KOTO stands for ‘know one, teach one’ and is a non-profit organisation that was launched in Hanoi in 1999 and has since branched out to Ho Chi Minh City. It offers training in hospitality for disadvantaged and street children with the aim of helping them secure employment, having developed strong relationships with all the major international hotels in Hanoi.
The KOTO restaurant on Hanoi’s Van Mieu Street serves both Vietnamese and European food and can be booked for private events. The restaurant enables trainees to practise their skills in a real environment and holds cooking classes every Monday for Vietnamese favourites, such as fresh prawn spring rolls and chicken pho (noodle soup).
Each class can take a maximum of 15 people but KOTO can also cater for bigger groups by holding two separate sessions, and can also hold classes at its training centre in the West Lake district. All proceeds go back to KOTO and companies from banking and finance have already participated in the classes.
Visit www.koto.com.au for further information