What am I eating? 'Blind' restaurant opens in HCM City              A restaurant in HCM City’s District 1 is offering patrons the experience of eating without being able to see what is in front of them, served by blind people, so they can learn how to use their other senses and appreciate what it is like to be visually impaired.   Smell The restaurant in Hai Ba Trung Street was set up by hospitality graduate Vu Anh Tu and hotel management expert Germ Doornbos, of The Netherlands. Both work with blind people in the community. “Statistics in Vietnam show that up to 94 percent of blind people cannot find jobs, and those who do mainly end up as manual workers on low wages," Tu said. “We hope the restaurant will improve people’s confidence in the talents of blind people, and offer them with more opportunities.”    Guiding clients to choose menu    Patrons are led into a blackened room The restaurant has about 10 staff, all of them blind, who qualified after a two-month training course. Most of them are students aged from 20 to 25, speak English, and have multiple talents, such as playing guitar or flute. Tu said most of the restaurants patrons were foreigners, with about 30 percent locals. Patrons are led into a blackened room and seated at their table. As they acclimatize to relying on their other senses, they are served their meal. An Asian menu costs around VND480,000 a head, while the European menu is VND560,000.   Taking part in games     Being served by blind people  To help customers relax, they are encouraged to take part in games that do not involve sight. The waiters help each customer learn to locate eating utensils and, importantly, their food, establishing a personal connection to build up confidence.   Touch    Enjoy food “I’m very happy to work here as I can control my space, meet many people and have new friends,” said one male staff named Vinh. During their meals, clients have a chance to explore their senses of smell, touch, hearing and taste in a serene, safe environment. At the end of their meal, clients are shown what they have eaten so they can compare what they see with what they felt.       By Pham Nguyen | dtinews.vn