The first Vietnamese Restaurant opened in Philadelphia, PA was in 1977 by the Tran family called Vietnam Restaurant. The Tran family opened the restaurant to share their culture with the community in South Philadelphia. The restaurant was family operated with Guong Minh Tran, his wife Xuan Lieu Thi Nguyen, and nine out of their 10 children (the tenth was in college). The original location was on 742 Christian Street Philadelphia, PA 19147, which back then was part of Little Italy. After the success of their tiny restaurant, the Tran family expanded to a larger location next door at the corner of Eighth and Christian (901 S. Eighth Street Philadelphia, PA 19147). The restaurant was opened from 1977-1981 until they sold it to Hue Tran, owner of Viet Hoa Restaurant.

After selling the restaurant that same year, the Tran family opened a market and gift shop across the street called Chợ Việtnam (which translate to Vietnam Market). The market was eventually converted from Chợ Việtnam to Vietnam Market several years later to retire the market and just operate the jewelry store until they retired in 1999.