All good things must come to an end

Dear Swim Hanoi families,

Good Morning from Romania, where I've been living since leaving Hanoi over a year ago. I hope you have enjoyed your summer break, being back in your home countries and/or traveling to other exciting destinations.

I'm aware that the school year in Hanoi has already kicked off and this is normally the time that we would be sending out new schedules and cycle dates for the swimming. But as you already know, since Anita's departure and due to an unfortunate series of events with various commitments to Swim Hanoi that then fell through, we have been left without a suitable option to continue classes.

It's with a heavy heart that I'm writing this email today but I wanted it to come from me, as a final goodbye and a big thank you for all the love and support that you showed both myself in the 5 years I founded and ran Swim Hanoi and to Anita who so incredibly well carried on the soul of the swimming classes.

It was a very lucky thing indeed that Anita came along when she did and that she was the perfect fit for our little swim school at the time. She shared the same passion that I did for swimming, our students, Hanoi and the small little swimming school, our Swim Hanoi. It takes indeed a special person to carry on the dream of another with the same love and commitment. Thank you Anita, you have been incredible.

It is said that all good things must come to an end and that to move forward we must let go of the past.

I find both statements to be true and despite my desire to hand over Swim Hanoi "back" to the local vietnamese community, for many reasons that I will not get into in this email, it was collectively decided to accept the fact that the Swim Hanoi chapter must now close.

It is very sad to both me and Anita and I know many of our long-term students will feel this sadness too. I also know that there will be a big gap left after SWHN is no more, but I trust that the next door will open for all of us.

A new chapter in Milan for Anita, a new one for me here in Bucharest and new wonderful opportunities for swimming in Hanoi.

In that respect, we would like to encourage you to continue where possible to swim. As you may know, UNIS offers many opportunities, but we would also like to recommend Mr Pho (0913254288, email:nvpho@unishanoi.org) and Ms Huyen (khuyenlth@gmail.com ‭098 7691537‬) Both Pho and Huyen are very talented, capable and highly trained (American Red Cross qualified) instructors who teach privately.

The Swim Hanoi website will not be active for much longer so if you would like to look through the galleries of photos that you or your kids may be in, please do so.

I wanted to make a small parenthesis here: I have heard and I wish it not to be true, that "expats don't want to pay top dollar to have a Vietnamese instructor"

I want to make it very clear in this email that it is my belief and also Anita agrees with me here, that the quality of a good swimming instructor is not based on the colour of their skin nor their nationality. And that the value of a skill (such as a swimming class) is something that can not be measured. If within our Hanoi expat community there is such a notion, that white/western expats irrespective of their capabilities should be paid more than capable, qualified, talented Vietnamese people, then I would equate that to nothing more than an outdated, discriminatory, shameful and prejudiced attitude.

If we are to move forward as a human race we must begin with looking at our own backyard. We must start with questioning our own narrative.

I am grateful and forever indebted to the people of Vietnam, the Hanoians, from the owners at Thuy Khue to the Ciputra pool to everyone in between, the nannies and housekeepers that brought the kids to class and looked over my own so warmly while I was out there teaching, the lifeguards who watched over the kids when we were all in the pool doing our swimming, my Vietnamese friends and colleagues, for sharing their country with me, allowing me to set up Swim Hanoi and share my skills and always having such a big open heart. Some of my best and most favourite memories will remain teaching the community program with Khahn, Yen, Tram, Nhung and Hai. Thank you.

Anita and I would like to THANK YOU again, from the bottom of our hearts, for the beautiful memories that will stay forever with us, that marked our time in Vietnam and are inextricably linked to our experience of Hanoi.

We have loved every moment of teaching you and your children and we hope that above all,

what will remain with our students for life, is the LOVE to SWIM!

W arm regards Alexia & Anita