Spirit of Adventure

The Sapa region of northwest Vietnam is a mountain gateway to a world of fascinating minority cultures and luscious landscapes which can be discovered on our new 8-day Colours of Sapa adventure. The H’mong and Dzao people are the largest ethnic groups in the region and any trip to Sapa is made so much more interesting by witnessing their way of life. The locals all make the journey into the markets of Sapa to trade their produce and this is a great opportunity to learn about their culture.

Located close to the Chinese border, Sapa has a strong French influence which is reflected in its distinctive European architecture. On the Colours of Sapa adventure, which begins and ends in Hanoi, you will visit Black Hmong villages, trek to the Montagnard villages of the Red Dzao and Tay people and see the Sunday market of the Flowered Hmong people of Bac Ha.

For a journey through some of Vietnam’s other highlights see our new 8-day Essence of Vietnam trip – a cultural journey that includes Saigon, Cu Chi, Hoi An, Halong Bay and Hanoi.

Recently, Peregrine sponsored a field trip for the dedicated trainees at KOTO restaurant – KOTO stands for ‘Know One, Teach One’ and is a restaurant in Hanoi that provides vocational training and hospitality experience to underprivileged youth.

The trainees had a challenging and enjoyable time on this year’s KOTO field trip which included visits to Hoi An, Hue, Marble Mountain, and many for exciting destinations. For many of the trainees the field trip is the first time they have travelled outside of the Hanoi region, and the first time they have been to the beach. Activities included a talent show where both trainees and staff act, sing and dance together.

“The aim is to put the trainees in both challenging and educational situations, while still allowing them to have a great time along the way,” said KOTO founder and International CEO, Mr Jimmy Pham.

“Every year I see the trainees’ self-confidence grow so much after the field trip because they’re doing new and challenging things in a foreign environment. The field trip would not have been possible without the generous support of Peregrine and we thank them for their efforts. KOTO immensely values the wonderful relationship it has with Peregrine and looks forward to it continuing into the future,” said Mr Pham.

Visit our website to find a Vietnamese adventure that visits the incredible KOTO restaurant.

Peregrine’s Assistant Brand Manager Anna Bowditch recently discovered the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Vietnam and Cambodia – all five of them no less!

The scrumptious fresh food, friendly local people and rich history of Vietnam and Cambodia are simply hard to beat, and have re-ignited my passion for Asia!

The opportunity to see how Vietnam - a very distant and exotic land to someone who grew up in the Eastern bloc - had experienced Communism, and is recovering from the ‘American War’, was absolutely fascinating, particularly when I was trying to squeeze myself through a mere 100 metres of the Cu Chi tunnels!

There were so many highlights, including:

• Getting lost with my camera in the busy streets of ancient Hoi An,  leaving me able to just observe daily life happening all around me
• Discovering the grandeur and war battle-scars of the Purple Forbidden City in Hue
• Exploring the remnants of the Champa Kingdom in My Son with the sounds of the jungle encompassing the tower temples, creating an amazing atmosphere
• Watching a golden sunset in Halong Bay after kayaking and taking a dip in the warm water all afternoon
• Throwing caution to the wind and getting on the back of a motorbike, zooming through small villages and rice paddy fields. Having lunch at an orphanage and playing skipping rope with the kids
• Enjoying the best mango salad I have ever tasted at KOTO restaurant, knowing that it was prepared by someone who was probably not so long ago living on the streets
• Clambering up the 80+ degree stairs of the many archaeological treasures in the Angkor complex

The cocktails will be flowing this May to celebrate KOTO students completing their training program at the KOTO restaurant in Hanoi, Vietnam. Join Peregrine and Box Hill Institute for a very special evening to support the work of KOTO and celebrate the graduation. KOTO founder and CEO, Jimmy Pham, will be there, along with a KOTO graduate, so you can hear first-hand about the great work that KOTO is doing.

KOTO (Know One Teach One) is a not-for-profit restaurant and vocational training program for street and disadvantaged youth in Vietnam (www.koto.com.au). With a 100% employment rate for graduates, KOTO trainees are supported through a two-year, internationally-accredited hospitality, English language and life skills program. One way Peregrine provides support to KOTO is by visiting the restaurant on all of our trips that visit Hanoi — offering real experience to students and income to this venture.

During the cocktail evening we’ll be auctioning a Peregrine Glimpse of Vietnam trip for two in Vietnam (international airfares not included) and the money raised will be used to fund the annual field trip for KOTO students. We hope you can join us to help this worthwhile project.

Melbourne KOTO Cocktail Fundraiser
Where Life Saving Victoria, Port Melbourne Yacht Club
When 26 May
For more information about this event please contact: cynthia@koto.com.au

For a journey with a difference, experience the culinary specialities of one of South East Asia’s most diverse countries and get stuck into some of the recipes yourself on our new 10-day Vietnam Culinary Journey.

This unique adventure combines culinary and cultural experiences, tantalising your taste buds with local cuisines, under the guidance of local experts.

Your trip begins in Hanoi with a cooking class at KOTO restaurant, a community project that supports underprivileged young people. Highlights include cruising among 2000 limestone islands in Halong Bay aboard a traditional junk and a cooking tour in Hoi An, meeting with local farmers in the fields and markets to gather ingredients.

Another unforgettable experience will be a cooking lesson with TV celebrity chef, author and restaurant owner, Ms Dzoan, at her French villa in Saigon. Visit our website for more details and departure information.

With Christmas fast approaching and the kids holidays on the horizon we have the perfect destination for you and your family during December and January – Vietnam! With the old-world charm of Hanoi and the ancient hill tribe area of Sapa waiting to be explored, there is no better time to start planning your next family trip to Vietnam.

To discover stunning Vietnam with your family have a look at the following trips:

Vietnam Family Safari – an ideal introduction to the highlights of both northern and southern Vietnam.

Vietnam Coastal Explorer – this family adventure combines the excitement of Saigon, the relaxing beaches of the coast and the French-colonial charm of Hanoi.

Join us as we explore some of the world’s most photogenic places – from Petra in Jordan to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, India’s Taj Mahal and the magnificent Himalaya. Each private group tour is escorted by a professional photographer, Nobel Peace Prize winner John Rodsted or World-renowned photographer Christian Pearson, who will teach you the best ways to capture your travels with your camera.

Our Nepal and Jordan trips are departing this year so be quick to book your place. In Nepal you can go rambling through the foothills of the Annapurnas, photograph exotic wildlife in Royal Chitwan National Park and also visit Sath Sath in Kathmandu - an organisation providing support to children on the streets and encouraging them to express themselves through photography. In Jordan, your photographic opportunities will include historical sights such as Petra and Shobak castle, and you’ll also get to capture some amazing desert vistas and street scenes.

Our photography adventures are in the following regions:
Nepal in Focus (departing Sept 08)
Jordan in Focus (departing Oct 08)
India in Focus (departing Mar 09)
Cambodia & Vietnam in Focus (departing Apr 09)

“The greatest accomplishment for the person who has helped you, is to see you stand on your own two feet and then in turn help someone else that reminds you of yourself, because “if you Know One, then you should Teach One.”

Mr Jimmy Pham, KOTO Founder and Director

It is these words that emblazon the cover of the restaurant in the Dong Da district of Hanoi in Vietnam. Powerful words indeed, especially when you’ve just come for a hotpot and noodles!

We’re sitting in KOTO Restaurant, which is a forerunner to Jamie Oliver’s ‘Fifteen’ concept. Jimmy Pham, the founder and director, opened the restaurant in 1996 to help street kids develop a profession and break the poverty cycle. The concept is to train street kids in hospitality and English and enable them to work within the hospitality business in Vietnam. From chefs to busboys and waiters to barmen, all of the employees at KOTO are former street kids who’ve now been given another chance by Jimmy Pham.

Peregrine is extremely proud to support KOTO, and every Peregrine group that visits Hanoi enjoys a meal at the restaurant. It is exactly the type of support that is needed; paying customers eating the fruits of Jimmy’s labour, and encouraging sustainable tourism for now and the future.
KOTO

And the food is fantastic too: we dined on traditional Vietnamese hotpot, rice paper rolls, ginger snapper and an out-of-this-world lime and coconut smoothie.

Every client who travels with Peregrine to Hanoi gets a chance to eat at KOTO restaurant and support this fantastic venture. We are looking forward to increasing our donations to KOTO in the near future with the establishment of the Peregrine Community Trust.

If you are looking to really experience a country and immerse yourself in its culture, it can be very challenging when travelling with kids. David Gibbons, father of two young boys, Sam, 12, and Harry, nine, was recently interviewed by Australia’s leading family travel magazine, Holidays with Kids, about his family’s time away with Peregrine.

David says he was attracted to Peregrine’s family adventures by the opportunity to share an adventurous holiday with his boys. They initially chose to travel on Peregrine’s 14-day Vietnam Coastal Explorer, which took them to bustling Saigon, the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang’s offshore islands, ancient Hoi An, French-colonial Hanoi and Halong Bay. Action packed days for the family included boat cruising, snorkelling, cooking class, water puppet show and an overnight stay with a local family.

The Gibbons enjoyed their adventure in Vietnam so much that they joined Peregrine’s Inca Explorer in Peru that same year. Exploring the Sacred Valley and visiting the Machu Picchu ruins were among the highlights for the family. A recent addition to this itinerary is a visit to the Peru’s Challenge Community Project, dedicated to helping some of Peru’s poorest children, which is a poignant and important experience for parents and kids alike.

According to David, both trips introduced the kids to some amazing cultures. The bonus, he says, was that he didn’t have to organise the travel and accommodation. He believes that both tours were excellent value for money; in fact he found them cheaper than similar holidays within Australia. He also appreciated that the accommodation was in distinctive local properties that gave his family a real insight into the country. Harry and Sam loved travelling with the other children on the tour, as there was always someone with whom to spend time.

David also spoke highly of the local guides, saying they were great with the kids and able to amuse the youngsters during any dull moments. David says that the next stop for his adventurous family is Egypt and the pyramids.

Amber Osborn, Peregrine’s Finance Manager, has just returned from a cycling trip through Vietnam:

I recently travelled on the Peregrine Cycle Vietnam trip and had an absolutely amazing time. Travelling through a country by bicycle gives you a totally different perspective than a standard bus trip.  From the moment I hopped off the plane in Saigon I was mesmerized by the amount of traffic on the road, mainly in the form of motorbikes, and how they all ride in an organized chaos – yes, there are rules of the road; it just looks like no one follows them!  I soon learnt to go with the flow (while holding my breath) and confidently strode across the road. If you keep a steady pace at all times, somehow the traffic always misses you!

From the frantic hustle and bustle of the local traffic, through the lush green rice fields, colourful markets, and the grins on the kids’ faces, Vietnam is one country that you must see. The people, in particular the kids, are really what makes Vietnam such a special place. While travelling through the towns we were constantly greeted with excited cries of “xin chao!” (Vietnamese for hello) and the kids would run from school to slap our hands as we peddled past, awarding us congratulatory high fives for the effort of cycling. The locals appreciate tourists getting into the spirit of their culture and travelling around on the same mode of transport as they do – the trusty bicycle.

In Vietnam, as elsewhere in Asia, the humble bike is used variously as a family saloon, a pick up truck and even a hearse. Have you ever imagined what you could carry on a bike? At different times during the trip I saw being carried on a bike: gas cylinders; electric motors; kilos and kilos of rice; mum, dad and three kids; a coffin; the list goes on and on – and yes, even the kitchen sink!

Another highlight was the markets; they are certainly the place for hunting out a good bargain. Personally I am not a good bargainer, but you can always have a bit of fun and everyone, including the market vendors, enjoys the experience. It is almost compulsory to bargain for everything and anything you wish to buy, always with varying degrees of success! The only rules are:

•    Always have a smile on your face – it’s fun!
•    Never compare prices with fellow shoppers; you will always have paid differently!
•    If you are happy with the price you paid, then it’s a good price!

Not only did the people and the scenery enthrall me, but so did the amazing local food and aromas that go with it. The spices, chillies and flavours that make up Vietnamese food are such a delight, as is along with the amazing array of seafood that is available. If you enjoy seafood as I do, you will be in heaven. I have never eaten so much fish, squid, muscles and shrimps - all of it ridiculously fresh and tasty. For anyone travelling to Vietnam I strongly urge you to take part in a cooking class in either Hanoi or Saigon. My nine fellow cyclists and I took a cooking class in Hanoi and probably had the best night of the whole trip. For US$10 you can learn to cook an entire meal from spring rolls and squid with lemon grass, to prawn wontons with a vegetable sweet and sour pork or beautiful cod cooked in banana leaves. The best part of all is sitting down at the end and devouring every last morsel!

The Cycle Vietnam is an amazing trip and a fantastic way to see such a beautiful country – getting in amongst the locals and stopping on the way to take in the views of the rice fields and local villages. The memories will stay with me for a very long time!