A Vietnamese restaurant in Kingston has thanked locals for a flock of takeaway deliveries after the owner wrote a post saying the business was in trouble in Facebook.

Pham Van Nho, one of the owners of Le Tran restaurant in Tolworth, posted a message in a local Facebook group last weekend (March 14) after he had seen a dramatic drop in the number of customers due to coronavirus fears.

He wrote: “We are dying! It’s hard to write these things in a local Facebook group. But it’s time to ask for help from local people.

“We are the only Vietnamese restaurant in the Surbiton area, which is newly opened few months ago. The business had been running quite well until that time.

“People fear to come to the restaurant. But people still need food.

“You can find us via Deliveroo or Uber Eats or Just Eat. Without your support our restaurant will die!”

Kingston residents listened and Pham said he was inundated with takeaway orders on Sunday (March 15).

So much so that a couple of orders were a little late, which he said he was “very sorry” for.

“We have been struggling over the last two weeks. But the weekend was amazing. Many people came. They ordered the food from the restaurant,” he said.

“The next two months will be difficult, but I hope we will get through it.

“I think local people should support the local businesses by doing something like this weekend and ordering online.”

Pham has been running the business with friends for four months now and is also a final year PhD student in higher education.

“I have a small business and I am a young man. When I need help I just call for help,” he said.

Despite the challenges the virus poses, he insists he is here to stay.