The Grand hosts Orphanage for two-night VIP party

Grounded in the empathy of its founder, Suzanne Thi Hien Hook, herself orphaned during the Vietnam-American War, before being adopted by a family in England. She returned to the land of her birth in 2007, planning to spend a year teaching English to other orphans, only to find a one year project become a transformative mission to raise the orphaned-kids of the nation.

Thus, Allambie was formed - a UK-registered charity noted for channeling 100 per cent of its proceeds direct to the kids it assists. Located in Ho Chi Minh City, the centre aims to provide a family for kids whom fate and circumstance have found themselves without one of their own.

"It is hard to hear Suzanne's story without being touched," said The Grand Ho Tram Strip executive chairman Michael Kelly. "We looked at all kinds of ways to support Allambie, and decided maybe the best way to start would be to give them a day of fun - Ho Tram Style!"

"Our team followed the kids around the resort for a while today," he continued. "The team has all been humbled by seeing the looks on their faces when they take in all that we often take for granted for the first time. I hope that today's little celebration with them kick-starts a long and fruitful partnership between Allambie and The Grand."

"This was a trip of a life time for our kids," said Suzanne. "Many of the kids in our centre had never even seen the ocean before. They have had such hard lives that giving them a day like this - away from the realities of orphaned life - provides them with memories to take forward, into the class-room and into their lives. It gives them something to aspire to, something to dream of."

“We’ve been able to make a real difference in the lives of our kids,” said Suzanne, citing Sa, her long-time friend, and the first orphan to move from the care of Allambie into tertiary education. “Sa told me in 2007 that she dreamed of one day becoming a tour-guide, and her hard work and determination sees her about to graduate with a diploma in Tourism Management, fulfilling a dream that once must have seemed impossible.”

Co-organised with Saigon SOS, the trip to Ho Tram saw the kids of Allambie spend their days swimming, water-sliding, mini-golfing, shooting hoops, and trying their hand at various watersports, before capping off the day in the new Khoi Barbecue restaurant, where they were the first guests to sample the seafood delights on offer before being tucked-in to their suites for the evening.

In addition to the $1.1 billion that Ho Tram Strip developer, Asian Coast Development Ltd has in deployed and future-deployed capital, the company has a long history of supporting causes around the nation, including work with Operation Smile, the Red Cross, Vung Tau Tourism Vocational College, Ho Tram Water Safety, and it regularly hosts charity golf events and conducts giveaways to local residents at Lunar New Year.