some local nonprofits and businesses, Becerra was able to present Lieng with a check for the money, as well as a fully furnished home just minutes from Café Bích Nga.
Becerra announced the milestone in an emotional social media post that same day.
"Internet, we did it," he wrote in the Instagram caption. "4 weeks ago i posted about a woman living in her cafe with nothing to her name. Today, she has a home."
"The world showed up and raised enough that Mrs. Lieng will never have to worry about another bill for the rest of her life," he added.
Speaking with ABC News about the surprise, Lieng thanked those who had supported and donated to her, saying she was "happy, really happy."
Lieng told ABC News she had been without stable housing for years, after financial difficulties stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic left her struggling to afford rent and other necessities.
"No money [to] pay the bill, no money [for] rent ... no money," she said. "No money [to] buy the food too."
Becerra told ABC News that after spending time with Lieng, he learned that she worked more than 90 hours a week and rarely took a day off, even after experiencing health setbacks, including pneumonia.
Despite all of those challenges, he said Lieng remained focused on helping others.
"Lieng is the kind of person that would give you the shirt off of their back if it came down to it," he said. "The reason why people resonated with her story is because on paper, Lieng doesn't have much of anything. Yet the one thing she does have is her smile. Every single day, she's grateful to be alive."
The restaurant owner said she immigrated to the United States following the Vietnam War and has operated Café Bích Nga since 2009.
When asked why she offered Becerra a free meal during their first encounter, Lieng responded, "Why not be more happy? As long as the people are happy."
Now settled into her new home, Lieng said she remains overwhelmed by the support she has received.
"I say thank you, every people," she said. "I thank you."
For Becerra, the story is ultimately about gratitude.
"There's nothing wrong with wanting more for your life, but it shouldn't be at the expense of you being content with where you are right now," he said. "I think that is the true key to happiness."
