By: Hugh S and Rose
We started the day with a bit of a sleep-in at the Santa Babra Hotel. After a short walk we arrived at the first temple we were visiting. The temple was a Taoism temple and was established in 1010, the same year Hanoi was founded. The temple was a picturesque area surrounded by walls with trees and paths spread out throughout the area. In the plaza area there were people performing Kung-Fu and many of us were keen to learn a new skill from the locals and had lots of fun. A little bit later Hoang showed us the traditional ways of praying to the Taoism god. He lit an incense candle and prayed for the earth, the sky and the Taoism god. A few students took the opportunity to participate in this cultural tradition. Inside the temple, shoes, hats, sunglasses and other accessories were removed as a sign of respect. The temple had numerous Taoism objects, relics and statues which represented the religion.
The next destination was a Buddhist Pagoda – the oldest in Hanoi and a traditional landmark of Vietnam. Before we entered the Pagoda, we were excited to find that turtles were being sold outside the lake for 50,000 VND (the equivalent of $3 AUD). As per the tradition (or clever sales pitch), if you buy a turtle and release it into the lake, luck and a long life will be bestowed upon you. To many of the more sceptical students this selling of turtles was a bit of a scam because we guessed the turtles were retrieved from the same lake to be resold again!
Our dinner was eaten at the restaurant KOTO. On the bus on the way to dinner, Hoang explained that KOTO is a acronym for Know One, Teach One. The man who established the restaurant, Jimmy Pham, was Vietnamese born and raised in Australia. Later in life he returned to Vietnam and was heartbroken to see so many homeless kids living on the streets of his home country. Having trained as a tour guide, he was able to use his friends and contacts to develop a restaurant to train these kids in cooking skills so they can work in the restaurant, and after 2 years, can work in hotel kitchens, building a better life for themselves. Once experienced, they come back to KOTO to help train new kids, thus, know one, teach one. His decision to start this philanthropic organisation bloomed from his patriotic desire to assist his country by helping children. The meal was delicious and we left satisfied knowing that the money we spent at the restaurant was helping young people build a better life.
