Obama ‘bun cha’ table encased in Vietnam

In this photograph taken on March 20, 2018, a waitress carries dishes to customers next to the glass-encased table where former US President Barack Obama sat at for a meal with chef Anthony Bourdain at Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant, now dubbed "bun cha Obama", in Hanoi's old quarter. -AFP

HANOI: The table where former US president Barack Obama famously slurped noodles in downtown Hanoi has been preserved -- chopsticks and all -- under a glass box for eternity, in a move that has attracted legions of bemused diners to the once low-key eatery.

Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant, since dubbed “bun cha Obama”, shot to stardom in 2016 when the then-US leader took a break from official duties on a Hanoi visit to enjoy a $3 bowl of pork noodles with fried spring rolls with globetrotting chef Anthony Bourdain.