Traditional Vietnamese cuisine now offered in Oshkosh

Rachel Kroeger

Staff

June 16, 2025

OSHKOSH – A local business owner dedicated to the City of Oshkosh and its youth is celebrating the recent opening of his fourth and newest venture, Hanoi House & Boba.

Owner Fue “Frank” Yang said he was inspired to open a Vietnamese restaurant for several reasons – one being his own personal experience traveling to the country.

“Hanoi is actually the capital of Vietnam,” he said. “I’ve traveled there a handful of times in the last two to three years.”

Yang’s parents, he said, immigrated from Laos to California – where he was born before finding comfort and familiarity in Wisconsin’s northeast region.

“Oshkosh is a city (with a) population of about 70,000 people, and it reminds me of the city that I grew up in, in California,” he said. “(It’s a) small town, the community supports one another and it’s pretty diverse here as well.”

However, Yang said an area he believed the City of Oshkosh was lacking diversity in was its culinary scene – prompting him to pursue opening Hanoi House & Boba (200 City Center).

“(There’s a) growing appetite for Vietnamese cuisine,” he said. “(I’m) providing the City of Oshkosh more options for cultural dining (and) new cultural food.”

Authentic, clean eating

Another reason Yang said he opened a Vietnamese restaurant was his interest in a unique aspect of the cuisine found in its broth-based dishes.

“I grew up eating a lot of pho noodles,” he said, “(and) when I was in Hanoi, they had very clean, clear bone broth that they simmer(ed) for more than 10 hours. So, we wanted to bring that here to Oshkosh.”

Compared to other soup-based Asian cuisines he’s aware of, Yang said Vietnamese bone broth is especially “clean.”

“What I find in Vietnamese cooking is that they don’t use powder-based soup… which is mainly what we have here in America,” he said. “(Vietnamese cooks) strictly use high-quality bone marrow, as well as oxtail or knuckles. So, we try to mimic that here.”

At the time of his interview with The Business News, Yang said he and his team were getting ready for Hanoi House & Boba’s soft-opening.

“We have new staff, and so we’re only going to offer dinner hours right now – from 3-9 p.m.,” he said. “Then, we are only serving our soft opening menu, which is mainly appetizers, and then our pho noodles as well.”

Per the menu on the restaurant’s Facebook page, some of those appetizers include shrimp salad, pork egg rolls, crispy wings and cucumber salad.

The opening menu also includes vermicelli salads – which are served over rice noodles with herbs, pickled vegetables and sauce – and rice plates.

The plan for Hanoi’s grand opening is yet undetermined, but Yang said he hopes to be fully operational “within the next two weeks.”

“I just want to be able to make sure our staff is on board, and we learn from all the mistakes that we’ll make the (first) few days,” he said.

When it comes to the boba tea side of the business, Yang said he’s not too worried, as he has plenty of experience to carry over into Hanoi.

“I also own two boba tea shops, plus (a) Big Apple Bagels (location),” he said. “So, this is actually my fourth venture here in the City of Oshkosh.”

Commitment to local youth

Yang said given the saturation of academic institutions in Oshkosh, it only makes sense to prioritize hiring high school- and college-aged students – not only at Hanoi House & Boba, but at his other businesses as well.

“(Roughly) 90% of my employees are college and high school kids,” he said. “What I like to do is bring them in and position them to be able to have a job while they’re going to school.”

Drawing employees from the local high schools, as well as the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Yang said he’s experienced both challenges and benefits to hiring students.

“It is challenging because we have to work within the students’ school hours,” he said.

Given the variability of the students’ school schedules, Yang said, for the most part, they manage their work schedules themselves.

“I actually allow them to manage themselves and hold themselves accountable, because they’re making their own schedules,” he said. “So, for scheduling, I’m hands off on it, and they do it themselves.”

Working within their team, discussing the schedule and finding coverage as necessary, Yang said, has so far been a successful way to manage his student employees – especially because the times they’re available typically coincide with the business’ hours of operation.

“(Their) part-time flexibility fits our breakfast and lunch rush hours, the weekends and also my seasonal (staffing) needs,” he said. “Then I find it easier to schedule around the holidays and the breaks as well.”

“Young folks,” Yang said, are also “eager to learn” – making them a perfect hire for local and up-and-coming businesses.

“They’re motivated and they’re open to new training, and it just brings in a new fresh energy for us,” he said. “Of course, they’re (also) tech-savvy, and then I believe (hiring them builds) a positive brand reputation for the business.”

As he and his staff approach Hanoi’s grand opening, Yang said above all, they are excited to introduce new flavors to the City of Oshkosh.

“We’re excited to bring in something new to the community, and hopefully we gain traction and get support,” he said.

For updates on Hanoi House & Boba’s hours of operation and menu, visit its Facebook page.