May in Hanoi

The major event in May was the annual KOTO graduation ceremony at Daewoo Hotel, Hanoi, on Monday 7 May when classes 16 and 17 received their diplomas and headed off to make their way in the world. They'll always remain part of the KOTO family though and many will return to KOTO as staff members sometime in the future to pass on the skills they've learned.

The evening featured pop singers, spectacular break-dancing by class 19 and 20 trainees, play acting, a classical music quartet and professional dancers as well as the handing out of diplomas. With over 400 people attending, it was a robust affair as previously graduated classes got together for reunions with their old classmates.

Quoc Anh, class 16, and Chien, class 17

 Break-dancing by Class 19 and 20 Trainees

At the graduation with some of the great kids from Class 19

Included in the Class 16 graduates was Mr Quoc Anh who, a few years ago, was destitute on the streets of Hanoi after losing a leg in a motorbike accident. He appealed for help to KOTO founder and father-figure, Jimmy Pham, who gave him a bed and a job and also managed to get him a better prosthetic leg. Quoc Anh was later admitted to the KOTO training program and was determined that his handicap wasn't going to hold him back. He took on extra english lessons and learned how to negotiate steps with a full tray of drinks/food on only one good leg. His efforts paid off and he's now a barista at the upmarket "St Honore" French bakery and bistro on West Lake. I dropped in on him yesterday and he looked happy and well. 

There was a happy reunion with Class 19 at the KOTO Training Centre as training got under way again but it was a shock to learn a startling statistic. Of the twenty-three kids in this class, eighteen of them either have no parents (and were raised in institutions) or have only one parent (their mum). Even some of those with only one parent ended up in institutions as mum simply couldn't cope. It's sad to reflect on so many kids growing up without the love of parents, siblings, grandparents or other family members and you could excuse them if they were angry, sad, pessimistic, and generally disenchanted with what life has dished out to them. But they are, like most KOTO trainees, happy, grateful, enthusiastic and eternally optimistic!

One is my foster son, Hiep, who has never known his father, has no siblings or grandparents and ended up in an institution when his mother developed mental problems and was unable to raise him. Over lunch recently I asked him what he wanted to do when he finished his KOTO studies. 

Many trainees look forward to being a top-flight bartender dishing up exotic cocktails at a flash joint like the Sunset Bar at the five star Intercontinental West Lake. The list of desirable possessions that such a job may makes accessible includes an i-phone, i-pad, and a Honda Airblade motorbike or something similar.

So what does Hiep want to do?

He wants to be another Jimmy Pham and "help the poor people of Vietnam"!  Such a big heart in such a tiny body.

With Hiep, Class 19

As well as Class 19, two other classes are currently studying at KOTO Hanoi; 20 and 21, the latter having been on the job for only about a month.  A lack of funds meant that a number of staff had to be laid off recently and KOTO now only has one full-time Vietnamese english teacher which means plenty of work for volunteers like me! Normally I wouldn't meet Class 21 until they've completed their full orientation and been segregated in Kitchen and Front-of-House trainees but we've already met in the classroom. There are only 17 of them as opposed to the usual 23 - 24 in a new class  but most have completed high school and they are an enthusiastic bunch.

Class 21

Class 20

KOTO family competed in the recent National Cocktail Competition run by the multinational Monin cocktail syrups company in Vietnam when Ms Giang and Mr Binh from Class 18 and staff member Mr Thuong (Class 12) made the semi finals. Ms Giang did well to win the semi finals despite still being a trainee but was wiped out by the professional bartenders from Ho Chi Minh City who took out first, second and third places in the finals. Still, it was a great effort and good experience for all who participated.

Giang at the Monin National Cocktail Competition

Plenty of visitors turned up in May too so social life has been busy! Mac's friend, Sze Tho from Malaysia came over for the KOTO graduation and then took ten of his own hospitality trainees from Johor Bahru to visit KOTO Saigon's restaurant. While he was in Hanoi we tried out the new upmarket Pots n Pans restaurant which is associated with KOTO. Ian Henry's grand-daughter, Melanie, also paid a visit before heading off on a grand tour of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and we caught up for dinner at KOTO restaurant on a quiet Saturday night. Athol Gardiner and wife Liz have also been visiting their son, Aaron, in Hanoi and we met up for dinner at both KOTO restaurant and Pots n Pans on either side of their trip to Sapa. http://potsnpans.vn/

The dining room and wine cellar at Pots n Pans restaurant

And foster son, Lam, also brought his beautiful daughter, Dieu Linh, to visit one Sunday morning.

Dieu Linh on the phone

Dieu Linh on the milk