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.”
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. […]
JIMMY
Many of our trainees at KOTO hail from this Mekong Delta region. The people are absolutely amazing and the trainees are some of the most hospitable we’ve had through the program which is testament to the warm and friendly nature of people from the Mekong Delta region. Some of the best Bun Ca I’ve had was from An Giang. We need to support the diverse livelihoods of this region which brings us all so much.
DAW MU HTAN
Tourism has changed my life completely. It has allowed me to learn about new places and cultures, and to be a part of helping the local community, especially, since I moved to Cambodia and worked for the Shinta Mani Hotels group.
MAC
Tourism has changed my life completely. It has allowed me to learn about new places and cultures, and to be a part of helping the local community, especially, since I moved to Cambodia and worked for the Shinta Mani Hotels group.
SWE YI MYAT
Right from the start, Swe Yi incorporated community based tourism initiatives as part of the stay experience and convinced her brother, a skilled chef who worked in renown luxury hotels, to manage the F&B. With energy and passion she managed to position Kayah State and her Lodge as a new travel destination in Myanmar.
AROUN
Arounothay Khoungkhakoune (Aroun) is the founder of social enterprise, BambooLao, which makes reusable and environmentally friendly bamboo straws. BambooLao supports communities in rural areas by teaching them how to make reusable bamboo products to replace single used plastic, as well as generating a sustainable income for the villagers. In 2018, Bamboo Lao won the 2018 Mekong Innovative Startups in Tourism (MIST) challenge for its bamboo straws, an award that totally transformed the company.