The number of ethnic food options in the city is up by one, thanks to the opening of Pho Lynn, a Vietnamese restaurant offering both dine-in and take-out service on Munroe Street.

"I always wanted to own my own business, so I want to see how far I can reach and how far my ability goes," says Pho Lynn co-owner Thuydiem "T.D." Le. "In Vietnam, I could not do anything freely, so now that I'm here I want to take advantage of it."

Le and her husband, Thai Nguyen, are Lynn residents. The couple bought the building at 18 Munroe Street last October and put $100,000 into remodeling both the interior and exterior.

"I saw the building for sale on Boston.com and I thought the location was a good place for a restaurant," recalls Le. "The space is big and I heard there's a lot of development in the city and a lot of potential."

Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr., who attended the ribbon-cutting earlier this month, said the opening of any business is good news for Lynn. "It's gratifying to see small-business owners investing in the city," he said. "We're constantly striving to make Lynn an attractive place to do business. We welcome Pho Lynn with open arms."

According to Le, Pho Lynn is the first Vietnamese restaurant in the city. Originally from Vietnam, Le learned to cook while helping her mother prepare food for weddings.

"They've done a first-class job," said Ann Marie Leonard, representing the city's Office of Economic & Community Development (OECD). "The food is wonderful and everyone is pleasant. It's one more great new restaurant that has moved into downtown Lynn."

According to Le, the OECD helped out with the paperwork involved in the sale of the building and opening the business. "I'm grateful they really want us to succeed," she said.

The business is named for pho, a beef or chicken-based noodle soup that is a staple of the traditional Vietnamese diet.

"In Vietnam, they can eat pho for breakfast, lunch and dinner," explains Le. "We are going to redo our menu so it's more descriptive. We want to introduce our food to people who have never tried Vietnamese food before."

Prices range from $5.50 for a large chicken pho to $6.75 for stir-fried rice noodles and beef. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday, and 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday. Pho Lynn delivers to Lynn, Swampscott and Marblehead.

Le says she would like to have a chain of Pho restaurants, each one named after the city or town where it's located. As she puts it, "I want to put 100-percent effort into working on this business to see if it succeeds so I can open more."