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elebrating local culture while
providing career opportunities
to disadvantaged youth,
Seed-
lings
is a bridge to a successful
profession in adulthood for disadvan-
taged youth across Vietnam.
With the opening of Seedlings res-
taurant in Hoi An, selected students
have the opportunity to learn and grow
in one of Vietnam’s most charming
World Heritage sites, under the guid-
ance of the globally-renowned hospital-
ity group, Banyan Tree Holdings.
As a joint initiative between KOTO
and Laguna Lăng Cô, Banyan Tree Hold-
ings’ latest integrated resort, Seedlings
restaurant is now home to 14 KOTO
trainees, including soon-to-graduate
Pham Van Bao. Growing up begging
with his blind father and living rough
during his teens on the streets of
Hanoi, Bao never imagined he would
celebrate completing his training pro-
gram in the old town of Hoi An at the
age of 19.
Serving up traditional Vietnamese
fare such as
cao lau
and
banh vac
,
Seedlings is fast becoming a vibrant so-
cial spot for Banyan Tree and Angsana
resort guests, tourists and locals alike
within the UNESCO-listed 15th century
riverside port town of Hoi An.
The first restaurant to be launched
under this type of private and social
sector partnership in Hoi An, Seedlings
provides an invaluable real-life training
ground to disadvantaged youths, fusing
the ideals of KOTO’s ‘Know One Teach
One’ vocational and life skill training
with the Laguna Lăng Cô’s five-star hos-
pitality standards.
Bao was one of the first KOTO train-
ees to train at Seedlings. After gradua-
tion, Bao plans to become a leader for
new KOTO trainees, a choice he would
never have imagined having five years
ago when he was living on the streets.
“At Banyan Tree, the serving stand-
ard is very high. Supervisors expected
strong delivery and paid attention to all
trainees, so it was an incredible learn-
ing experience,” said Bao.
The Seedlings project is part of Ban-
yan Tree’s core philosophy of operating
as a socially responsible business com-
mitted to the communities and cultures
it operates in. With the opening of
the new hospitality development at La-
guna Lăng Cô, Banyan Tree Holdings
has demonstrated its corporate social
responsibility ethos with the formation
of the valuable partnership with KOTO,
an Australian-Vietnamese not-for-profit
social enterprise supporting disadvan-
taged youth with vocational training
programs in hospitality.
KOTO trainees participating in the
Seedlings project spend the last six
months of their 24-month vocational
training program at the restaurant
and at Laguna Lăng Cô, a 280-hectare
community in Thua Thien Hue, which
includes Banyan Tree and Angsana
branded hotels and spas, an 18-hole
championship golf course designed by
Sir Nick Faldo, private villas and resi-
dences available for sale.
KOTO trainees have a 100 per cent
employment rate upon graduation and
work in five-star hotels, resorts and
restaurants around Vietnam and the
wider world.
SEEDLINGS RESTAURANT
41 Nguyen Phuc Chu street,
Minh An ward, Hoi An city,
Quang Nam province, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (0) 510 392 1565
Email:
Seedlings-HoiAn@lagunalangco.com
The restaurant that changes lives
timeout
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