North Vietnam, Vietnam, Hanoi
Hanoi Social Enterprise Lunch
Enjoy a socially responsible lunch while discovering local flavours and supporting community-run restaurants.
Most ETG experiences include a lunch, and we design the experience to ensure you steer clear of ordinary tourist buffets and focus on flavours of the local cuisine. We also like to ensure at least one such meal during your holiday is taken at a social enterprise restaurant. Typically, establishments that collaborate with local community programs, offering vocational training that creating life-changing employment opportunities for marginalised youth. Beyond the skills they teach their trainees, these restaurants serve lovely home-cooked food and are a platform for cultural exchange – where you can chat with staff members and learn about local customs.
In Hanoi we offer such a lunch at KOTO Villa. Nestled in a colonial-era home with a serene garden courtyard, trainees gain invaluable real-life skills in the kitchen and front of house. You’ll enjoy a delicious lunch – you’ll perhaps even want to return for dinner or cocktails with Vietnamese small bites. KOTO alumni have been known to excel in top restaurants, opened their own cafes, and achieved culinary accolades.
ETG began including social enterprise restaurants as part of an initiative we call “One Meal At A Time”. This started in Vietnam, Cambodia and Myanmar and has since expanded to include restaurants in Sri Lanka, Laos, India, Indonesia and Thailand. We are confident of the positive local impact these restaurants have and of the way in which they can also enhance your experience of our destinations.
What you’ll do
- Dine at social enterprise restaurants like Hanoi’s KOTO Villa, supporting marginalized youth through culinary training.
- Enjoy home-cooked local dishes prepared by trainees gaining real-life skills in the kitchen and front of house.
- Engage with staff and learn about Vietnamese customs and the impact of the initiative.
- Part of ETG’s “One Meal At A Time” programme, connecting travellers with meaningful local experiences across Asia.
