At 4 am when it is still dark and quiet, Denis Bissonnette gets up and begins work on his computer at home.
“The quiet can help me work more efficiently,” say Denis.
The silence is only broken by bird song, he says laughing, and when he chuckles his eyes laugh too.
The 50 year old man, who usually has a smile on his face, is known among friends as a project junkie. He is in his eighth year in
After having lectured while travelling extensively for the last 25 years in more than 40 countries, Denis finally chose
“Because
“Even though I travelled throughout
Denis first came here in 2002 with the World University Service of Canada, an NGO dedicated to improving the education in
More than 700 students have graduated from his class and many have put their skills to good use.
“We appreciate his enthusiasm and love for the job and for
”We were touched when he volunteered to stay for a long time to help us in return for very modest pay, which is similar to what Vietnamese teachers earn.”
While lecturing, Denis continues to work on a series of projects. An early success included work in 2005 on founding the first national youth hostel association in Vietnam, with six hostels in Sa Pa, Hoi An, Cat Ba Island and Hanoi.
“Vietnam Hostels (VHI) helps travelers in
“It is an efficient means for young people to discover the culture and learn from each other.”
Shortly after his VHI work, Denis set up the I Love Vietnam Travel Co-op in Hà Nội,
It is not easy for Denis to remember all the projects he has worked on in
But he says that he’s happiest with one project that wasn’t directly related to tourism.
“In some ways, the project that has brought me the most personal satisfaction has centred on distributing reading glasses to the needy in remote ethnic minority communities in the north-west.”
The Vision Vietnam project, which began in 2006 as a joint venture between
“We were shocked to realise that very few people, especially within ethnic minority communities in the north, wore glasses,” say Denis.
“At that time, we had the pleasure to distribute over 100 glasses and sunglasses to the people of a small community to the North, the Red Thai.
“The joy and hope in their faces were clear. The glasses helped them see better. The older women could work again, for example, by sewing, and literate men and women could read again. Some could also begin driving in a safe manner and countless other daily tasks were made easier. Imagine one day, one minute, one week without corrective eyewear when you need it.”
However, Denis is the type that will never test on his laurels. Most of the time he’s trying to come up with a new project that may provide assistance where help is needed.
Promoting festivals
One part of the tourism sector that could do with a helping hand is promoting festivals.
“What a pity that foreign visitors don’t know about Vietnamese festivals,” says Denis.
“The Vietnamese Government doesn’t know yet how to best promote itself. It’s a big challenge. They don’t know what foreigners love in
“The destinations that are too famous like Ha Long Bay, and the image of the conical hat, buffalo, đàn bầu (a type of one-stringed musical instrument) do not need to be promoted anymore because everyone knows about them already.”
Denis says tourism promoters need to take a different approach.
“I think
He says promotions need to build a new image of
“My mother and many people abroad only know about
But to lure travellers to
With that aim in mind, Denis is planning to open the first Tourism Hospitality Event Management Institute (THEM) in
“Vietnamese students often lack management skills, it’s what holds them back when they apply for jobs at hotels after they graduate from university.
“Look at the hotels in
“I hope the new institute will be a pioneer in introducing an advanced model of training, creating an opportunity for all Vietnamese citizens to get access to vocational training and work in the tourism and hospitality service industry.”
The new institute, which Denis plans to open in eight months, is just one of the main projects he has on the boil. But despite the hectic lifestyle, Denis says he still finds time to enjoy life.
“Everyday is different here, there are no routines,” he says.
By Bach Lien (Travel Live)