Hai Yen was by far the cleanest restaurant I have ever been to in V-Town. Upon walking in, you see very simple, cherry wood colored tables and chairs, each table decorated with a vase of a single pink carnation and baby’s breath. The tables are spread out with enough space between them, unlike most of the restaurants in V-town, which made this restaurant stand out.

The food definitely caters more to the American palate – it has a sprinkle of the westernized flavor both in taste and presentation, which I actually appreciated. The service was friendly and conversational, and we were checked upon frequently enough to feel like we were really being helped.

overall, above average for vietnamese restaurant in chicago area; quality is almost as good as those in orange county, los angeles. decor average; cleanliness average for general restaurants, but above average for vietnamse type.

this is a good vietnamese restaurant that offers north vietnamese cuisine (not very common in chicago). the food is very good and the restaurant is very clean. items that are are of note: [1] bò bẩy món (beef seven ways), [2] canh chua cá (vnese style tamarind soup with fish), [3] bún chả thăng long (grilled marinated pork).

if you’re looking for a nice, tasty, and clean place to eat vietnamese, i highly recommend hai yen. i absolutely love the food and atmosphere here, and it’s a great place to eat w/friends or family.