KOTO Hanoi Graduation 2013

At 6.00 pm on Friday 3 May 2013, forty-three graduating trainees from KOTO Hanoi's classes 18 and 19, together with family, friends, KOTO alumni, staff, teachers, volunteers and supporters, gathered at the Hotel Pullman, 40 Cat Linh street, Hanoi to receive their diplomas and celebrate.

Classes 18 & 19 onstage

Graduation is the culmination of two years hard slog at KOTO during which the trainees have learned their trades - either cooking or front-of-house - english, life skills (everything from anger management to money management, sexual hygiene, relationships, general health), computer skills, played sport and taken part in charitable activities. They have worked at KOTO's public restaurant at 59 Van Mieu, Hanoi, and undertaken periods of work experience at Hanoi's leading hotels and restaurants.

From now on it's up to them...

But it also signifies the end of a close and loving relationship with their fellow trainees, the staff, their teachers and volunteers. KOTO is not a normal school; it is a family.

And for kids who have never known the love of a family or who have never had a father, a mother, siblings or anyone at all to love them (and there are plenty in this situation), it is a welcome experience to find an environment where they are valued, respected and loved.

So starting out on their own and leaving that protective and loving environment is naturally daunting..

Mixed emotions...

It's a full evening of entertainment with high profile Vietnamese performers donating their services (in fact, the venue, the catering, the services are usually all donated/sponsored), non-graduating trainees dancing, singing, play-acting, short films made with the graduates and of course speeches. The Australian ambassador, Mr Hugh Borrowman, made a particularly appropriate speech in which he gave some basic advice to the graduates about Learning, Living, Loving, Laughing...

As well as diplomas, bouquets and other gifts are presented.

Well-deserved bouquets

Candles are symbolically lit to shine on their future paths.

The flame is passed from one to another..

But it's basically time for the graduates to celebrate; for the graduates to sing together, thank all who have supported them, and show the world how good they are...

Celebrating,,,,

And for me it's a chance to catch up with all the people you have been privileged to help somehow.

My son, Mr Hiep, class 19, with his Aunty

With KOTO alumni, Mr Ninh (above) and Mr Quyen (below), now successful Chefs in leading establishments

Two years ago the graduating kids were nervous, undernourished, apprehensive individuals who had little idea of what they had let themselves in for or what the future may hold. 

To see them now as healthy, confident, optimistic, and happy professionals makes any effort worthwhile.

Rally Indochina - Along the Ho Chi Minh Trail by Ural Motorbike

The motorbike rally in support of Blue Dragon Children's Fund actually started at the Ho Chi Minh Trail Museum on the outskirts of Hanoi. My bike was hard to start but, once underway, it went like a rocket! - an unusual experience for someone who has an almost identical Dnepr sidecar (which is like driving a small tractor). On the first leg into the beautiful ethnic minority town of Mai Chau there were plenty of coffee breaks and a sedate speed to allow riders to relax into the rally.

Enroute to Mai Chau

Charley Boorman and film crew joined us for the first day

The next day tested riders with a 300 km ride from Mai Chau to Vinh which led us to the start of the actual Ho Chi Minh Trail. Shortly after hitting the Trail, a 30 km stretch of treacherous mud saw four riders come off - some several times! The ordeal was worth it though as it was followed by the most spectacual scenery that I have ever seen in Vietnam! - beautiful soaring limestone karsts, heavily forested and covered in jungle, the drizzle and mist adding to the mystery of this amazing landscape. And if that wasn't enough, a fabulous road with no one on it!

The start of the Ho Chi Minh Trail - 0 km

A local enjoying Rhod's mud-spattered sidecar

At Phong Nha Ke Bang - after surviving the mud!

The road to Phong Nha Ke Bang

Fabulous landscape along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Arrival at Phong Nha Ke Bang National Park was early enough to have a leisurely boat trip along the Con River to Phong Nha cave where the river actually flows nearly 14 km into the cave although tourists are only permitted to explore the first 1500 metres - more than enough to appreciate the spectacular beauty of the cave and formations.

Sightseeing boats on the Con River, Phong Nha Ke Bang

Formations inside the cave

The entrance to Phong Nha Cave

The next day a short ride through more fabulous scenery took us to yet another spectacular cave - Paradise. It was well worth the ride on wet, slippery roads. In ten years of visiting and living in Vietnam I had never visited these caves and was amazed at just how spectacular they are - they leave the caves of Halong Bay for dead. They are off the normal tourist beaten track because it's a long journey to get to them. No problem for a bunch of Ural motorbike riders though!

The ride continued to Dong Hoi on the coast where we put up at the delightful Sun Spa resort. In dreary weather we rode to Khe Sanh, scene of a major battle between American Marines and the North Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War and the title of a song sung by Jimmy Barnes and the Australian Rock Group, Cold Chisel. The Ta Con war museum on the site of the American air base has a collection of aircraft on display.

Waterfall enroute to Khe Sanh

Lunch stop on the way to Khe Sanh

Riders Brendon (sidecar) and Neil (solo)

Lockheed Hercules C130 aircraft at Ta Con museum

From Khe Sanh we left the Ho Chi Minh Trail and headed east to Vinh Moc tunnels on the coast. For six years the inhabitants of Vinh Moc lived in an underground village 30 metres deep in an effort to survive American bombings which saw 9000 tons of bombs dropped on the area. The 2000 metres of tunnels housed hospitals, nurseries, kitchens, wells, and family spaces. Sixty families lived in the complex which saw the birth of 17 children. After enjoying a bunch of delicious freshly grilled prawns for lunch at Cua Viet  beach we headed for Hue and checked in at the delightful historic Saigon Morin hotel.

Archive photo of digging the Vinh Moc tunnels....

Tunnel entrance

Inside Vinh Moc tunnels

Thuy and Dave at tunnel entrance

Live insect passenger on the ride to Vinh Moc

Two relaxing days were spent at Hue which included a river cruise to the Blue Dragon Centre in Hue and the chance to meet up again with Blue Dragon's founder and CEO, Michael Brosowski. Blue Dragon has started an aquaculture project near its centre at Phu Vang in an attempt to alleviate poverty in the area. On the first evening in Hue all riders donned traditional costume and had dinner in what could only be described as "pantomine atmosphere"....

Rally group at Blue Dragon Centre, Hue

Michael Brosowski with Mr Thai

Stephen and Peter as "The Emperors".....

Brendon getting into it..

The ride from Hue to Hoi An saw us back on the Ho Chi Minh Trail and a further encounter with mud along a stretch of road through an enormous gorge where massive roadworks are being undertaken. Fortunately this mud proved to be more benign than the previous encounter and everyone managed to stay upright. Hamburger Hill, the scene of another famous siege during the Vietnam War, was viewed from a distance as we continued on our way to the delightful Vinh Hung riverside resort in Hoi An ancient town. Before checking in we enjoyed a cold beer at Mark Wyndham's Hoi An Motorbike Tours base then "blitzed" Hoi An on our noisy Urals.

Road tunnel on the Ho Chi Minh Trail

Fulton

Neil

Road tunnel entrance

With mechanics Long and Diep

Scenery along the Ho Chi Minh Trail

With mechanics Phu, Long and Diep

The two days at Hoi An allowed plenty of time for riders to go shopping or just relax by the pool. The signature cocktail, Custard Colada, (made with custard apple - not egg custard) was particularly fortifying! But Hoi An isn't just about cheap clothes; I visited the young silversmith around the corner from the delightful Ha An hotel and bought a silver ring from his range of exquisite (and underpriced) stock. With a tummy full of the local speciality "My Quang" (prawns, yellow noodles, roast peanuts, fresh herbs and a sesame cracker) and a new Dragon teeshirt as well as my ring, Hoi An was just great..

On the second night at Hoi An, a pleasant cruise down the Thu Bon River took us to the Red Bridge restaurant and cooking school where we enjoyed a celebratory dinner and handed over of a cheque for $47,500 to Michael Brosowski which was the total amount raised by riders in the Rally! 

Anne, Peter (standing), Stephen, Neil, Digby (sitting)

Phu (tongue out), Long (sitting), Thuy, Glenn, Mark and Fulton

Assistant Manager and Lew

Urals at Vinh Hung, Hoi An

Ural 44 at Hoi An

Ural 44 with rider

Digby presents the cheque to Michael

The hottest day of the ride (temperature 33 but with the humidity feels like 42) saw us do a steep climb up the mountains of the Son Tra peninsula north of Da Nang and ride over the Hai Van pass to the other side. Lunch at a seaside hotel at Da Nang followed where a boisterous wedding celebration was also going on but didn't faze the staff (or the riders). We said goodbye to our Urals and climbed aboard taxis for the afternoon flight to Ho Chi Minh City where the weather was markedly cooler and more comfortable.

Lew and Glenn on the Son Tra peninusula

Son Tra peninsula, Da Nang

Diep "water-cooling" Chris's Ural

On arrival at Ho Chi Minh City, we checked in at the well-appointed Grand Hotel in Dong Khoi street and headed off for a tasty dinner at KOTO Saigon's restaurant at 151A Hai Ba Trung street. Tonight (Sunday 21 April), the final night of the rally, we enjoy a Vespa "street food" tour of Saigon and no doubt a few drinks as we celebrate a highly successful and most enjoyable ride and say farewell to fellow riders. The Rally took me to amazing places that I never knew existed in Vietnam and allowed me to enjoy the company of a most relaxed and easygoing group of people! It's been great!