3 feel-good restaurants in Indochina

It's becoming one of the highlights of an Indochina trip for those who choose to travel with a socially responsible tour operator. Dining at a vocational training restaurant is all about enjoying local cuisine while helping give disadvantaged youth a brighter future. And there are plenty of organisations in the tourism industry willing to help out.
Working at the Heritage Suites Hotel, Cambodia's only Relais & Ch√¢teau property, is not something that Sok Sara ever dreamed possible. Born in a remote province in the country's north-west, she was number six in a family of eight. Her father abandoned the family when she was still a child, and at the age of 16 she had to go and live with her grandmother as her mother could no longer support her.
Sok Sara was fortunate to have assistance with her high school fees from French non-governmental organisation (NGO) Enfants du Mékong. They also encouraged her to apply to Sala Baï Hotel & Restaurant School in Siem Reap, location of the famous Angkor Wat temple complex. She desperately wanted to study there so that she could obtain a job, which would allow her to support her mother and finance her two youngest brothers' school fees. Happily, Sok Sara's application to train at Sala Baï was successful and now, at the age of 21, she works as a restaurant waitress at the prestigious Heritage Suites Hotel.
CREATING HOPE
There's a lot of need in a region like Indochina, and while socially aware tour operators support a range of different philanthropic initiatives here, vocational training restaurants are one of the most successful. Sala Ba√Ø and other similar establishments provide a way out of poverty for disadvantaged youth and former street kids – making them worthwhile in themselves – but the benefit is also two way. As well as giving travellers the opportunity to support a good cause, they enjoy an authentic cultural experience and get to sample some of the local cuisine.
The system involves non-profit organisations or social entrepreneurs establishing a restaurant, with the purpose of training disadvantaged youth in restaurant and hospitality skills by employing them as staff. Most organisations also provide a number of social services to the students, such as dormitory housing, medical check-ups, family support services and a bicycle. The organisations also assists students with job placement upon graduation.
And many socially conscious operators offer clients the chance to dine at these establishments during their tours, one of these being Travel Indochina. Its responsible tourism coordinator, Jen Brown, said vocational training restaurants provided a "truly sustainable" way to support responsible tourism practices and development in Indochina. "While there is a fair amount of controversy around practices such as visiting orphanages or giving to beggars, these vocational training restaurants allow for long-term and valuable skill development of the trainees. They also help promote one of the best parts about travelling in Southeast Asia – the delicious and diverse cuisine," she said.
GENUINE HOSPITALITY
At Sala Ba√Ø, the menu is both Asian and Western and it changes every two weeks, in order to maximise the training experience for students. This free hotel school, which targets young Cambodians from underprivileged families, was founded in 2002 by French NGO Agir Pour le Cambodge. According to the organisation, there is a very low school attendance rate in Cambodia and many young people leave school to contribute to the family income, obtaining unstable jobs with no future. Few vocational training programs exist in Cambodia – especially for young women – who often drop out of » school earlier than boys, to help at home, work or get married. At the same time, the number of hotels in Siem Reap is rising very fast and as a consequence they require a more qualified workforce.
Each year, Sala Baï trains around 100 young disadvantaged Cambodians, with a 70% priority being given to girls. The training covers the four main professions of the hospitality industry: restaurant waiting, cooking, receptionist work and housekeeping. The school covers all the training fees and daily expenses for the students. The training lasts for 11 months, with the twelfth month dedicated to helping the trainees find their first job.
LONG TERM SOLUTIONS
Another organisation making a different to the lives of young people is Koto, which stands for Know One, Teach One. Its belief is that if you're in a position where you can help someone less fortunate, you should help them. Koto operates several training centres in Vietnam and was established by a Vietnamese-Australian by the name of Jimmy Pham.
In the late 1990s, Pham returned to his birthplace to work as a tour leader. While in Hanoi he struck up a friendship with a group of young people living and working on the streets to support their families. He used his salary to help them but knew this was only a temporary fix for a long-term problem. Pham left his job and opened a sandwich shop to provide jobs for these young people, but soon realised that they needed more than just a job – they needed proper training in order to secure a better future for them and their families.
Every six months Koto recruits up to 30 street or disadvantaged youth, aged 16 to 22, who face difficult life circumstances including poverty, abandonment, abuse and exploitative employment.
Students are provided with 24 months of free training in restaurant and hotel skills at Koto centres, as well as other areas such as basic English and an introduction to life skills. The organisation now runs Koto Hanoi (its flagship restaurant), Pots 'n Pans (also in Hanoi) and Koto Saigon. At all the restaurants menus change every four months and they also offer cooking classes.
Other vocational training establishments in Indochina include Streets Café, which is located in Hoi An. It serves up contemporary Vietnamese and international cuisine and even has a special Hoi An Tasting Menu, offering diners a taste of the iconic dishes unique to this World Heritage listed town.
DINING WITH A DIFFERENCE
International visitors are embracing the concept. Brown said many Travel Indochina clients cited a visit to a vocational training restaurant as a highlight of their trip. "On our journeys, tour leaders and guides often take travellers to dine at Koto and Streets in Vietnam, and the restaurants operated by the non-profit Friends-International in Cambodia and Laos, where we actually sponsor a student," Brown said. "In Hoi An, many of our journeys include a market tour by the Streets students, giving them additional opportunity to cultivate their hospitality skills."
A number of Travel Indochina's itineraries include a visit to Streets Café, these being the 10-day Highlights of Vietnam, the 11-day Vietnam Insight and the 18-day Vietnam Revealed. The operator doesn't include a visit to the restaurants operated by Friends-International but allows time within some of its Cambodia and Laos itineraries should travellers wish to visit.
All of Peregrine Adventures' Hanoi and Saigon itineraries include a visit to Koto, such as the 16-day Vietnam Experience, the 16-day Cycle Vietnam and the 10-day Vietnam Culinary Journey. Intrepid Travel, meanwhile, includes lunch at Sala Ba√Ø in several of its Indochina itineraries, such as the six-day Classic Cambodia. In other itineraries it also offers travellers the option of lunch at another non-profit restaurant in Siem Reap – Green Star. This casual eatery helps generate funds to support the Green Gecko Project, a home and school for former street kids. Around 75% of Intrepid's tours visit the Koto restaurants in either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.
"Today, many travel operators visit a number of vocational training restaurants in Indochina, which is driven in part by the travellers themselves," Intrepid's regional head of sales and marketing Alison Mead said. "When they visit countries like Vietnam they want to be able to see its progress and get a feel for how travellers like them are making a difference to people's lives.
"There is an added benefit that a travel company which visits an establishment like this is seen to give something back, which can be a very important factor when travellers choose the company they book a tour with initially," she said.
In addition to ploughing the revenues from their restaurants and hotels back into the students' training, the organisations that run them rely heavily on donations to cover the costs of their operations.
THE FEEL GOOD FACTOR
World Expeditions chief executive Sue Badyari said many of the operator's clients appreciated opportunities to assist people struggling with poverty. "As well as the company's Community Project Travel initiatives, in which travellers work on individual projects for communities in need, several itineraries include visits to vocational training restaurants," she said.
World Expeditions incorporates visits to vocational training restaurants like Koto and Hoa Sua (the latter located in Hanoi) on some of its Indochina trips, like the 15-day Vietnam by Bike and 11-day Bike, Hike and Kayak Northern Vietnam. "Both restaurants also provide cooking classes, which are highly valued by World Expeditions travellers," Badyari said.
Visits to Koto restaurants have been a highlight for many participants on trips with Helen Wong's Tours, including the 12-day Glimpse of Vietnam and the 14-day Halong to Mekong. Marketing manager Kevin Du said the operator felt it was a good move to include Koto in its itineraries, as the story behind its creation was inspirational.
"Furthermore, it's worthwhile for us to contribute to the cause – and the food is exceptional," he said. Understandably, the staff at these restaurants are hard-working and brimming with enthusiasm – they're keen to do a good job and improve their skills, knowing they now have a brighter future ahead of them.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
Latest News

Klook hosts inaugural Partner Awards with Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison as special guest
Travel activities and experiences booking platform, Klook, held its inaugural Klook Partner Awards event in Sydney last night honouring its top-performing and best-loved merchant partners. Tourism Australia’s Pip Harrison, who was invited to the event as the guest of honour, spoke about the importance of experiences. “I think that experiences are absolutely everything,” she said. […]

APT Travel Group launches early release of 2026 Canada and Alaska Holidays
For anyone with clients craving an icy getaway, APT is serving up some steals right now.

Film, photography and so much more to explore this year in Berlin
Often known for its grungy aesthetics, or perhaps a currywurst stall, there's so much more on offer this year in Berlin.

TravelManagers welcomes two new directors to HOTA Board
We wish Narendra and Judith the best of luck in trying to remember the rest of the Boards' names.

Tauck celebrates 100 years of hosting travellers around the globe
Tauck would only ever celebrate its 100th birthday in pure style - and Italy is just that!

Travelglobe unveils exclusive food tour with MasterChef’s Kirsten Tibballs
Fancy brushing up on your skills making delicious chocolate and pastry-based treats? Meet us on this tour!

Fiji Airways to bring South Australians closer to paradise with third weekly flight from Adelaide in April
South Australians might say they're already in Paradise, but how can they be sure without checking Fiji out?

Bookings for Vanuatu surge with Aussies ready to support earthquake-struck tourism hotspot
In times like those Vanuatu is surfacing from, the tourism dollar goes a long way and Aussies aren't holding back.

Bullo River Station shares its first ever sustainability report
If you would like to be inspired to be a little more green, then check out what Bullo River Station is up to.

‘Fortune favours the bold’: luxury brand leader Anna Burgdorf departs Flight Centre after 6 years
Time for a pop quiz - who first came up with above quote? Was it A) Virgil B) Shakespeare or C) Aristotle?

Cruise Guru unveils Channel Nine show featuring Ponant, Viking, NCL and more
A little offended that we weren't invited on as the 'Cruise Guru' ourselves, but we'll be tuning in regardless.

Explore Worldwide gives agents a chance to win an exclusive Sri Lanka famil
It's like finding a ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! And the prize is even better than unlimited sweets.

Heathrow Airport to upgrade operations as part of multi-billion-pound cash injection
We're usually a bit scared of injections, however a 'cash injection' is one we would welcome with both arms (literally).

Club Med announces Manveer Ramdhian as new MICE manager in Pacific
Rest-assured, being a MICE manager has nothing to do with our furry little friends.

Sydney Airport welcomes daily flights from Hong Kong Airlines
To top it all off, it looks like the representatives scored a cracker of a day for the celebratory photo!

Collette’s Karen Deveson on what Aussies really want from luxury
For Aussies, we're a little bit more laid back when it comes to luxury. No gold-plated cars for us, thanks!

Intrepid Travel partners with Helloworld Travel for exclusive food tour with Luke Nguyen
Vietnamese is one of our favourite cuisines, so we're headed to the Bánh mì shop for lunch in celebration.

Quark Expeditions opens its Antarctic 2026/27 season
You'd have to be Quarking mad to not have a trip like this on your bucket list.

Federal government to purchase REX Airlines if no buyers arise, Albanese says
News that is sure to ruffle some feathers in the offices of competing airlines this morning, but we're all for it!

Topdeck discounts select 2025-26 trips with up to $1,000 off
Knowing my Gen Z sister, that $1,000 saved would be headed straight to the shopping fund.

Windstar Cruises unveils ‘Basil + Bamboo’ on Star Seeker yacht
Don't worry, we're talking about a restaurant here, not the materials used to build the stunning yacht.

Captain Cook Cruises celebrates 55 years of excellence on the water in the habour city
With a view like Sydney Harbour as your office this would be a hard job to leave.

TravelManagers’ Michael Gazal: ‘Agents are spending a lot of time on bespoke trips’
If you haven't already thrown out your cookie cutter mentality, please do so now.

JP Morgan Chase grows travel offering with tech partnership
Our inner bohemian spirit strongly objects to buying travel from an investment bank. #sorrynotsorry

Helloworld celebrates Valentines Day with Air Ticket sale
Nothing gets travel agents' hearts fluttering more than discounted air fares. It is a love language.

Agents return from Sno’n’Ski Whistler and Vancouver famil
If you want to be really jealous this lunchtime, check out what these four agents got up to in Vancouver.

2025 Taipei Lantern Festival lights up Ximending
We hope our boss currently on the ground is as impressed with the snake lantern in person as we are behind the screen.

Numbers reveal how hard it REALLY is to become ATIA accredited
If you have ever failed to be accredited by ATIA then this article will make you feel better. Dust off that form!

Travel agent STILL waiting on $15k Bamboo Airways refund 16 MONTHS after carrier left Australia
This has motivated us to stop complaining about the time we got one less chicken nugget than expected.

AIME 2025 is underway!
If you're headed down to AIME we hope you brought your networking shoes because it's going to be big!

dnata spends $17m on inflight catering centre at Western Sydney Airport
Airline food has come a long was from the days you would be given a dry roll and a long strip of cheese. Time for lunch?

AYANA Bali invites guests to experience the Sacred Day of Silence
When our Balinese taxi driver informed us that it was 'time to be silent', we just assumed we were talking too much.

Brand USA launches inaugural ‘Ambassador Panel’ for ANZ agents
Interested agents need to send in a video of them singing 'Born in the USA'. Okay we made that up...

Experience Co. calls on marketing expertise of Unique Tourism Collection for Wild Bush Luxury
You no longer need to choose between experiencing bush or experiencing luxury. You can do both!

Deserts, dates and doors: Inside the secret Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
For a trip that talks the talk, we can assure you, it certainly walks the walk!

Paw-Patrol returns to Reflections Bermagui as groups boasts $3.5m economic boost
Be careful where you leave your lunch around this holiday park, there will be plenty of noses paying attention.