The renowned Australian-Vietnamese chef, behind some of the country’s most popular restaurants like Red Lantern, Fat Noodle and Botanic House, has revealed he will be converting 3000sqm of the iconic Paddy’s Markets in Chinatown into a massive foodie hall – similar to hawkers you find in Southeast Asia.

The 46-year-old hinted to his legion of Instagram followers last month something was brewing, teasing them with the caption: “Sydney’s First World Class Food Market is Coming”.

Unsurprisingly, his followers demanded more information, but until now, Nguyen has remained tight-lipped about the exciting project.

In an exclusive chat with news.com.au ahead of his intimate food tours in Vietnam with Intrepid Travel and Helloworld Travel, Nguyen unveiled his plans on what will be called Hay Street Market at Paddy’s.

“I am about to open the biggest foodie market in all of Sydney, if not Australia,” he said.

“We are converting 3000sqm where Paddy’s Market is and doing the biggest foodie market.

“I have created market stalls like in Vietnam and across Asia – one is a pho (Vietnamese soup dish) store named after my father, Chu Lap.”

 

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Nguyen said pho dishes will be made using his father’s age-old recipe. His parents owned the Pho Cay Du restaurant in Cabramatta for 15 years. It’s where Nguyen’s passion for food stemmed from.

“There’s going to be another store specialising in bánh mì (Vietnamese sandwich),” he said.

“It’s not your typical bánh mì you find in like Marrickville or Cabramatta – this is bánh mì from Vietnam that I have discovered from different regions.”

Nguyen said there will be 18 different hawker stalls as well as other spaces such as a cheese and pasta room.

“It’s going to be incredible,” he said.

If you haven’t noticed, the historic institution has been undergoing a multimillion-dollar revamp for the past three years. It’s slated to open this month and will have a total of about 47 stalls and stores including a grocer, fishmonger and butcher. It will be open seven days a week, until 11pm.

 

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Nguyen said the Asian eateries are inspired from his leanings from Vietnam and Southeast Asia where he spends a lot of his time.

The celebrated chef’s expansive restaurant list extends to Ho Chi Minh City where he owns Vietnam House Restaurant.

He’s currently in Vietnam exploring ahead of his highly-anticipated food tours set to kick off next month.

“I love the street food here. It’s fantastic. And that’s where I get a lot of my inspiration,” he said.

“Around 70 per cent of Vietnam’s population are under 30. They are so entrepreneurial – new things are popping up every single week.

“Yes, I focus on street food [for my tours] because I love it, but we’re also we’re going to eat at eateries that are modernising Vietnamese food, showing us the new Vietnam, which is really fascinating to see.”

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The intimate 10-day tour, in partnership with Intrepid Travel and Helloworld Travel, will take travellers on a culinary journey from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, with Nguyen himself as the tour guide.

“I have been so excited about this for 20 years,” he laughed. “This is the missing part of this amazing adventure of life I have been doing.”

Nguyen was born in a Thailand refugee camp after his parents escaped Vietnam in the 70s in search of a new life. A year later, they journeyed to Australia and settled in Cabramatta where Nguyen was raised.

“For me, my purpose in life has been to share the culture and cuisine of Vietnam,” he said.

“I’ve done that with restaurants, cookbooks, which share recipes and stories, I started doing my TV shows, and so I thought ‘what’s missing? Bringing people here’.”

He wants to show people, in real-time, just how friendly, hospitable and diverse Vietnam really is.

He will of course take guests to eat pho and bánh mì – but he said there’s so many other gems on his to-do list.

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 “We will be trying my favourite dishes in each region. We all know what pho is – that’s one of my favourite dishes hands down. But I want to show people when we’re in Hanoi bun cha – the dish Obama and Anthony Bourdain made famous.”

In Hoi An he will also introduce guests to cao lau – a pork and noodle dish made from rice and water from a well in Hoi An.

“It’s got this beautiful brown hue to it because it’s made with ash,” he said.

And if you haven’t seen one of his latest Instagram posts, he was seen indulging in Vietnamese salted coffee – something guests will also get to experience.

“This is a new thing for me, I hadn’t tried it before … it’s so delicious,” he said.

“It’s heavy cream and you whip it with sea salt and then add that to your robust coffee – it doesn’t sound like it’s going to work but wow. It’s delicious.”

Nguyen is looking forward to the opening of Hay Street Markets and taking guests on a culinary adventure throughout Vietnam for his food tours.

Departure dates: April 19, September 13, October 11 and November 15, 2025. Available only through Helloworld Travel.

Jetstar operates up to daily flights between Australia and Ho Chi Minh City. The service is offered from Melbourne and Sydney, with prices starting from $239 and $249, respectively.

“We’ve seen strong demand for travel between Australia and Ho Chi Minh City,” a Jetstar spokesperson said. “The destination’s popularity isn’t surprising as it offers customers great value accommodation, experiences and shopping, combined with rich history, culture and exciting night-life.”