SAMORNPUN SOMNAM
“Once you arrive at Keemala, it is the personal touch and bespoke experiences that really make a lasting impression for our guests,” she says. “From personalised villa host service to customised celebrations ranging from romantic date nights to engagements and weddings, private excursions, and cultural immersion experiences. For us, and our guests, it is these little touches that make all the difference.”
AT THE EXCELSIOR
IHHVTC is part of the Inle Heritage Foundation, a not-for-profit organization working to preserve and enhance the culture of Inle Lake and the people who call it home. The Foundation began as just “Heritage House”, a stilt building in the middle of the lake used as a sanctuary for Burmese cats being reintroduced to the country.
A NATURAL THING
Aung Kyaw Swar is the owner of A Little Eco Lodge, a small guesthouse on the outskirts of Nyaung Shwe. We are looking out on a field of a couple of acres where in a few months – and then only for several weeks – a hundred heads of sunflower will bloom. The sound of monks from the nearby monastery is receding into the distance.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF…PAA VANHTHONG
Paa Vanhthong is on a mission! A nod to someone, a word to another one, she keeps going! The cotton is not going to wash itself… Ankles deep in the river, she picks a flat rounded rock to try to get rid of the indigo stains on her hands. She can keep on trying, her hands will always have this little tint of indigo, so specific to this community. […]
Binh
Ever since he was a child, Binh knew he wanted to become a chef and cook pho. Unfortunately, when his parents divorced, he dropped out of school and lived on odd jobs. After two years, he decided to get his life back on track and joined KOTO. He obtained his culinary certificate with honors in 2010. He currently works as an executive sous-chef at Novotel Suites Hanoi and has fulfilled his dream by opening a small pho shop with his mother.
Kim Thu
Kim Thu followed her passion for food by enrolling in An Rê Mai Sen to become a Restaurant Specialist. She completed an apprenticeship at Le Méridien Saigon, a five-star hotel, where she was offered a position before she even graduated.
Kha
Before studying at La Boulangerie Française in Hue, Kha was a bricklayer. When he joined the school, he was an extremely shy young man hoping to find a promising job after graduation. […]
TOURISM, SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP & SUSTAINABILITY: HOW VOCATIONAL TRAINING IS FILLING A GAP
At the age of 11, Duong had to leave his family to make a living by shining shoes and selling newspapers. By chance, he was introduced to Hoa Sua School of the Disadvantaged Youth and received a scholarship for a culinary training program. After graduating, Duong worked at various restaurants across the country. The experience gained allowed him to build an international career and become the leader of the European kitchen at Maxx Royal Hotel, a five-star luxury resort in Turkey.
THE LIFE OF A QUILTER: A LOOK INTO HOW MEKONG QUILTS QUILTS QUILTS
“Two of my children dropped out from school. [And] my eldest son fell into depression when he was unable to find work after graduating,” Lan relayed. Not too long after and against all odds, Lan was recruited into Mekong Quilt’s first quilting team and
BAN BU: WHERE HANDMADE LEGACIES ARE MADE
Ban Bu’s name may appear in people’s mind as a community of artisans, yet it has more than that! Local lives, century-old market, murals at temple and the hard-to-find dessert. However, these amazing cultural handmade legacies here are fading with times.