Family values: Vietnamese relatives arrive to help at new Charlie Wong restaurant

The reason Charlie Trinh works 15-hour days, seven days a week

can be summed up in a single word: family.

The owner of Charlie Wong restaurant in Evergreen has spent 12

years toiling, scrimping and saving to send money back to family

members in his native Vietnam.

And recently his efforts paid off in a big way. He was able to

bring nine more family members from Vietnam to Kalispell and

recently opened a second restaurant, Charlie Wong Saigon Garden, on

the city’s south side.

Trinh’s recently arrived relatives, most from his wife Lien’s side

of the family, will help staff the new restaurant, located at 1645

U.S. 93 S.

Saigon Garden will feature many of the same Asian entrees that have

made the family’s Evergreen restaurant a popular eatery, but will

specialize more in Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese noodle soups and

vermicelli are among the specialty dishes.

Trinh prides himself on the freshness of ingredients used at both

restaurants, acknowledging the manpower that goes into chopping

large quantities of vegetables and meat on a daily basis. Charlie

Wong fared pretty well during the recession, he said, because of

the reasonably priced menu.

“We not too expensive,” the 52-year-old Trinh said with his

trademark broad smile. “Everybody eat here is happy with good

prices.”

Trinh admits the restaurant business is hard work, but says he’s

happy to be able to support so many family members. In addition to

bringing more relatives here to become U.S. citizens, he also still

sends money to remaining relatives in Vietnam that helps pay for

their children’s schooling.

“I’m tired, but happy because my money helps them to do good

things,” he said. “My children say, ‘Dad you care too much,’ but we

work for family.”

Trinh’s philosophy always has been “you help people; people help

you.”

Saigon Garden employee Michael Plew knows that better that anyone.

Plew had been out of work for two years when Trinh hired him a

couple of months ago.

“He’s my hero,” Plew said. “He treats everyone with a lot of

respect. It’s a great environment and I feel blessed to be

here.”

Plew said an added bonus of eating Trinh’s healthy Vietnamese fare

has been a 35-pound weight loss.

“Charlie’s dream is to help family, and everyone who comes through

the door makes his dream come true,” Plew said.

Trinh and his wife, his younger brother and an older sister left

Vietnam in the 1980s when the oppression from communist rule forced

the family to seek a better life elsewhere. His father was a

prominent businessman but lost a chalk factory, a bank and a

beer-and-wine business in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

“The communists took it all,” he said.

Trinh and his family members were among roughly three million “boat

people” who fled Communist rule in small boats after the war ended

in 1975.

“We very scared,” he, shaking his head as he recalled the harrowing

ordeal of their journey by boat.

Some historians estimate that a quarter of those who left Vietnam

during that time perished in stormy seas, but Trinh and his family

made it to Hong Kong, where they spent three years before

journeying to California.

The Trinhs’ oldest daughter, Huong, was born in Hong Kong.

The family spent several years in California before relocating to

Kalispell.

“When [oldest] daughter in high school we wanted to find good

area,” Trinh said. “Too many gangs in Orange County. That’s no good

for family.”

As fate would have it, the Trinhs were good friends in Vietnam with

Quang and Tay Lam, who had emigrated to Kalispell where Tay started

the Alley Connection Asian restaurant. They helped bring the Trinhs

to Kalispell; then Quang helped Trinh — who already had experience

as a cook — open Charlie Wong in 1996.

The two families remain good friends, and two of Trinh’s

brothers-in-law work at Alley Connection.

A second Charlie Wong restaurant operated for a few years in

Columbia Falls, but Trinh closed it because there weren’t enough

family members to adequately staff the restaurant.

The family has never regretted its decision to settle in Northwest

Montana. With the latest additions, the Trinhs now have 15 family

members in the Flathead Valley.

“Montana people really friendly,” Trinh said.

His biggest challenge remains the English language. Family members

such as his son Thomas, 22, who was born in America, speak fluent

English but also speak fluent Vietnamese. That helps with the

communication, Trinh said.

He has strived to instill the value of family in his children, how

the younger generations need to care for their elders. When Trinh’s

parents reached the age where they needed assistance (his father is

92), Trinh sent his oldest daughter, Huong, to California to care

for them.

“I tell her go to California, she go,” he said. “I want she learn

from me.”

Trinh’s parents have chosen to stay in California because it’s just

too cold here for them, he said.

His family values also have played out in the community. Through

the years he has hired many young people on probation who have

benefited from his helping hand.

“They know me in probation [department],” he said. “When people

down, you have to pull them back up. You have a chance to do good

for their future."

“People is human,” he added. “You have to give them a

chance.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by

email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.

The reason Charlie Trinh works 15-hour days, seven days a week can be summed up in a single word: family.

The owner of Charlie Wong restaurant in Evergreen has spent 12 years toiling, scrimping and saving to send money back to family members in his native Vietnam.

And recently his efforts paid off in a big way. He was able to bring nine more family members from Vietnam to Kalispell and recently opened a second restaurant, Charlie Wong Saigon Garden, on the city’s south side.

Trinh’s recently arrived relatives, most from his wife Lien’s side of the family, will help staff the new restaurant, located at 1645 U.S. 93 S.

Saigon Garden will feature many of the same Asian entrees that have made the family’s Evergreen restaurant a popular eatery, but will specialize more in Vietnamese cuisine. Vietnamese noodle soups and vermicelli are among the specialty dishes.

Trinh prides himself on the freshness of ingredients used at both restaurants, acknowledging the manpower that goes into chopping large quantities of vegetables and meat on a daily basis. Charlie Wong fared pretty well during the recession, he said, because of the reasonably priced menu.

“We not too expensive,” the 52-year-old Trinh said with his trademark broad smile. “Everybody eat here is happy with good prices.”

Trinh admits the restaurant business is hard work, but says he’s happy to be able to support so many family members. In addition to bringing more relatives here to become U.S. citizens, he also still sends money to remaining relatives in Vietnam that helps pay for their children’s schooling.

“I’m tired, but happy because my money helps them to do good things,” he said. “My children say, ‘Dad you care too much,’ but we work for family.”

Trinh’s philosophy always has been “you help people; people help you.”

Saigon Garden employee Michael Plew knows that better that anyone. Plew had been out of work for two years when Trinh hired him a couple of months ago.

“He’s my hero,” Plew said. “He treats everyone with a lot of respect. It’s a great environment and I feel blessed to be here.”

Plew said an added bonus of eating Trinh’s healthy Vietnamese fare has been a 35-pound weight loss.

“Charlie’s dream is to help family, and everyone who comes through the door makes his dream come true,” Plew said.

Trinh and his wife, his younger brother and an older sister left Vietnam in the 1980s when the oppression from communist rule forced the family to seek a better life elsewhere. His father was a prominent businessman but lost a chalk factory, a bank and a beer-and-wine business in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.

“The communists took it all,” he said.

Trinh and his family members were among roughly three million “boat people” who fled Communist rule in small boats after the war ended in 1975.

“We very scared,” he, shaking his head as he recalled the harrowing ordeal of their journey by boat.

Some historians estimate that a quarter of those who left Vietnam during that time perished in stormy seas, but Trinh and his family made it to Hong Kong, where they spent three years before journeying to California.

The Trinhs’ oldest daughter, Huong, was born in Hong Kong.

The family spent several years in California before relocating to Kalispell.

“When [oldest] daughter in high school we wanted to find good area,” Trinh said. “Too many gangs in Orange County. That’s no good for family.”

As fate would have it, the Trinhs were good friends in Vietnam with Quang and Tay Lam, who had emigrated to Kalispell where Tay started the Alley Connection Asian restaurant. They helped bring the Trinhs to Kalispell; then Quang helped Trinh — who already had experience as a cook — open Charlie Wong in 1996.

The two families remain good friends, and two of Trinh’s brothers-in-law work at Alley Connection.

A second Charlie Wong restaurant operated for a few years in Columbia Falls, but Trinh closed it because there weren’t enough family members to adequately staff the restaurant.

The family has never regretted its decision to settle in Northwest Montana. With the latest additions, the Trinhs now have 15 family members in the Flathead Valley.

“Montana people really friendly,” Trinh said.

His biggest challenge remains the English language. Family members such as his son Thomas, 22, who was born in America, speak fluent English but also speak fluent Vietnamese. That helps with the communication, Trinh said.

He has strived to instill the value of family in his children, how the younger generations need to care for their elders. When Trinh’s parents reached the age where they needed assistance (his father is 92), Trinh sent his oldest daughter, Huong, to California to care for them.

“I tell her go to California, she go,” he said. “I want she learn from me.”

Trinh’s parents have chosen to stay in California because it’s just too cold here for them, he said.

His family values also have played out in the community. Through the years he has hired many young people on probation who have benefited from his helping hand.

“They know me in probation [department],” he said. “When people down, you have to pull them back up. You have a chance to do good for their future.

“People is human,” he added. “You have to give them a chance.”

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.