It was over two years ago that we had received a letter from a lady in Hanoi asking us for some help for a charitable cause. At the time, we had sent money and some supplies as a way of helping her out. But very soon we came to see that she was gathering up resources to help some of the poorest families in North Vietnam. This struck a cord with us. You may wonder why a Chinese establishment such as ourselves would be keen to support a Vietnamese charitable organization. This is because our roots are Vietnamese and we hold a strong bond with them.

We came to England when we were little fleeing from Vietnam at a time when things were turbulent in the political environment. We feel very grateful that the UK gave us opportunities to succeed and grow. And it was a promise that we made, that when we got to a point of success, that we would help those who needed a hand and make them self sufficient, just like we were given and taught to become.

It’s for this reason, we started the Quê Charity. “Quê” means one’s birthplace. It is a part of us and it will always serve us well if we do the same. Two years ago, we hosted a successful charity dinner and raised money that helped many of the needy families in Vietnam. On our trip there, we wanted to see for ourselves the gravity of the situation and personally wanted to hand supplies and money to some of the people who needed help. There is still so much that needs to be done, so much that any of us can do. Many of you have been very generous and have given us resources to take to these families.

This year, we will be raising more money to send to the families. It may be putting a roof on someone’s house, or buying a family a few chickens so they can take care of it and may use its eggs for food. Or buying socks and shoes for children who need to walk for miles to a village school in the cold of winter. If you would like to learn more about how we plan to help the families, please visit Quê Charity. Every bit helps.

We will be running a special restaurant event in the month of May 2017. All proceeds for this event will go directly to the poor children and families in Vietnam. More details of the event coming soon.