Hanoi, Vietnam (November 2024)

 After Danang, we flew to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. The first place we visited was TG Food, a business established to serve orphans and widows. TG stands for Trees of Goodness or Thank God.  We invited several people who are part of BAMer Network in Hanoi. TG Food owner Sue Kim gave us a presentation and had dinner.

I met a Vietnamese pastor who seems to play a pivotal role in equipping and empowering young Vietnamese pastors.

A sightseeing has never been part of BAM Field Trip, but due to a time gap, we went to experience the beauty of Trang An, a river park with temples and caves. We thoroughly enjoyed the boat ride.

We visited FUWA3E, a manufacturer of organic cleaning materials. It is not a BAM, but Caleb was trying to save them with insights of running a missional business. 

Although we offered to treat them with lunch, they insisted on their treating us. It was very nice of them. We later set aside a budget to express our gratitude in a different format.

We visited a Christian book store, started by a minister years ago and now run by a couple Vietnamese people. We all purchased some goods to help the business.

In Hanoi, our group members were split into four groups to visit and consult Korean-owned businesses. The time was short, but I prayed that the gatherings were useful for them.

TG Food

Vonadu Bakery Cafe

Hye Seung Accounting

Nae Eun Lee

We had lunch at Vonado Bakery Cafe and took a group photo.

Two of our BAM Field Trip members were a couple, and their 40th wedding anniversary was during our trip period. So we celebrated their wedding anniversary while we were visiting Vonado. Happy anniversary, Mr. and Mrs. Kang Rak Lee! Kang Rak Lee serves as a member of BMT and SfK Korea board.

Another business we visited was a coffee roasting business, owned by a Vietnamese Christian business group. It was quite encouraging to see Vietnamese Christians with a greater purpose of serving God despite many challenges they face. Praise the Lord!

We took a visit to the warehouse that stores green beans.

At the end, we took part in the coffee tasting.

We visited a place where people with various disabilities were making gift products with paper. The leader of this 15-people group was a lady in her 40's, who had no legs, thus constantly lying on the floor. Her joyful attitude and cheerful voice were so apparent, making us all feel humble. We all bought their products of high quality. We prayed for God's grace upon them. 

The leader is lying down at the center

We had a brief break time at an icecream place downtown Hanoi. 

Before we departed Hanoi, I was introduced to Son Tran, a businessman who runs an It outsourcing company with over 300 employees in Hanoi as well as in Tokyo. He studied at Tokyo University and lived in Japan for 20 years. We explored the possibility of working together down the road for ITAM USA and ITAM Thailand. 

Overall, SfK BAM Field Trip 2025 was a great success. Thank God for His guidance and grace upon us all throughout the trip. We all agreed to shift our trip focus from Southeast Asia to Central Asia. - Jeffrey