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deanzavietnam2016 
Post 1
Today I woke up early and met up with a few of the others for laughing yoga. I now understand how it got its name. Standing in a line massaging, chopping, and smacking each other on the back as a surprisingly pleasant way to start the day. And not to mention hilarious! The idea, or reality really, that all of the groups of people come together every morning and bond with such simple interaction is inspiring. It seems so simple, to be able to coexist together. Thinking about an environment back home that would be similar to this is hard to imagine. When you hear about communism, it doesn’t seem like there would be this freedom that seems to be present throughout the city, so far anyway. I have this picture of old Russia, with people waiting in line for their weekly rations. Tom explained that the economics of the city are based on capitalism, but here it is referred to as a “Free Market” society. I guess it sounds less materialistic that way. We also met with Chuck search today. The work he is doing to not only clean up, but also to educate the local population on undetonated munitions, is so important. Listening to him talk about his passion to do something after his own experience in the Vietnam war brought tears to my eyes. Thinking about all the devastating consequences that are still being seen some forty plus years later is crazy. After meeting with Chuck search and watching the video of how so many lives were impacting from the war left me in a bit of a haze. We went to an amazing lunch, but I felt like I was floating on a sea of conversations and couldn’t jump in.Maybe it was the heat or lack of sleep catching up with me.
Our next stop was The Women’s Museum. I felt like I had to rush through it a little,but I did make it by the birthing practices area. It said that after childbirth, many different ethnic groups used to bury the placenta in various places, depending on the he group, around their property. It reminded me of my own childbirth and made me wonder why my parents chose to carry out a similar practice. I have never really thought to ask them why, I just assumed it was because they were hippies. Not that that explains anything. I will have to ask when I get home.
The rest of the day was kind of a blur. The train ride was definitely a new and interesting experience. Once I got past the initial claustrophobic motion sickness feeling it was ok. The motion of the car sort of rocked me to sleep, once I was able to ignore the fact that our train car was teetering on the rails.
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Chuck Searcy, the leader of the unexploded ordnance removal program RENEW in Vietnam, showed us the video of how they work with the local people in Vietnam, especially the Quang Tri province and how they educated people to protect themselves from dangerous bombs. Like what said in the article “Teaching Kids in Vietnam to Avoid a Deadly, Everyday Legacy of War” that “’M79!’ They blurt as he flashes another a picture of a rocket-propelled grenade” (1). The kids in Vietnam were educated to recognize different kind of bombs and act accurately due to the efforts of RENEW program. Facing the large amount of bombs in Vietnam, it seems impossible to clean up all the ordnance, but like Searcy emphasized that “the goal isn’t to remove every piece of ordnance, but to keep Vietnam safe through education”.
Nevertheless, when I looked to the joyful faces of the children when they got the right answer, one kind of mixed feeling exuded in my heart. I wish they didn’t know! I wish they were at a loss like me and others when they saw the cold and intimidating bombs because that means they are not facing the everyday dangerous and have a carefree childhood. War is like these lurking bombs because the damaging influences won’t stop when the war is over, but keep harming one generation to another. So let us advance the peace for our children.
Work Cited
“Teaching Kids in Vietnam to Avoid a Deadly, Everyday Legacy of War”. Npr.org. npr.org. May 23. 2016. Jul 5. 2016. Web.
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Chunnan, I absolutely agree with you! It is so heartbreaking learning what these people and children still have to go through to this day. I knew the terrible atrocities of the war, but I have no idea that so many decades after it they are still facing the consequences. Regardless, I am so glad and thankful that Chuck Searcy has made the RENEW program to help educate these people and keep them safe, but it is indeed a tragedy that this is the reality of these children’s everyday lives.
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I have learned a lot of interesting information of H’mong, one of ethnic groups in Vietnam from Nkauj See Muas, our tour guide in Sapa. H’mong people have their own subcultural division. H’mong people have their own subcultural division. Sheng, which is her nickname at home told me that there are five subcultures of H’mong: Black H’mong, White H’mong, Green H’mong, Flower H’mong, and Red H’mong. Even though they come from the same ethnic, but their H’mong language have some difference in pronunciation and vocabulary as well as their accent. Sheng said she is Black H’mong. She can understand some of the words that other H’mong subculture but not all of it.
Also, I learned about H’mong marriage. Sheng said that thirty years ago H’mong people can only marry their own clan group. However, they changed the rule. H’mong people can marry to other ethnics even foreigner. She said they changed the rule since now people speak the same language as Vietnamese, and they are more open. Moreover, while watching the H’mong dance at the H’mong Village, I can see how the boy and the girl trifle with each other. The boy snatches the girl many time, and the girl put a red handkerchief to cover his eyes. I did not know what that meant until I research about it. The boy snatches the girl many times because he likes her and wants to marry her. However, before he can snatch her, he needs to give her a gift. If she accepts it then she will give him the red handkerchief, which means that she accepts his proposal. After marriage, the girl will live with the boy’s family. However, if they get divorced, the girl will go back and live with her parents, but when she dies she cannot die in her parent’s house. The parents will put her outside of the house and let her die because they believe if she dies inside the house, they will get bad luck.
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It was really interesting visiting the villagers and learning about the marriage culture that they have. It made me feel really blessed to live in the U.S. because we have the freedom to date whoever we want and usually don’t have to deal with things like arranged marriages. Seeing the dance entertainment by the local villagers was also very entertaining and I can’t wait to show the videos to my family back at home
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Wow! You really pay attention to what Sheng says on our trip in Sapa. I agree with you that H’mong people is really interesting. And something we can not believe that they do on their culture but it happens.
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Comment 1
Wow I didn’t know the meaning of the red handkerchief either! I thought it was part of the performance for dramatic effect. I liked learning about their traditions too. It made me hapyp to learn that their culture is changing with the times, especially after hearing about how parents used to choose who the daughter marries, sometimes without even meeting him. Marriage is so sacred and divorce is still taboo so I can only imagine how horrible some marriages under those rules must have been.
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When I got on the airplane to come here I was not nervous or afraid. I had set my mind about this trip months ago, and decided I wouldn’t back out– mind you, this is my first trip outside of the United States. Actually, this is my first time on an air plain. The flight was actually not horrible, but it wasn’t comfortable. Once we finally got to Vietnam, I stepped out of the bus and felt the humidity reach the back of my spine. There was an older woman on the street. She was selling some type of accessory when she reached over and grabbed my arm. I immediately felt uncomfortable because I didn’t understand why this woman was grabbing my arm. I just smiled in hope she would eventually let go, but she didn’t. I pulled away and walked to the other side of the circle we had all formed. Andrew looked at me and said, “that’s how they try and self stuff to you”. It was then when I realized I was in another country. I didn’t realize it then, but the woman grabbing my arm could have been a welcoming of some sort. To her I was just another tourist, but to me, it was an alarming awakening that allowed me to finally realized where I was and what I was about to experience. It’s also worth noting that as we continue this trip, I constantly keep finding myself analyzing how the world works here in Vietnam. One moment that really struck out out to me was the making of clothing in Sapa. Say (I’m not sure if that’s how you spell it) took us to a village where we walked and explored. She introduced us to a woman who was making clothing for her entire family through the plantation of marijuana. She also explained how it takes months for the hemp to grow and even longer for the pieces to be actually made. Here, I realized how easy it is for me to go to the mall and buy a tshirt. Now, this may seem insignificant to many, but the fact that it takes the woman at the village to make one piece of clothing, and it takes me about 30 minutes to pick out a shirt speaks on our type of lifestyle in various ways. Nonetheless, I found myself thinking about how lucky I am. Although I come from a lower class family, and I am constantly aware of the luxurious opportunities I don’t have, I am still fortunate enough to live life the way I do. The woman at the village reminded me of how important it is to remain humble and to always be grateful.
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# Response 1:
Aurora, Thank you for speaking up right with my thoughts. The woman in Cat Cat Village that day keeps on haunting me. I am sure that I will never have the patience like that to sit and knit just a piece of fabric so many months and just for a little money. She taught me a great lesson about the patience, as well as she helped me to recognize how lucky and happy I am. At the same time, she also helped us to understand the part of hard and strenuous life of Sapa’s people, to understand that Hmong women work hard and sacrifice much for their family . Although she is a no name woman, nobody can know, in my heart she is a talented artist and a great symbol of Hmong woman.
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Post #1
Before coming to Vietnam I had no idea what to expect. I, like many others, associated Vietnam with a war. But after I spending time here, it is clear that representations of Vietnam in movies, documentaries, and tv aren’t completely accurate. The people here are very warm and pleasant to interact with.
One of my favorite things so far has been visiting the Hmong village in Sapa. Hiking to that waterfall and watching the traditional Hmong dances was very spectacular. The weather was also a nice plus after dealing with the heat and humidity of Hanoi for only a few days.
I have also been moved by the work Chuck Searcy has been doing, cleaning up unexploded ordnance and educating the people about how to deal with these safely. To come back to a country where he was once the enemy seem like an extremely brave thing to do, not to mention the noble cause of saving innocent lives.
I think many will agree that the most underwhelming experience so far was the American Chamber of Commerce party. However it was interesting to see a representation of America through another culture, especially when America does this kind of thing all the time. While it was nice to get my back adjusted, the whole party was clearly a corporate sponsorship, which is the only explanation for Harley Davidson and a bunch of chiropractors to share the same space.
Our time here so far has been very exciting and packed with activities. I hope that I continue to be surprised at what I find here in Vietnam.
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Post 2
It is now day seven and we are back on the bus with Tom. Today he took us to a Buddhist temple on the top of a hill. When we got to the top, there was a big group of local woman entering the temple for prayer. It was nice to witness the coming together of so many people bonding over their similarity in faith. Much like the people in our travel group. We have all come together over our desire to learn and explore the world. Between the kindness of the locals and the coming together of everyone on the trip, it shows that we can still put some faith in humanity. We then went to a village and visited the communal house where they discuss politics and pray for the father of the village. The village had a calming feel and I knew we we distined to have a nice afternoon. After we ate, Karen and Tom asked if we wanted to go for a bike ride, and as soon as we set out it started to rain, not too bad at first. Then all of a sudden the skies opened up and we were flooded with rain drops. We pulled over under shelter, but quickly realized it wasn’t stopping so we continued on. It was like being a kid running outside to jump in the first puddles of the year. The rain itself was actually refreshing and I think everyone had a blast. It was a time to just relax, have some laughs, and true honest fun.
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I can’t believe that we’re already in Vietnam for almost one week. Time flies so fast but every second was worth it. When I stepped out of the airplane, it was very emotional because I could not believe that I would be in Hanoi that early in my life. It was like coming back home because my grandpa was originally from Hanoi and he always told me stories about this place growing up. Hanoi is such a hot, noisy and intense place but I love everything about it. Like literally, everything !!! From walking around the Old Quarter to visit Literature Temple to trying to speak in the Northern Vietnamese accent, all of these experiences are so beyond amazing !!! Laying down in my hotel bed right now and look at the beautiful view outside, I feel so blessed because this trip means a lot not for me but for my family. My grandpa left Hanoi to move to the South at his twenties and has not come back since then. I wish I can come here with him but it’s too late since he passed away years ago. But I know his spirit is always with me wherever I go.
One of the highlight of my trip so far is to meet the friendliest people from Laughing Yoga. I was so touched by their warm welcome when they knew that we woke up early in the morning just to join their yoga exercise, which is one of the thing that people highly recommend to do when in Hanoi. They told me that lots of people were cured from depression or anxiety disorder just by joining the laughing yoga. How amazing is that !!! I always think that people were exaggerated when they say ” Smile is the best medicine”. However, after meeting and laughing with them, I think it’s absolutely true. Pure happiness is what I experienced in Hanoi and I hope I can have it in my heart throughout this trip and my life.
If I have to choose one dish that I will remember most about Hanoi, that would be “bun cha” without any doubt. That dish was beyond my expectation. When I saw Obama ate it during his visit to Vietnam, I knew it would be great but actually tasting it was so much more amazing. “Bun cha” is now one of best dish I have ever taste in my life. Beside “bun cha”, ” Beer Ha Noi” is another that I love. That beer was suprisingly good to me who have never drink a whole beer bottle before. Drinking a beer in the center of “Tạ Hiện” street will be the highlight when I look back at my “18”.
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I wanted to piggyback on the smiling. What I noticed is that regardless of people’s financial situations, poor people seem to be happier. Theirs a lot of smiles here. There’s a saying that rich people know that money doesn’t make them happy. But less fortunate take happiness from everyday simple experiences in life.
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Response 1
This post is so touching to me because of the different perspective that visiting Vietnam is for Nhu, compared to my own. For me, it is a distant country to explore, but for her it is a coming home experience. To see the city where her grandfather lived and loved. To have a connection to a city like that is a beautiful thing. And even though our experience is different we are still enjoying the same activities, such as the laughing yoga. That too was one of my favorite outings in Hanoi. The woman were so accepting of us joint in on their morning routine. When Nhu says she experienced true happiness, it brought a smile to my face, as I was able to remember that fun experience and realize that it was life changing for her and myself. Reading her response makes me realize how special and connected this country is.
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I am glad that you are able to see and experience of what your grandfather had told you. Also, I am happy that I have a chance to see the Laughing Yoga with you on our last day in Ha Noi. Like what you told me before we went, the people in Laughing Yoga were really friendly and they always smiled. I had a good time with them. Thank you Nhu for taking me there. 🙂
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I agree that bun cha was seriously amazing! I’m a little sad we haven’t had it since then but hopefully there is some good bun cha in California. I wish I got up with you guys to see laughing yoga. The videos looked like so much fun! And I agree with what Vin said too, money doesn’t always make you happy. I’ve seen the same phenomenon in the Philippines, where a lot of people don’t have much but don’t ask for anything and they’re very happy with their lives.
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Comment 2^
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JOURNAL 1
Almost one week passed away from the day I took the airplane from the U.S. to Vietnam. It’s the most risky decision in my life. I’m the type of person who lives safely. I have never lived without my saving money in my hand. However, I spent all of my saving money going this trip.
Now my pockets are empty of money. Nevertheless, right from the first days of this trip, I felt that I would never regret with my decision…
Only a week, but I had seen, listened to, done a lot of things and there are many things in me. In which there is one thing that I have thought and thought about. That is the life of people in Sapa. The day we went to Sapa, a heavy rain poured down. Uphill road was steep and rugged. The fog was dense. Rain water mingled with the red earth into a coffee-colored milk dripping out roadside. I saw that people used sandbags to stop the water from entering their house. I saw the women carried the children behind their back, wore the raincoats and waded through water. Despite the rain, but they also ran up and down to sales. They work so hard from morning to night just to be able to earn a little money for their family every day. I particularly remember the visit to Cat Cat village. I was very surprised to learn that they sat plying to knit a brocade bag like that for seven months just to earn 50,000 VND (about $ 2) from us. Those things make my heart sank …
Previously, through the information on the Internet, I just thought that Sapa is a beautiful paradise with fresh air. However, now I understand that behind many people struggling to cope with difficult terrain, natural disasters continue to earn a living to make a living, to build the town of Sapa growing.
And there is a question had popped up in my head forever. Is that I should pay the price for the people here do not? While they struggled to make a living like that, I bargain with them too much. With this amount in U.S. how much he does not buy, here you have to buy a lot. So, so … the questions and thoughts keep on top of Sapa wander in the beautiful and the people here …
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I was also a little nervous about coming to Vietnam. With the trip requiring us to commit so much time and money I almost didn’t go. Luckily I decided to go and I have to say that this is one of the best experiences of my life. Getting to see Vietnam and all of its beauty with my own eyes is something that I’m never going to forget. Seeing how different things are here compared to back in the states has been an awesome experience and I’m so glad I came
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Excuse me. How do I delete this post? I posted one JOURNAL 1 post already. This post is a JOURNAL 1 DRAFT, so the grammar is not right. I needed to edit before I posted it. But I accidentally pressed the wrong button to post it on. So please teach me how to delete this. Thank you.
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comment 1:
I completely agree Mien. On our way to Sapa, I saw a mother carrying her child down the hill in the pouring rain. I saw a father hold his child on top of the rock as she/he looked downhill. These small moments really remained with me throughout the entire trip. I think it might have been because some people looked happy while others were struggling, but they all lived in the same village. When we went to Cat Cat Village we saw women making cloth. Outside of our hotel the same women were selling scarfs they made using indigo. I went out to buy one because in Cat Cat Village they were not for sale. As soon as I left the hotel and walked towards the woman they swarmed around me, begging for me to buy from them. This moment put a dent in my heart. These women were so desperate for money they were begging me to buy from them. Sapa itself is beautiful place. I wish I could have spent more time there. However, Sapa’s people suffer.
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Fist of all you have very good writing! I really like the way you described the rain in Sapa. Sapa was one of my favorite stops on this trip. I wish we could have spent more time there. I agree that it’s really sad how much these people work for such a little amount of money. Everything is cheaper in Vietnam but 50,000 still isn’t even a lot of money over there. I remember walking down the street to our hotel and the Hmong women mobbed me and Albert. I know the reason they do this is because they have so little money so even only one sale of a little bag to a tourist means a lot. Sapa was still one of the most beautiful places I have been to in my life. I hope I get to go back!
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Richard Gomez
Journal #1
Words could not do justice to describe my first week in Vietnam. I’ve only been here for five days and it’s been one of the most magical experiences of my life.
We started off in the capitol of Vietnam in the city called Hanoi. The city of Hanoi is so alive a vibrant it made my hometown of San Jose just doesn’t compare. Coming from a big city in California with corporations such as McDonalds and Jack in the box in just about every corner, it was so refreshing to see mom and pop shops all across the city. Right when we got off the bus from the airport, my group and I got our first taste of Vietnam. Scooters are all over the place. Two out of every three people in Hanoi have a scooter and there are six million citizens so that makes for a ton of scooters. Right after we got off the bus my group and I attempted to cross the street and we were immediately introduced to the rules of Vietnam. Pedestrians do not have the right away in Vietnam and we got a first hand look at this as we tried to cross the street and were rushed across by a scooter that came inches away from hitting one of my group members. It was an exhilarating introduction.
One of the main things you notice in Hanoi is the weather. It is extremely hot and humid, in fact its so hot you literally sweat like a pig. I sometimes would just stand outside and just being dripping sweat. It was great to be immersed in this type of weather since I’m used to the almost perfect weather we get on an almost daily basis back in California and it was great to feel some of the elements such as several hot weather that other parts of the world have to deal with.
Throughout our first couple of days in Hanoi we were able to visit a couple museums, including the Ethnology museum, the women’s history museum and also a few temples. The highlight of the things we got to see was the Ho Chi Minh memorial. I have never seen a memorial so spectacular in my entire life.
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Richard Gomez
Journal #2
My second week in Vietnam has been an epic experience but also filled with a slight sadness. We took a night train up to the city of Lao Cai in the main town called Sapa. We were met there by our tour guide named Sai. This was the first time in my life ever being on a overnight train and it was quite fun because it reminded me of the slumber parties I used to have as a child. When we arrived in Sapa we began our bus ride up the beautiful mountains. When we finally got to our destination we were greeted by a strong thunderstorm. Normally I’m not a fan of the rain but it was welcomed since it helped cool myself and our group down from the extreme heat and humidity we received in Hanoi. My hotel room had a spectacular view of the mountains and I had to send pictures to some of my friends and family because I had never had a view like this.
My group and I had a fun experience going to the local market of Sapa. We tried some of the local food, mingled with the locals and even saw oxes fight. I had never seen animals fight before and viewing these massive, powerful animals buck horns was awesome and saddening at the same time since I don’t believe in animal cruelty. However since I am in Vietnam and I’m trying to soak up as much of the culture as possible I decided to enjoy the experience. I was so close to the bulls that I had to rush out of their way to make sure I didn’t get hit by them. Later on we tried some of the local corn alcohol which was so gross that I imagined that the taste would be equivalent to gasoline.
After such a long and hard week I decided to treat myself to a massage to help relive some of the pain in my back that I had gotten from being on such a long plane flight, buses shuttling us, and the night train, especially since they are so cheap. I ended up paying seven dollars for an hour message which is unheard of in the United States. One of the main things I noticed in Sapa was the vast amount of message parlors in the area. In fact on one strip near our hotel I counted ten different massage parlors.
Next we took the train back to Hanoi and headed to Halong Bay. Halong Bay seemed like it was something straight out of a movie. We took a private boat out to explore the beautiful waters it has to offer and even visited a cave near by. The scenery in the bay in indescribable as you have to see it with your own eyes to do it any justice. I had seen some of the views of the bay on the Study abroad flyer but it was nothing like being out there in person. We concluded our boat ride by having some very good sea food and we headed back to our hotel to set off to our next city.
The end of week two was bitter sweet as we had to say goodbye to our tour guide Tom. Tom really made this trip great so far by being such a fabulous host. He kept our field trips filled with laughs and good information about all the places we visited. Visiting Vietnam has been great so far but Tom was the cherry on top. I don’t think that we could have asked for a better tour guide for my first introduction to Vietnam and I’m so grateful that we had him.
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Response 1
Richard, I laughed as I read your post because I had not thought about the corn wine and its taste. I enjoyed drinking the wine not necessarily for the taste, or because it is alcohol, but rather for the company. We were at the market in Sapa having shots with the locals and having some of their drinks! The fact that they offered us corn wine and took pictures with us made it incredibly special.
I was surprised to see so many massage parlors in Sapa; I still do not understand why there are so many. While we waited for dinner, we walked around and noticed how there was a pattern of a bar and massage parlor, and the massages, like you said, were amazingly cheap!!!!
The boat ride in Halong Bay was marvelous, darling!! I literally sat outside for the most part because I was mesmerized. I wanted to enjoy the moment; however, I noticed there was a bunch of garbage floating around, which tore my heart. After a couple of minutes, I saw a man driving his boat, picking up trash with his small net, which made me feel a bit better. Our lunch was fabulous and I bought a shirt for my brother; I will never forget the beauty of the bay and the peace I felt being out in the middle of the ocean.
Tom, my Bang Mai Mai, left us in the middle of the night and I could not sleep because I was depressed. I still remember his striped shirt that reminded me of Waldo. Thanks for bringing him up, Richard!
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Tuoi Nguyen.
The five days passed already. I have a lot of new experiences about Vietnam where I have been visiting. Everywhere I visited are really great and wonderful. The people there are so nice and friendly. They gave the feeling like we’re friend for a long time already. I talked to some of local people who are funny like Albert. I do not why I can adapt everything so fast even they are not my hometown.
I found down that the people in Ha Noi and Sa Pa, they speak the same accent. Their voice like the chatter and light. I wondered that every famous places I have been visited just around me. I am in love with Sa Pa where has a lot of mountains and and minority people. The mountain is a dragon because every vehicles and divers have to ride up yo it. And the dragon is never fly straight, the roads always winding. When i got to Sa Pa where welcome me with a lot of rain and cool weather, but I loved it. It made for the roads flooding. The water flown around every streets and it looked like coffee with milk mix together (Ca phe sua da). Everyone there looks so busy walking and riding on the streets. I also love the tour guide so much. She is super friendly and cute. She can speak three languages, cook everything belong to local people even the wine. Her name is Sheng who likes a little bird woke up early to take care people.
I have been learning and knowing more new things when I have been visited Vietnam. I hope that everything will be good like this until the end of the trip. Nice tour guides, nice people, nice places and good food. I love them so much.
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I agree with Tuoi, the Vietnamese locals are really friendly and I’ve really enjoyed interacting them. I appreciate how patient everyone is as I try to learn and speak the Vietnamese language. I keep learning and adding new words to my vocabulary everyday and I’m hoping that by the end of this trip I’ll feel comfertable bringing what I’ve learned back to the states with me and practicing more since my neighborhood near little Saigon has a large population of Vietnamese.
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JOURNAL ENTRY 1
Agua
We are still here in Sa Pa, Vietnam. Nothing out of the ordinary from Jerez, other than it is in the mountains. It is cloudy, raining but it is not humid. It is not cold either. Today we went to Cat Cat Village here in Sa Pa. From our hotel we can see villages, I wonder if that is one of them.
The walk was great. Mother Nature sure knows how to keep its people in sync. Sounds of the water flowing, birds and chickens chirping and pigs squealing. The people live in small homes composed of maybe one room and the common open rooms: kitchen, living room and bathroom (I think I saw a bathroom). It reminded me of mi ninas (great grandma) home in El Durazno. In this case, the homes were made out of wood- bamboo I assume. Most people make their living out of making their own clothes or farming: rice or corn. I was impressed with how the use the hemp from a plant, to yarn, to clothes.
I am rich!
In the market one of our instructors mentioned something along the lines, “I feel bad for bargaining the price on what they are selling. It is just a dollar or two.” Referring that the people here are poor, at least economically. Although it might be true, based on the income we get paid in America, they are rich in many other ways. Their social capital far out ways the They have time, family, culture- that is something you cannot buy.
Time in Cat Cat, like in my rancho, goes without worries. Yes they have their things to do, but no one is pressured to meet deadlines or has a boss causing stress.
Family, they live together for the most part after someone gets married. Either the husband goes to live in the wives home, or vice versa. No one is pushing their kids out of their home after they are 18. The culture and traditions puts a responsibility to live together.
If you are gay or lesbian- you are killed by your parents. At least that is what Sai (I think that is how its spelled) told us, our tour guide. That should not be the case, but in this case; culture puts you straight. They make it work I suppose.
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Thursday, July 7th, 2016
#JOURNAL 1#
Almost one week passed away from the day I took the airplane from the U.S. to Vietnam. It’s the most risky decision in my life. I’m the type of person who lives safely. I have never lived without my saving money in my hand. However, I spent all of my saving money going this trip.
Now my pockets are empty of money. Nevertheless, right from the first days of this trip, I felt that I would never regret with my decision…
Only a week, but I had seen, listened to, done a lot of things and there are many things in me. In which there is one thing that I have thought and thought about. That is the life of people in Sapa. The day we went to Sapa, a heavy rain poured down. Uphill road was steep and rugged. The fog was dense. Rain water mingled with the red earth into a coffee-colored milk dripping out roadside. I saw that people used sandbags to stop the water from entering their house. I saw the women carried the children behind their back, wore the raincoats and waded through water. Despite the rain, but they also ran up and down to sales. They work so hard from morning to night just to be able to earn a little money for their family every day. I particularly remember the visit to Cat Cat village. I was very surprised to learn that they sat plying to knit a brocade bag like that for seven months just to earn 50,000 VND (about $ 2) from us. Those things make my heart sink…
Previously, through the information on the Internet, I just thought that Sapa is a beautiful paradise with fresh air. However, now I understand behind that, there are many struggles of people. They have to cope with difficult terrain, natural disasters to continue their life, to make their living and to build the Sapa town growing.
Besides, there is a question which has popped up in my head for many days. Should I bargain with the people here when I want to buy something? While they are working so hard to earn money like that, I bargain with them too much. With this amount of money in U.S., I can’t buy much, but here I bought a lot of things. Therefore,… these questions and thoughts keep on my mind about one beautiful Sapa and people here …
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I knew coming to this trip that I thought the same thing. I would not regret anything. I came here testing the waters for knowing what to expect when I do move here. Experiencing everything firsthand is always a first choice and I’m glad I made the trip.
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Response 2: First week
Yes, Mien! I love that you say it is the riskiest decision because I was nervous about coming on this trip too!!! The rain stood out to me, as soon as we were driving to the hotel and Cat Cat village, the rain was pouring! I felt like I understood the protagonist in the story when she spoke about the monsoon. One of my favorite places was also SaPa because I am in love with nature. I like that you felt at home too because I would call it my home too! That is so significant because it truly shows just how friendly the people are.
I know! When were walking, the children were staring as and asking us to buy a bracelet. I had been told not to buy anything because it was extremely expensive, but their eyes made me sad. How could I not? I bought a couple of postcards from a woman, her eyes lit up when I handed her money. After Say took us around to see how hard it is to make clothes, I wanted to help out. Say said that every family receives a seed to plant hemp and that is all they have. I think it is amazing that you question that because I did not understand why we would bargain in the beginning. The fact that they are only earning $2 a day from tourists seems crazy to me, but by the end I was bargaining too …. I remember Sa Pa for its natural beauty, the amount of green there made me want to live there.
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Post 1
Vietnam is a marvelous place that just opened up its borders to the world. With tourism, it brings the good and bad of both. The good is that it brings income to an economy which helps every level of society. Income that people wouldn’t normally have are now in the position to gain extra income. In the position of Vietnam, it brings tourism as a separate category and companies have setup to take advantage of this situation. With companies setting up, it brings in new jobs which helps the economy. What people don’t realize though is that tourism brings bad elements also. In most countries aside from Vietnam, you will see prostitution and drugs. One aspect that I experienced and our group was exploitation of children. While we were in Sapa, it was apparent that tourism was a major industry in the city. Since people know that tourism is a major part, people will try to take advantage of the money tourists bring in. As our group was exploring we came across kids who were carrying around other kids, basically babies. They were trying to sell trinkets and such. But Mien in our group felt sorry for one of the kids and tried to talk to them. Once this happened, she was bombarded by other groups of kids. This situation felt really uncomfortable because it was raining. We will never see this in the United States because it would be labeled as child abuse. Earlier I mentioned exploiters. That’s what we call it in the Philippines because the parents are exploiting the children to do this. One can’t help but think why the parents would have their kids do this. It’s for the mere fact to play into the human heart for a couple of US dollars.
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I remember seeing this while we were in Sapa as well. Though it is only a few US dollars for us, that money could provide for them for a while. It’s very sad to see. It definitely would be labeled at child abuse in the United States, but here it is quite normal and I see it quite often. Just as you’ll see young children helping their parents working in the restaurants, or young children fully taking care of even smaller children. It’s such a vast difference in comparison to the United States, it really is a whole different morality scale. The United States has quite strict labor laws and regulations to ensure decent working conditions, but it’s so different here. Like we read in out It’s a Living book, people will work 12-20 hours straight without break because that’s the only thing they can do. They’re just trying to do whatever means necessary to survive. It really makes me wonder where that line should be drawn on what is morally acceptable or not.
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Journal Entry 1
I locked eyes with a young girl from our passing bus and wondered if we’ve ever crossed paths before. Perhaps in another life. Funny how the atoms that formed in the core of a star billions of years ago somehow found its way to us and who knows, maybe her atoms and my atoms once shared the same consciousness. Maybe it’ll be another hundred years before our paths cross again. And maybe the roles will be switched.
We saw girls her age caring for even younger girls at Cat Cat Village and saw the young female veterans of the Vietnam War memorialized at the Viet Nam Women Museum.
The culture is just so rich. There’s a story behind every name, every lake, every mannerism — everything, and I get overwhelmed trying to absorb it all.
The wooden plank that forces you to bow your head as you enter the home. Burning ghost money and paper mache offerings for loved ones in the afterlife. The dragon, the phoenix, the turtle, the unicorn. The sacred turtles living in Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi, the city inside the river.
I consider elephants to be my spirit animal so learning about elephant honeymoons tickled my fancy. The fact that the newlywed family elephants always return because they crave the seasoned food they’re fed at home makes me happy because I’m sensitive when it comes to animals.
The Cham people are one of the few I know of to follow a matrilineal system. I was laughing inside because the other day I jokingly told my boyfriend that if we get married, he’d have to take my last name because I’m an only child and I’m a girl. It also reminded me of a biology teacher I had whose last name was Replicon. Instead of taking her husband’s last name, they decided to come up with a new last name and when their daughter turns 18, they’ll allow her to choose her own last name. My family would probably leave me out to die.
Something I noticed at the Women’s Museum were all the superstitions surrounding newborn babies: It’s taboo to mention the name of the baby and a deceased loved one in the same breath; It’s bad luck to name a baby after an ancestor so infants are given temporary names until they can find a name unique to their family tree.
So much attention is paid to the first few months of an infant’s life to ward off demons and ensure life and longevity. Female infanticide is still prevalent in India because the burden women bear is so great. I know many families still prefer to have boys over girls and gender inequality is still prevalent, but here life is cherished regardless of gender.
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I feel very spiritual here. I was planning on living here but after being here for so many days I just feel that I’m supposed to be here. The abeyance of everything is captivating. Except for the heat. But I just feel connected to everything. I’m already connected to everything anyways.
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RESPONSE #1
I know this is such a late comment because I enjoy Vietnam ways too much and forget that I have assignments to do 😂 Your writing is so beautiful, Kassie. I really love the first part when you wrote about you and the girl crossed by each other. I always have that same thought too but not really know how to describe it out. Every single person that I met during this trip, I wonder will I ever see them again. Perhaps not. But they will always stay in my memories.
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Post 2
I have decided through a lot of research that I plan on living in Vietnam prior to even visiting this place since I’m very involved in the Vietnamese Buddhist Temple in San Jose and I will be transferring to help at the orphanage. I actually planned on visiting Vietnam during the summer but this study abroad program gave me the perfect reason to sign up for this trip. This trip has been so amazing that it just confers all the research I’ve been doing. One can research all they want but can’t really grasp the concept until you actually visit the country. Today was a big step in the concept of living here since I was able to experience being in traffic. It was truly an experience. I quite literally thought that at every 4 way stop I was going to die. When I hear stories of other people saying that the traffic in Vietnam is unique, it really was. Being from America this was shocking where everything is organized and structured. In Vietnam there’s two lanes but for some odd reason there’s motorbikes everywhere and the cars are making their own lanes. After I think about it, everybody makes their own lanes, even on the sidewalk. I see motorbikes on the sidewalks which is really scary because pedestrians walk there. There’s no concept of middle line because overflowing traffic goes on the opposite side of traffic. It’s without it’s complications. We were once going on a one way lane and this car coming the wrong way tried to go through traffic which made the traffic worse. Because of this, we had to back up. As we were backing up we hit a motorbike. But in Asian fashion if it’s not a big accident we just drove away. I keep forgetting there’s no insurance and if you do have to go to the hospital then you’re really screwed because you have to have money before entering the hospital.
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Journal #1
Leading up to this trip, I struggled. I pushed from every angle of my life, used all the help offered to me, worked everyday without a job and prayed with all my might that I be blessed with this opportunity to experience life away from the states for a split second. I prayed that this trip would give me a new lens and objective perspective to the mundane struggle and endless fight to navigate a system that wasn’t made to assist my kind of human. What does America feel like? I needed to what it felt like to not be in America. Since the last time I traveled was in 1998, my Black Body needed healing.
Freedom. A word I thought I understood but never felt it as passionately as now. It has been a week in Vietnam and my all of my emotions have yet to catch up with my body yet the thrill of non-stop activity makes me tired but eager for more adventure. From the first days of stepping on the soil of Ha Noi I knew not what to think or how to feel. I felt overwhelmed with curiosity and constantly delayed by uncontrollable reflections. As we first made our way to the Temple of Literature, a breeze of serenity came over me. Tom, our tour guide, explained that 1,000 years ago, Ha Noi was deemed the City of Dragons. The concept of dragons has ironically been prominent through out my whole life and when I was told I am who I am because I was born in the year of the dragon a lot of things made more sense. Seeing Dragons, being a symbol for power, on the top of most Pagodas made me feel like I was meant to witness what I can do with the potential I’ve always had.
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RESPONSE #2
I miss you Rồng Đen ! This is a super late comment because I’m such a procrastinator and I don’t know if you ever come back to read it, but I guess I’ll do it anyways. Reading your journal is like reading a song lyric. Honestly ! I’m glad that you finally feel the “Freedom”. I feel it too. The feeling of no worry , no shits and just pure happiness everyday is the most wonderful feeling ever. I’m glad we both experienced it on this trip. Hope you find your “freedom” wherever you go, bro !
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Journal #2
After traveling from Ha Noi to Lao Cai and Sapa then Ha Long Bay, I couldn’t help but to reflect on how big the state of California is. From Humbolt County to San Diego, there is still many places I have yet to see and experiences. In juxtaposition to Vietnam, as we take night trains to move from region to region, I notice the style of living in between seems less paid attention to. I can’t help but contemplate the many complexities of globalization and the expansion of modern ways of living. From rice fields to small chicken and pig farms in the villages, falling in between being a tourist & scholar and observing the thin line between preserving culture and showcasing it for tourists to have a “comfortable” experience makes me wonder what side of Vietnam we are not experience.
As interesting as it is to see many different sub-groups and minorities, the overall spirit of Vietnamese people is hard-working, simple and family oriented. My comfort is in the fact that I’m seen as I am here. Back in the states, I’m bombarded with being extremely self-critical, self-aware and over considerate of how comfortable everyone feels around me. This is just my survival mechanism. Any miscommunication on my part has always seemed to produce a consequence that usually effected me more than anyone else. In some situation, one slight moment of mis communication can cost me my life. Here, I’m only worried about wether or not I have the right accent mark on my pronunciation of soy sauce when asking for it in Tieng Viet at the dinner table.
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Journal #1
While we were in Sapa, we hiked to the market and took shots of corn wine, which was thrilling! The people were kind and welcomed us by giving us shots and they took some with us. I also experienced walking through the market and drinking a specialty drink, which was delicious. I felt like a real local shopping because I used my Vietnamese vocabulary, which I have learned from Tom, my tour guide. After we took shots and pictures, we hiked to the top of the mountain to say hello to my friend Freddy, who is a water Buffalo. I took a selfie with Freddy! 🙂
Our tour guide, Say, took us around Cat Cat Village. The beauty of the people living in this village was magnificent! As we walked past a house, a woman and her children came out to wave hello, but the two children came up to me and wanted my breakfast sandwich, Immediately, I handed it to them. In that moment, I had a feeling I had never experienced before. I stood there as I watched the children break the bread and share it. I was amazed and distraught because I eat three to five meals a day, and the children looked destitute; my heart shattered to pieces at the thought of having food on my plate everyday and these kids ran to grab a sandwich from me. For me, this event touched my soul and it is much more memorable that any airplane or train ride.
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Journal #2
Today was so awesome. We have been visited Hue, a beautiful place of Huong Lake and people. I also ate a lot of things. Those food were so good and the decoration was perfect, too. I can not believe that I could go to the citadel where the king of Nguyen dynasty used to live here. I can not imagine that Hue is so so beautiful with the tradition. They keep all the traditions.
I love the way that people treat us. I had a chance to watch the beautiful concern on the Huong river. And I had a chance to watch the beautiful ladies and some guys who play the instruments. They sang about ten characters of Hue’s girls. It has name “ Muoi Thuong.” It was so great I have never heard it before. I almost missed to watch them. I really enjoyed it. We got into a boat and captain ride us to the house that the singles are there. We came and picked up them. There has six ladies and two guys. The two guys were playing Dan Nguyet and Dan Bau. One of a lady was playing Dan Tranh. And five other ladies were singing. They dressed up like a rainbow. Because each of them wear an Ao Dai with different colors, they also wear special traditional hat on their head. The guys wear Ao Dai, too. It was great to see these amazing performers because they carry the traditional culture that Vietnamese people want to pass on from generations to generation. Their voice really really smooth when they were singing. They also gave us the small lanterns to put them into Huong river. I was happy about those things that happened on the boat.
I hope that I can see and watch more things connect to traditional where is my homeland. I was so excited and want to go more places. Because I know each place has a different culture and traditional. Learn new things and experiences never make you bored.
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It has been a week already, and I still remembered the day that we all made it to the top of Yen Tu Pagoda. When we made it to the Hue Quang Golden Stupa of the Buddha Enlightened King, Tran Nhan Tong, I had a chance to read about the history of this stupa as well as about the King Tran Nhan Tong. He became the king at age 20. He built his empire and won 2 wars (1285 and 1288) against Nguyen Mong invaders, the most powerful army at that time. However, at age 35, he abdicated his throne and went to Yen Tu to become a Buddha. With the height of 1068 meters, Yen Tu Pagoda is known as the Buddhist Capital of Dai Viet in the thirteenth century. Until now, Yen Tu Pagoda still considers as Vietnam popular destination to travelers especially Buddhists.
On the way to Yen Tu Pagoda, I was really tired and the weather was so hot. I complain to my friends why do we need to do this. However, I saw a middle – age woman, who struggled walking downstair. Nhu and I came and helped her. We had a short conversation. She told me that she came from Dong Thap far from the South, and she traveled from her home through the central part and the North by bus and stopped by each famous temple, pagoda to pray for herself and her family. She said that she is a Buddhist and it is her dream to come to Yen Tu Pagoda. Even though it was hard and exhausted to climb to this mountain but she did not want to give up. After talking to her, I felt ashamed of myself and I thought that comparing to her, I should not complain. Later on, Nhu told me that woman made it to the Yen Tu Pagoda too. I was so happy and glad that she made it and accomplished her dream.
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Journal 2
Lecture
Today’s class was interesting, especially since it was before entering Chùa Đồng, a pagoda on top of a mountain. The groups reported on their assignments. We did ours on the impact that Formosa has on the environment. Another group did their on how the government wants to abolish motor cycles. The third group talked about the struggles that people have to overcome in order to migrate to the United States of America. What do these three stories have in common? The Government.
Formosa is a steel company owned by Taiwan. It is located in Ha Thin about 140 kilometers oh Hanoi. It has been polluting the water within in at least a 125 mile radius of it. This affects fish, whales and other sea animals. Formosa gets hit with penalty fees and the fees go straight to the government. The republics citizens are obviously concerned because their beaches and foods are being affected. For Fomosa, it’s just pocket change and pays the fines.
Regarding the motor cycles, although it is reducing pollution, the government is also cutting down people’s way of transportation. Scooters, electric bicycles and motor cycles have been embedded in its culture. Why get rid of them? What is the hidden agenda? Is the government getting money from the new subway and sky trains being built? I know that for the next 15 years, people in Ha Noi have to pay quotas because the government made a deal with the investors of the bridges.
Perhaps these are reasons why people are emigrating from Vietnam to other countries. They are looking for better working conditions or a better life style for their children. I am surprised to find out that parents will do anything to make sure their children know proper English. Phuong is an 18 year old freshman in the university in Ninh Binh who is studying Business Administration. She will be going her last year to California to finish her BA.
How can the government turn from its people? Why would it? The richer get richer and the poorer get poorer.
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Journal 2
From July 1 to July 11, from the north Sapa to the middle Hoi An, we have spent a lot of great time together with our friends as well as with the local Vietnam people. We were impressed by the diverse, complicated and including Vietnam culture. It is not only the wonderful view and the delicious Vietnamese local food that I was fascinated by, but also the local people’s warmth and hospitality.
The prices in Vietnam is pretty low which is supported by the cheap labor, and that’s why so many foreign manufacture company like Apple locate their manufacturing in Vietnam. It is condescending to say they are so poor compared to American because the national conditions are so different and Vietnam keep their international competitiveness due to the cheap labor. When I went to do the laundry with Nhu earlier today, she told me that they’ll hand wash our clothes and she felt so bad about them. Yes, it is true that the low price of labor makes us feel like we are exploiting them and this makes everyone feel bad after receiving the high quality services.
However, this is the harsh reality that different class exists in every country no matter it is capitalist country like US or socialist country like China and Vietnam and so does economy inequality and politics inequality. To find a perfect social system is unreal but it is possible to eliminate some inequality systematically for example to clean up the corruption in the government .
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Post #2
I am still astounded how many activities we can pack into one day. Mentally, I want to experience everything I can, not missing a single thing. I want to fully absorb my surroundings and experience as much as I possibly can. Unfortunately, my body does not seem to agree with me on this one. Our third and final overnight train I experienced quite severe stomach sickness. I’m not quite sure if the sickness was caused by a stomach infection, the fact I ate until I physically could not move at the buffet (to be fair though, it was hard not to), or because of the rocking of the train. It could possibly be a combination of all three. Either way, I have had to spend the last couple of days recuperating, being extra careful of overexerting myself. I am hoping this will pass soon.
Other than that, I’ve had a magnificent time. One of the most memorable trips we’ve had was to Yen Tu Mountain. Before we proceeded to head up the mountain, we had class. Tackling the issue of how class was going to be structured was one of the things I was curious about, but it turned out better than I could have hoped. Learning about the seafood crises in Vietnam thanks to Formosa was informative, but raised more questions than answered. Where was the money the government received in compensation going? How was the government going to solve the problem? Were they even attempting to remedy the problem at all? I do admit, I am an emotional person, but realizing how little effort was being put into remedying this situation greatly upset me.
Even with the help of cable cars, the climb to Yen Tu Mountain was intense. Especially with the skirts we had to wear. Of course, I completely understand the reason we had to wear them and respect that, but long skirts and rock climbing do not mix well. Somehow, we all ended up making it up to the top and it was one of the most rewarding things I have done to date. On the way up, a few of us had run into an elderly woman also walking alongside the path. She said she had taken a bus all the way from Saigon to get here and it was her dream to be on this mountain. That immediately shut me up and stopped me from further complaining. I feel like I take a lot for granted and have to remember how unbelievably lucky I am to be experiencing all of this.
Our trip to Ha Long Bay was one I was anticipating since arriving in Vietnam. All of my family members were hyping me up for it, telling me of its incredible beauty, and it did not disappoint. The view was spectacular, like something out of a movie. I was surprised at the amount of tourists around though. The image of Ha Long Bay I had in my head was not quite what we experienced. I was expecting a small fishing boat, something you could easily jump to and from the water in. The sheer number of tourists almost made it seem like an amusement park. I know that tourists heavily sustain Vietnam’s economy; that’s why so many areas cater towards tourism. Still, despite this, it’s so sad seeing how disrespectful the tourists can be. The amount of trash I saw in Ha Long Bay broke my heart and I’m even more ashamed to say that wasn’t the first time I’ve seen clutters of garbage scattered everywhere. Vietnam is such a beautiful country and that is crystal clear to everyone who visits. I know it won’t make much of a difference, but I have been very conscious of the amount of waste we have been producing and thus have been trying to clean up as much as I can around us. I hope other tourists who come here will also try and preserve some of Vietnam’s beauty.
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Journal 2:
Last night was our last train ride. The whole thing was a crazy misunderstanding. The plan was to sleep in a bunk with three other people in our group. However, once we got on the train there was four people inside of our cabin. This automatically made me feel uneasy because the train itself was still new to me, and to find random people laying on our cabin bonks did not make this new environment any easy. I found that one of this kids in our cabin, Bhong, would be the only one sleeping with us. Bhong, the twelve year old boy, was actually the smartes boy I have ever met. The entire ride he asked us questions about the United States, and how we liked living there. While all of this was happening, I still felt uneasy because I really knew nothing about this kid or his family, but by the end of the night something changed. I realized that I was in a position where I couldn’t change anything. It wasn’t like I could just decided to not take the train then, so I decided I’d have to force myself to adapt to the situation. The position I was placed forced me to accept what was happening, and adapt to the circumstances. To be honest, I think being forced into that situation was a good thing. Although I was feeling anxious at the time, I now realized that experiencing that was good for me because I learned how to let go and realized you can’t always control everything.
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RESPONSE #3
I still remember that night, Aurora ! I was so worry when seeing you cried ! It’s was not an enjoyable thing to experience but at least you got to see the “real” Vietnam.Also, I will never forget that damn smart kid that we met. How can a 12 years old kid be that smart right ? It was a night to remember 😀
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Duong Lam Village
We got caught in a downpour while riding our bikes in Duong Lam Village and although my eyes were stinging from whichever facial product was melting down my face, it was a very enjoyable and refreshing experience. It’s crazy that the home where we ate was centuries old and still standing.
Yen Tu Mountain
It almost felt like I was having an out of body experience hiking up Yen Tu Mountain with the sound of a million cicadas roaring in the background. It was like white noise shoo-ing away anything that might distract me from the hike. The heat, the skirts and the unexpected challenge made the hike up Yen Tu one of the most intense hikes I’ve ever accomplished.
I immediately regretted wearing shorts. I overestimated how accepting they would be of “western attire,” given we’ve never had any problems at any of the other pagodas or museums we’ve visited. It wasn’t that wearing the skirts they provided for us made it more difficult to hike in — I mean, it did — but I felt like I was disrespecting a mountain so sacred, thousands of people travel from all over the world each year just to make the pilgrimage to the peak. It reminded me that even though their culture is changing, there are still some customs that need to be honored.
But the view was unreal. Even though each step was a battle between my mind and my body, I’m glad Tom didn’t tell us about the easier route because the view was so rewarding. It felt like I earned it (even though I know some might consider taking cable cars cheating).
Ha Long Bay
The cruise around Ha Long bay was unforgettable. I remember Tom pointing out rocks that resembled animals like Dog Rock and Baby Duck Rock. However, Dong Thien Cung (Paradise Cave) was extremely crowded because we visited during the weekend. By the time we made it through to the other side I felt like I lost 2 pounds of pure sweat.
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Yes, I agree. The climb to Yen Tu Mountain was indeed tough, but definitely rewarding. I didn’t think my shorts that day were that short; they were pretty long compared to what I normally wear at home. I realize the culture is much different here and I immensely understand and respect their traditions, so I wore the skirt they gave me. I understand what you mean about feeling bad, disrespecting them was the last thing I wanted to do. It made the climb up a tad bit more challenging (well, more than a little bit) but I did not mind. It was still a once in a lifetime experience. I don’t think I would have been able to make it up there if you and everyone else weren’t there with me. I am not the most physically fit human being, so in most circumstances I probably would have given up. I easily fatigue and am prone to heat exhaustion. I felt we all pushed each other to continue on, despite the heat and humidity. It was no stroll in the park either, that was definitely the more difficult route up. It could almost be considered rock climbing at that point. Knowing we were all there experiencing the same hardships I think pushed us to continue moving though. In the end we all made it up and it will be a memory I will seriously cherish. Not only was the view phenomenal but I feel like in a way, it brought us all closer as a group.
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I agree with Kassie’s post regarding the hike. It was so intense I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the top but I’m glad I kept pushing myself and it definitely helped that we were encouraging each other. When we finally made it to the peak it was so rewarding because the views were incredible. Although I was very sore the next day this hike was well worth it and it was an experience that I’ll never forget and I can’t wait to tell my friends and family about it when I get back home.
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Vietnam Post #2
When arriving to Sapa, I was instantly blown away by the view from our hotel balcony. I really enjoyed walking around the market listening to the tour guide talk about the vendors and what they were selling.
It was also really interesting to find so many stores selling factory defect products from really expensive outdoor brand. It made me think about how globalization and outsourced manufacturing creates smaller markets with the “leftovers” of the first world. After talking to the show owner I learned that she buys these really high end bags for $17 and sells the for $20, meaning she only gets a $3 profit. Meaning the markup for outdoor products in the us is way higher than I thought, more than 500% to make a conservative guess.
One of the highlights of the trip so far was walking through the Cat Cat village. Watching the hemp cloth being made reminded me of how simple human life can be and the views of the waterfalls and the water mills were a beautiful sight.
The Cat Cat dance performance seemed a little bit like a Disney attraction, and I felt like the people dancing were put on display for tourist entertainment.
The hike on yên tử mountain was very fun. It felt good to get a really good workout after so many hours spent on a bus. The view from the top for the mountain was spectacular and seeing the giant sculpture of the Buddha seemed like it could have come out of a Game of Thrones episode.
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MIEN NGUYEN
Sunday, July 10th, 2016
#JOURNAL 2#
4 days more at Vietnam passed away… In those days, I have a lot of things to remember: The day I crossed myself to climb to the highest peak of Yen Tu mountain, to see peaceful panoramic view of the world. The terrible moment when we got in the train from Hanoi to Hue. The afternoon I peacefully immersed in traditional music on the Perfume River. However, the best memory I can never forget is the night in Ha Long.
That night, after dinner, we invited each other for a walk around Ha Long. I thought no one would come along, because all of us were tired after climbing to Yen Tu mountain in that afternoon. However, in the end there were six people and Tom went out together. After a round tour, we stopped at a roadside restaurant to drink beer together and talk. Although we are strangers, just knew each other, we had a very open conversation as we are siblings of a family. From them, I learned many things. I knew the maturer you are, the more difficult and responsible you have to face with, how complex love and marriage are.
I love the way they learn about Vietnam and practice to speak each sentence in Vietnamese. Especially Albert and Areli, I feel more inspiration from them. They learn very enthusiastically. They try to practice and speak Vietnamese as much as possible.
Tom is a lovely tour guide and funniest I’ve ever met. Unfortunately, that night was the last night we had with him. He paid for us our beers. He advised us if we need anything, just email him. Then we together left.
I thought that there was an end. But…
We were on the 12th floor – Sky Bar of the hotel. They were closed, turned off the lights. We used the phone flashlights, seek to open the window and climb out the terrace, watched the panoramic night view of Ha Long City and took selfie picture together. That was such as a scene in the movie about the intruders. Lol. Then we turned on the lights at the Bar, Valentin pretended the bar owner, we were the guests go to that bar to drink. We didn’t have real alcohol, so we used water, put into the cup and “1 … 2 … 3 … Dzô” together. It was the most favorite play I’ve ever seen, and I was a real actor in this play.
All party came to an end. Nevertheless…
We got into the elevator, go down to the pool on the 2nd floor. It was nearly 0:00 am. Everything was all dark, but it was okay with the intruders. We opened the door out to the pool. OMG !!! We formed a line along on the swimming pool and counted 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1… UM… Wow. All of us laughed crazily and happily like kids. The water was so cool. We held hands, laughed and played together. That was a very happy moment. I, ah no, all of us seemed to return to our childhood. In our group that night, just Nhu and I were youngest. The rest of the people were very mature. They are at the age to get married and have husband/ wife. I was so surprised that they have an enthusiasm and love life so much. They cherish and enjoy every moment of life. Now I know why I could not guess their true age. I always felt they are incredibly beautiful and young. They are mature, but their soul remains young and eager, eager to live a real life, not just survive. That was so amazing… I learned this great lesson from them and will be applied to my life so that I would be forever young, never old like them… ❤
*** Love from Mien to Leah, Areli, Nhu, Valentin, Albert & Tom ***
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Response #2
This post is so touching. The night Mien is writing about was such a special evening for me as well. I find it so amazing that on this trip full of strangers, we have been able to connect and, as you said, be like siblings and family. I too wrote about this night for my journal, but it was like experiencing all over again through your eyes as I read your post. To be able to let go of the daily stressors, laugh and act spilling is so important, no matter what your age. It’s funny that it takes traveling across the world to remember that. Thank you for being such an amazing person!
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Aww. Glad to read that you enjoyed yourself in this spontaneous night. Live, Laugh and Love is the only way I can sum it up
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You only live once on this earth, you decide to make it good or bad, fun or boring, etc. Thank you for the great moments. You are definitely helping us speak Vietnamese. Cảm ơn em.I am sure you are younger than me, so just follow your parents advice. That is just to avoid unnecessary mistakes. For example: do not sleep late. It affects your beauty sleep. Things like that. And yes, Tom was awesome during the trip. He went over and above services. I wish we had him for the entire three weeks here in Vietnam. But that is not the case. Let’s enjoy the rest of the trip.
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We are truly a separate family here. I remember when we got to the top of the hill, Kim and I hugged because we couldn’t believe we actually made it. Going on trips makes the confirmation also that age doesn’t matter. It’s all spirit in heart. Live, love, laugh but most important love yourself. If you truly loved yourself, you wouldn’t hurt yourself or anybody else.
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Post #3
Ha Long Bay was so much fun. We got to our hotel and ran out for dinner. I think everyone was pretty tired, but with our limited time in Ha Long Bay, we wanted to make the most of it. After dinner we set out, led by Tom, to find something to do. We ended up on at a night market and I was able to use my newly acquired Vietnamese phrases to bargain down for a wallet. Just being able to communicate small phrases feels like an accomplishment and it makes the interaction more meaningful. After the night market we found a small store front with tables and Tom bought us some drinks. At the end of this night we ended up back at the hotel, and not wanted to turn in, we decided to explore. We went to the top floor and hung out in the bar. We played an imaginary game of cheers and admired the lights of the city. I’m nit sure why they have such a nice facility and it’s always empty,/like ghost town empty. Then we ended p at the pool. I think we were all hesitant to go in, but at the same time we all wanted to. So the deciding factor was, let’s all jump in together and take pics. Pictures are always a good motivation. So we did. We set up two phones with timers and took the plunge, literally. It was so much fun and such a good way to end a long day. And we all happy to be a part of Mien’s “best day of her life!” And Nhu’s motto of “now or never” was perfect for the evening. The next day we took a boat ride through Ha Long bay’s islands. I remember Tom, or someone, saying they don’t allow people to jump off boats into the water because of pollution, but the amount of garbage in the water was surprising. It is disheartening to see how people don’t respect the natural beauty of the world by discarding their trash anywhere. That goes for the caves too. There was trash everywhere. Down in the caves, on the ground, and on the beach. There was one guy cruising around the bay with a net picking up debris but with the amount of trash we saw, it would take hundreds of people to clean it up. Next we set off back to Hanoi to catch our third and final night train.
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Journal #3
Our arrival in Hue was initially a little underwhelming. I did not quite understand why we were making a stop in Hue when we could be visiting so many other cities I had heard about in Vietnam, such as Nha Trang and Vung Tau. My questions were quickly answered by our tour guide, Mr. Dzung. He was a very scholarly gentleman and incredibly well-informed on the history of Hue. I really knew nothing of it before arriving there. I had never realized that Hue was the capital of the Nguyen Lords back in feudal times, nor did I realize that it was such a pinnacle location during the war. It does make sense in hindsight, considering it is located smack dab in the center of Vietnam.
Visiting the Citadel was sincerely a sight to behold. The Vietnam War seems so long ago to me, but seeing this made me register how destructive it truly was. Many of the buildings were heavily torn down, barely standing at all. There were even cannons sitting atop one of the edifices. The remaining structures reminded me of a palace, very regal looking with red and gold lining the walls.
We had the chance to visit other notable sites in Hoi An as well, the most remarkable being the My Son Sanctuary. Our tour guide told us they were constructed somewhere between the 4th and 13th centuries, but no one really knows. They were simply found there and believed to be of Hindu origin. The structures were magnificent and I am astounded how they’re still standing to this day, especially considering they presumably used only the resin from tree bark to bind the bricks together. Who knew there were even inhabitants in Vietnam that long ago? I just feel incredibly lucky to be able to witness this. There isn’t anything even remotely close to this back in the United States and I am glad that the majority of the structures are left standing for others to behold as well.
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Journal #4
When I told my mother I was going to be going to the city of Hoi An, she commented “Oh, that’s the city of lanterns!” I didn’t quite fully understand what she meant until I arrived there. Our hotel was even named Hoi An Lantern hotel. The streets were very beautiful and reminiscent of old colonial French architecture. It gave the entire city a very romantic vibe in my opinion.
We started off the day having a bicycle tour. I was initially a little hesitant about riding next to traffic, but it was a very fulfilling experience. Once I got the hang of it, I felt I was riding as well as the locals and perfectly going with the flow of traffic. During our tour, we had the chance to check out the local parks and all organic farm. The expenditure for some of the parks and playgrounds ranged anywhere from $10,000 and $600, both of which would be considered incredibly inexpensive in the United States given the cost of materials and labor. Even so, this took heavy convincing from the local government to allow the construction of this. It wasn’t all thanks to them either, it was achieved thanks to the help of some very talented local architecture students as well! They not only built parks for all the townsfolk to enjoy, but in a primary school as well. They had playgrounds, gardens, and various decorations lining the entire school. A lot of the gardens were ingenious, utilizing old recycled water bottles as planters for the students to use to grow crops. It is not only brilliant engineering, but a very eco-friendly thing to do. As an Environmental Science student, this was right up my alley and peaked my interest. With all of the trash I’ve seen on this trip, I am very glad that there is an effort being made not only by the citizens but the government to be more green.
We were also given some free time to leisurely explore the city and do as we please for the first time on this trip. I took this time to take the lantern making classes our hotel was offering. The tuition for the class goes straight to providing funds for local schools and shelters for children in need. You are also able to keep the lanterns after you make it and I figure it makes a much more meaningful gift for my family members. The way I see it, there were only benefits coming from this so I took the plunge and signed up for the class. I am incredibly glad I did. There were 4 other people in the class with me and we all made various lanterns of different patterns and shapes. The staff was incredibly sweet and helpful, even giving us freshly squeezed juice of our choosing during the class. I came out of it with a beautiful green lantern symbolizing prosperity and longevity which I will forever cherish.
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I wanted to emphasize on the fact on how low with cooperation from local government and other entities of creating parks. I was shocked to the amount of effort was put into place and involving other local businesses to offset the price. When the tour guide told me the logistical side of accomplishing something like this, I couldn’t help but think of our own government. I know for a fact from being in the military and private military that America wastes a lot of money. Is it because we have such a huge budget and become complacent. If we had the mindfulness of resource management that the Vietnamese have showed me and applied it to America, we would see more change. Meaningful change.
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Boom Boom Boom
It is three in the morning here in Hue. I was not able to sleep so at around 1:30am I decided to go walk around to see what the night life. I ended at a local bar whose décor was all about camouflage, like the green soldiers. It happened to be open, there was music and the ambiance was great. It also just so happened that the 2016 Euro Cup final match between Portugal and France was about to begin at 2:00am. Therefor I decided to stay and enjoy the game.
Needless to say, France lost to the first time Euro Cup champion, Portugal. The interesting part was not the game, but what happened before and after the game. Walking to and from the bar, I was asked if I wanted: “very good price, cheap, juicy, tender and young.” I just had to wait five minutes. They will deliver to my room. Very young or whatever age I wanted to “Boom Booom Boom.”
Three different individuals followed me in their motorcycles telling me the same thing at different occasions. One of them even got off his motorcycle and grabbed my arms to get my attention even after I said “Không” in my broken Vietnamese. Another one followed me to the hotel as he continuously tried to persuade me. He told me if I could wait two minutes so that I can chose one.
It is unfortunate that these things are still going on. How long will the exploitation of innocent woman go on? Is it something that has been embedded in the country like motorcycles and scooters?
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I can definitely relate to Valentine’s post regarding prostitution. During my first night in Ho Chi Minh city I was also offered a “beautiful woman”. It made me really sad that women are being exploited in this way especially since it was during my first 15 minutes walking around the city. I hope in the future that the government begins to crack down on this.
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Prostitution is one of the oldest professions in the world. It is heartbreaking but I do feel that even though you can’t completely erase prostitution, at least it’s not an open culture like in America. Haven’t anybody noticed that theirs no strip clubs and that pornography isn’t a billionaire industry here. I wish I knew the answers to completely erase prostitution or exploitation of women but that will lead to erasure of people’s cravings.
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RESPONSE #4
Wow ! I did not know you experience something like that until now. Hue is such a peaceful place to me so knowing this is really shocking. That’s so sad and unacceptable that something like this still happens around my country. The government really needs to do something to stop prostitution or at least make it safer. Night life in Vietnam is fun , but that’s also where you witness a lot of naked ugly truth.
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Post #4
The Night train. So this was now our third train ride of the trip. I knew from the first two train experiences that I should not expect much. The main difference was that we had to be on this train for fourteen hours, as opposed to eight or so on the other two. Regardless, we had to deal with whatever was coming, but at the time we did not realize just how many issues there would be. Immediately upon boarding it was obvious there was an issue. We were trying to walk to our cabin, but it turned out some beds were double booked. This was not a good way to start the journey. The train guy is yelling at us, we are trying to explain to him what is happening, I am trying to stay calm, it was a lot to take in. After everyone was finally on the train, Tom joined us as well to tend to the issue of double booking. You could sense to frustration, and uneasiness throughout the train car. The cabin that Areli and I were assigned to was full of bags from the displaced people, so we hung out until Tom was able to correct the issue and disembark at the next stop. It was sad to him go, but even more heartbreaking to see Kai and Areli so upset. Tom is so kind and caring and gave so much of his time to us during our short time together. Now that the room situation was settled we went o visit Valentin and Richard, they were the only two in car seven, the rest of us were in car six. We hung and and decompressed from the stress before heading back to of bunks. Unfortunately, when we got to out door it was locked. The train must have locked the door when he saw Mackenzie and Ashley sleeping, I remembered from our last train that they have keys to lock and unlock the doors. So now we were stuck wondering where we would sleep. Pounding on the door was one option, but I had knocked earlier with no response. So, since Valentin and Richard had one extra bed in their cabin we decided to crash their train car. It was quite an experience. Being crammed into the top bunk of a train car, with two people in a bed made for a child, felt like being stuck in a sardine can, just waiting for someone to take the little silver metal key and peel back the top. When it was morning, and the older man in the bunk next to us left, we peeled ourselves apart and laughed about the crazy night. It was nice to be able to turn a somewhat terrible situation into to one of bonding and new friendships. Learning about the country and the culture has been amazing, but creating these memories has been just as great. It is nice to be able to look back at the stressful moments with joy, not pain and frustration.
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Post #3
The next stop on or Vietnam trip was a city called Hue, located in central Vietnam. I was really excited to visit this city because my barber had told me good things about it. We got their by taking a fourteen hour night train. After checking in to our hotel we were treated to a private river concert, featuring some old school Vietnamese music. The music they played was really beautiful and being their with the members of the group made it even better. That was the first time I had ever experienced a river concert and it is something that I’ll never forget.
On the next day my group and I took a trip to the mountains of Halong Bay to see a statue of the ancient king. This was a fun adventure because we had to take a type of ski lift to get hight up in to the mountains. We then took a grueling hike the rest of the way up. The hike was really hard but our group members kept encouraging each other when the hike was getting difficult and it was a really good feeling once we made it to the top. The views from the top of the mountain were breathe taking. I remember seeing pictures of the giant king statue at the top of the mountain a couple years ago so it was awesome that I actually was able to see it in person.
We also visited the citadel of the city, which looked very much like some type of army base. It was really interesting seeing the ancient pieces of art and temples that were located in the central. Learning about the history of the citadel was also very interesting to hear about from our new tour guide Mr. Yun.
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The next city that we visited was Hoian, which is also located in central Vietnam. One of the first things we did was venture out to see what the beach was like and I must say it was really beautiful. I didn’t know that Vietnam had such gorgeous beaches, it reminded me of being in Cancun, Mexico. The water was crystal clear and so warm. Back in California I rarely get in to the water but the beaches in Hoian were to good to pass up. Another plus to Hoian was that our hotel also had a pool. It was awesome swimming around and hanging out with my group in the water. I also got a chance to mingle with some of the local tourist and it was interesting finding out which country they were visiting from and why they were in Vietnam. I got invited to go eat at a local mom and pop chicken and rice place, one of the most popular in Hoian and i was delicious. It was so good in fact i had two plates and five bowls of their soup. Later in the night we went out as a group to celebrate Mien’s 21st birthday and we had a blast. It was fun listening to music and seeing everyone dancing and having a good time. At the nightclub we got to see a mini firework birthday celebration, one that I’ve never seen back in the states. Flames and sparklers were going everywhere right in the middle of the dance floor and it was really a spectacular display. Hoian has been one of my favorite cities that we’ve gone to so far and it has me really excited to see what adventures we’ll do going forward on our trip.
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I couldn’t agree with Leah’s post about the night train anymore. What started out as a hectic situation actually turned out to be really fun since all four of us got to converse and become better friends. I was dreading having some random stranger in our cabin but having Areli and Leah there almost made it seem like he wasn’t even there so I was really thankful they showed up.
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Em Veronica, it was our pleasure to be able to host both Li and you, đẹp quá! It was interesting to see the Polish/Russian POLICE grandpa pull out his power cards before you got in. Which was just before he told his granddaughter and her friend, Phuong, to go to the other cabin. I guess he could not risk the safety of them two with two american man. I totally understand him, but what I do not understand is why he took the rice candy with out giving us some. (LOL) I am glad that people wake up earlier here in Vietnam. The sardines were able to sleep a little more comfortable in the can. Hope breakfast was a pleasant compensation for the nights sleep, rice and eggs. Brindemos por los buenos momentos!
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Journal #4
Vietnamese Pizza
It’s about 10pm here in Sa Pa. We just got back from going around the town. Kassie decided to go to the hotel, so it was just Hannah and I in the streets. We are both foodies, but I think I eat more than her. I like to see everything and love to taste it too.
We stopped at the corner where we saw a young pregnant lady making what I can only describe as a type of pizza or breakfast quesadilla if you folded.
Here are the ingredients:
• Rice paper (to replace the dough or tortilla)
• Oil
• Egg
• Laughing Cow Cheese
• Dry Shrimp
• Shopped Green Onion
• Sausage (Hot dog sausage), cut in round circles (like the pepperoni)
• Sauce (Chile)
How to make it:
Over the raw rice paper, put a spoonful of green onion and dried shrimp. Also add a cube of laughing cow cheese, an egg and oil. Yes, all theses ingredients on top of the rice paper. Now that you have a mountain of raw goodness, put rice paper into a griddle, or a comal (in Spanish). As it warms up, use your chopsticks to combine everything on top of the rice paper and evenly spread around the paper as if it was the marinara sauce on a pizza. Once that is done, place the cut up sausage evenly around your pizza. As the rice paper warms up, you should see the consistency of the egg starting to thicken up. This happens fast since the egg is evenly spread throughout the rice paper. You can add your favorite sauce or chile now. Give it a couple more seconds and folded it like a quesadilla and serve on a plate or in this case a paper. You might think, “Well, it’s not fully cooked yet.” But like scrambled eggs, the heat of the egg and cheese will help it cook after you take it out the griddle. So just give it a minute or so to cool down. You do not want to bite into it just yet.
Provecho!
Arrre!
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Journal #5
Study Hall
We just got back from dinner, it’s about 9pm or so. We decided that it was time to catch up on our reading for tomorrows visit to the university and our homework as well. I forgot how it felt to do homework, even forming study groups. It’s been a while. After 30 minutes of Richard and I diving into the homework, Areli, Dr. Huynh and Leah knocked on the door and joined us.
After settling in we just got to it. It is so silent. I offered to put music, but everyone was so focused on their studies. We debriefed about El Nino and La Nina. How it is the opposite in the west coast compared to the eastern Pacific Ocean which encompasses Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia and several islands around those countries. We talked about the affects not only in Vietnam, but the world too since food is getting ruined. The effects are quite interesting as well as it seems to have opposite characteristics in the East Asian coast compared to the West Coast.
It soon got silent again and we continued what we were reading or writing. Minutes passed by and Areli got up. She did not look good. We asked if she was ok and she just replied “I am ok, I just can’t breathe.” She excused herself from the group and a few minutes later reconvened. We asked again how she was doing. She said, “I am fine. At least I am not dying or speaking French, or gibberish.” She followed by what I can only describe as her German accent. We all broke up in laughter.
That is when I realized how much I missed study groups.
Arrre.
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Post #5
After getting some much needed sleep in Hue, we set out for Hoi An. We had the opportunity to stop at a local orphanage on the way. I was a bit nervous about what to expect. In my mind mind I pictured a scene out of a movie, abandoned children, unhappy and underdeveloped. What we encountered was the complete opposite. The children were so welcoming and eager to share with us some of their daily activities. I was a little timid to interact at first due to the language difference, but quickly realized that communication through actions sometimes have a more profound effect than words. As they taught us their games, we tried, and pretty much failed, to follow along. At one point I was picked for “torture”, which meant I had to stand there while they made me stand in crazy yoga like poses and laughed so hard I could barely stand. I think the highlight of the visit was when Albert and Tuoi got up and put together an impromptu song and dance for the children. I was touched by the way Albert was able to reach the and connect with the kids in such a short period of time. And it’s not just during the trip to the orphanage that I have noticed this. Albert has such a good way with people, he is really inspiring and such a positive energy. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to meet him and witness such a caring soul.
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Post #5 (from July 18-22)
Before the trip I was most excited about Ho Chi Minh city. I am not sure why, other than the fact that when you hear about Vietnam it is usually about Saigon. When we arrived it was a different story; the city was busy, loud, crowded, and intimidating. Checking into the hotel did not help when we discovered our room had no windows, and in fact resembled a cramped cell. Luckily Karen and Kim texted to us to invite us for a hair cut. I am so grateful they did because it put a huge change in the feel of being in Saigon. The hair wash alone was amazing. It was forty five minutes of relaxation, and comedy thanks to Areli. My anxiety of being in a cramped city had now subsided and I was ready for a new adventure.
The next few days were a blur. First we Traveled to Can Tho, where we got to meet Vy Vy’s family and enjoy all the wonderful fruits and fish of their garden, and then back to Saigon. While walking around the city I recalled a passage from The Sympathizer when he describes the scents of the city as, “charcoal and jasmine, rotting fruit and eucalyptus, gasoline and ammonia, a swirling belch from the city’s poorly irrigated gut.” All of these smells still rang true today. I would be wrapped in sweet smells of flowers then holding my breathe due to the smell of rotted food, but it was all equally invigorating. From then on I felt myself referring back to the book when we would visit places, like when we went to Independence Palace. Walking through the halls and up to the roof I remembered the the evacuation being described in the book. When I saw the helicopter on the roof, I wondered if that was where it was shot down in an attempt to escape the north. I was glad I had a reference point to reflect on, even if it wasn’t the exact place the events took place. So in a way the city felt familiar, even when it was completely new. One of the best days in Saigon was our visit to Van Lang University. The students welcomed us with gifts, tea, and snacks, which always breaks the ice. During the discussion with our group, I realized that their interests were the same as ours. In their free time they like to play video games, listen to music, and go to the beach. Just like the realization that the El Niño research gave me, our worlds are not that different. A weather phenomenon that affects the US also affects the lives of people across the world. It was like having blinders being removed from my eyes. I know the idea of spending our morning in “class” was not exciting at first, but I think we all walked away glad that we did.
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Post 3
Meeting the University students was such a thrilling experience. We were able to envelop ourselves in group exercises regardless of language barriers. One aspect that I was able to connect to was when we went into group discussions. Our group was asking questions to other students and the questions were numerous but were focused on immigration and education. I can relate to this because what all the students basically answered in regards to those topics was status. Status as in financial status. There is quite frankly no middle class in most Asian countries. To be able to go to school you have to have money. If you already have money than you’re already on the upper class. Since the people who have money stay educated through generations it gives them those opportunities to stay in high paying jobs. Unlike America where everybody is afforded the opportunity to receive higher education what opportunities does the poor have compared to the states. The poor have no way to receive higher education and therefore stay in lower class jobs. The same is actually the same with immigration. You have to have money to be able to file for immigration and be able to leave the country according the conditions now and not compared to the refugee situation. Some conditions that came up to the reason why there’s no middle class after discussing with other students is the minimum wage. There is no minimum wage in third world countries. This in turn sets prices to make people work to basically just survive as apparent to what jobs some of us have seen while traveling in Vietnam.
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Post 4
Nhu, Toui and I ventured to Phu My Hung. Now this is considered the rich part of saigon and the more modern and developed area. This is truly where you see western influence. We went to a mall called Crescent Mall and it was new, huge, and a couple stories high. I love Vietnam, don’t get me wrong, but things that were truly hard to stomach was the bathroom in the boat going towards the floating market and the time we stop for a restroom break in some miniature child amusement park. Those restrooms were to say the least, very unique. But going to Phu My Hung, you can tell that when anything new is built it tries to replicate western countries. Particularly America. Now we discussed this in class about the culture being replaced with the western integration. You truly felt that you weren’t in Vietnam anymore after experiencing everything that we have done so far on this trip. This area of Vietnam had no trace of deep Vietnamese culture that we’ve been experiencing. It was all replaced with name brand stores and Mercedes, BMW and Audi dealerships. This got me thinking. Why is it when something new is built in most Asian third world countries they try to replicate American lifestyle of living. I understand that America is great with its infrastructure, but to me, in my opinion, it’s very lacking, in it’s own very own culture. I expressed this one time in class where I gave an example of Philippines where the populace flock to anything that resembles American living. But to be honest I never understood why.
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Journal 3
We spent a wonderful time in Yen Tu Mountain because we all managed to hike up to the very top of the mountain through the hardest way. And I remembered when standing in front of the sacred temple and facing the fabulous and full of grandeur mountain view, we were surprised by the amazing view as well as the tenacity of ourselves.
Our tour guy pointed the harder way for us, and when we questioned him jokingly, and he said that you won’t feel so happy while you go downhill if you choose the easier way. And one of the reason people from centuries ago decided to build their sacred temple on the mountain is because that they wanted the devout believer show their respect and perseverance by climbing all the way up the mountain. We met an old lady who climbed the mountain with difficulty but she never complained but emphasized hopefully that this is her dream to worship this temple. And I realized that it is the deep belief that give her the strength to extend her physical limitation and fulfil her dream.
Climbing the mountain with no burden is a relatively hard task for all of us, so it is unbelievable that how ancient Vietnamese people can built such magnificent and elegant temples and Buddha along the steep slopes with no modern machines. And I was surprised that the power of religion is so strong that among the most famous architectures in the world, religious architectures like temples and cathedrals cover more than 50%.
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Comment 2:
Climbing up the mountain was so difficult. At one point I felt like I was almost going to pass out. Just before climbing the mountain I had ran up the stairs and tried to get ahead in order to push myself. I hadn’t worked out in a while, so I thought this was a great opportunity. However, when Tom told us to begin climbing my body was so dead. Half way through I thought I wasn’t going to be able to make it, but I did! Yen Tu was definitely worth it.
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Yên tu was one of my favorite things about this trip. I agree that the view was amazing. I’m also glad that everyone was able to make it up there. It was definitely a difficult hike. The statue of the Buddha was spectacular. I thought it was amazing that people were able to bring all those materials up the mountain in order to build the statue and the pagoda. It is interesting what you said about the woman who dreamed about praying to this statue. I don’t think I would ever believe in anything enough to hike a mountain like that in order to pray. But I think it’s beautiful to believe in something that much. I wouldn’t mind taking the hike again!
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# Response 2:
Climbing up the Yen Tu mountain is one of the most valuable experiences with me in this trip. At first, looking up the craggy mountain peak, I thought I would not do it and while climbing, many passages were too difficult, I wanted to give up. However, I tried my best. When getting on the top of the mountain, I was very happy and proud of myself. I felt like I won myself and overcame the weakness of myself. Tom was right. If we didn’t climb with the hard way first, we wouldn’t have known how strong and tenacious we are, and the moment we were on top of the mountain, we wouldn’t have felt pride and joy like that. This is not just a normal trekking activity but also a journey to discover ourselves and beyond ourselves with me.
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Journal 4
In Hoi An, I spread a blue lantern into the tranquil flowing river as well as my best wishes. Unluckily, I didn’t have a chance to check out the beautiful beach, but I can imagine how gorgeous it is.
I like the city of Hoi An because it is such a relaxing, beautiful and livable city. One interesting thing we noticed is that the stores here closed so early around 9 or 10 pm, which is just the beginning of night life in other big cities, so we always found out the food store we were eager to try already closed disappointedly. But I like it because part of me looking forward to the slow and relaxing life where people wake up with the first wisp sunlight in the early morning and rest with the clear and tender moonlight.
Even though most of the stores close early, the bars along the river always open till late night and always crowed with people. The bar I like most is that floating boat bar where a stylish and unrestrained singer played guitar on the bow. I love his music so much that I want to spend all night listening his music. Moonlight, music and soft breeze are the dream. And what made the night even more amazing is that I have the accompany with friends. While leaving Hoi An, I promised myself that I will visit Hoi An again, definitely.
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Awww! I’m sorry that we didn’t go to the beach in Hoi An. I love the way that you describe the night in Hoi An and the moment we put the beautiful lanterns on the river.
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Yesterday was my new experience. Every activies at Vy grandmother’s house were so fun and friendly. They look so honest and nice I can tell. I have never been Tien Giang before. Now I think I am in love with that place.
We have been visited Tien Giang where Vy grandfather’s house there. I walked to his house about one kilometer but I did not complain about that. That was nice when I was walking and watching all the things in the road. I saw some banana trees, a lot of coconut trees with sweet coconut juice inside, some kind of flowers that I know but I forgot the name. It sounds funny but true. When I got there. One thing make me so excited that I saw a garden in the front with all green of the plants. Vy’s family members were so hospitable. They severed a lot fruit and food. We met a guy who also is a tour guide, too. He can speak Chinese, Japanese and English. He, Vy’s aunt and mother shown us around the garden. They cut down the water coconuts. I was feeling happy when I saw they are so enthusiasm. They treat were well with everyone. I ate a lot of fruit that they gave. The best thing is they are organic and safe to eat. At the lunch time I ate really much fishes and vegestable. I love the sốt me sauce that I have never tried it before. That sauce made by Vy’s auntie. I enjoyed it so much.
I appeciated the moments we were together. I will remember those beautiful times.
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Thank you Tuoi! It was touching <3. My family told me that they were very happy that day when we can all came and visited them. They also said that they hoped that we can stay a little bit more so they would prepare some more traditional foods for us. It was funny when at first my mom was afraid that we cannot eat durian because she heard that foreigners cannot stand the smell of it. However, she was surprised that almost all of us can eat and even like it. Even though it has been 3 days already but every time she called me, she still remind all of you. I was very happy and appreciated that Prof. Karen and Prof. Kim can arrange this meeting, so we can have a chance to create unforgettable memories together. 🙂
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I agree with Tuoi, the enthusiasm felt from Vy’s family was contagious. Her families neighbor (uncle) took time out of his day to show us around the property and explain all the beautiful fruits and flowers, as well as the elephant ear fish. The day was such an amazing experience. The meal was one of the best from the trip, and I always enjoy making fresh spring rolls, so that was a big treat.
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Response 3:
OMG Tuoi, I could not agree more!!!!! I did not think we would ever get to experience something so raw. When we got off the bus and began to walk toward Vy Vy’s house, I knew instantly who her mother was by the look in her eyes. Vy Vy and her mother looked at each other’s eyes, hugged each other tightly, and cried. Vy Vy hugged her siblings, or cousins, and her mother came over to greet Karen, George, and I. Her mother had a huge smile on her face and she looked at Vy Vy with eyes filled with love. I felt a tear coming out because I was fortunate enough to watch her mother embrace her with such love that only a mother can give–that was a gift! In addition, Vy Vy’s family asked their neighbor to come and hang out because he was a tour guide, and he was so warm and friendly! He taught me how to climb a tree, told me where to pose for a picture, and taught me how to fish!
I spent my day telling my daddy about Vy Vy’s house, how her uncle spoke many languages, knew so much history and how her mother cooked for us. I was showing him pictures of all the fruit and I almost cried remembering how special it was to be in Vy Vy’s home, my ban mai mai. Most importantly, to me, I was overwhelmed with joy at seeing Vy Vy reunite with her mother, and she called her sister and her sister cried because she was not there with us. When someone opens their home to you, you cherish that gift; I even made myself at home and took a nap in one of their hammocks!
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Journal #3
From Hanoi, we took a fourteen hours train to the Central Vietnam. It was a very long train and everyone seemed really tired. However, when Chunnan, Mien, Tuoi, Nhu, Hannah and I went to the cafeteria to have breakfast, we passed by many cabins to get there. I was shocked and surprised that there were different classes in the train. I saw people sat on the wooden chair without AC. Children were crying because it was too loud and too hot for them. The cafeteria was also really dirty. After seeing all that, I felt really lucky.
The first city that we visited was Hue. From what I learned in school when I was in Vietnam, Hue was known as the capital of Vietnam during the Nguyen Dynasty emperors. Seeing the citadel and listening to Mr. Dung’s guide was amazed me.
From all the places we went to in Huế, Hội Tự Thiện Thân Hữu Huế was the place that I liked the most. I was the first time I visited an orphanage. It was sad that there were so many children in the orphanage. Nhu and I were had a conversation with a nine years old girl named Vy. She said she stays in this orphanage for 4 years. Talking to her a little bit more, I knew that her parents passed away and her grandmother did not have enough afford to take care of her. She also said she visited her grandmother regularly around three months. After the conversation, she asked us to dance with her, but we said we want to see her dance first. The children joined her and performed for us a cutest dance ever. After one song, we joined her and dancing the “ Washing Hand” song. We were dancing and laughing together. It was a good memory that I would never forget.
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Journal #4
From Hue, we continued our tour to Hoi An city. This is the city that I like the most throughout this trip. We stayed in Hoi An for three days so I had time to literally exploring the city. In the first night in Hoi An, Nhu, Chunnan, and I went to explore famous street foods in Hoi An after dinner. However, we were surprised because all the store were closed so early around 9 PM. We were little disappointed and had no choice to go back to the hotel. However, that did not stop us. On the next days, Nhu and I decided to get up early to go the most famous Banh Mi in the world, which was called Banh Mi Phuong. Even though we had a bad experience with the customer service, but I must admit that Banh Mi Phuong was the best banh mi that I had so far during this trip.
On the second night in Hoi An, Nhu and I did a little research of famous places and dishes to eat in Hoi An. Tuoi, Mien, and Chunnan joined us that night. We rented bicycles and started our street food journey. We were all excited. First, we went to Pho Co Hoi An. We tried Mot ‘s traditional herbal drink in Hoi An. It was 10,000d/ cup, which was really cheap. It was a very good drink. Nhu cannot stand that she had to order two. Next, we went to Quan An Hai to try Cao Lau and Mi Quang. Nhu said :when you visited Hoi An, Cao Lau is the dish that you have to try because you can only find Cao Lau here but nowhere else in Vietnam.” She was right. Cao Lau was really good. It likes noodle soup but the soup is made from soy sauce and it served with pork. Next, we went to Quan An Ben Tre and tried some traditional snack. Vin join us too. First, we tried Banh trang dap ( beaten rice paper). I asked the owner why we called it Banh trang dap. He said we call banh trang dap because when we eat we use our hand to crack it, and it makes a sound like a “beat”. Banh trang dap served with shrimp sauce and its taste was unbelievable. then , we tried the baby oyster, and we finished it with sweet corn soup as our dessert. After that, we went back to the old town Hoi An. We had a walk along the river. Seeing the town full of the lantern made me feel so peaceful. That night was incredible because we completed our food checklist. We were also able to see the real beauty of Hoi An at night.
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Journal #4
That was a funny day ever. When I came back Sai Gon after I visited my parents at hometown. I came back by a Vinasun taxi. Only me and the driver started at 4:30 am. I can not believe that the driver who name Loi did not know exactly the way go to Sai Gon even he is a taxi driver. He doesn’t have a GPS, I just see a positioning devices helps the taxi company knows where the taxi is. I can explain that he just rides the guests around the Dong Nai area not the way to Sai Gon. I told him I want him to ride me to the ” Nha Tho Duc Ba.” Because I know that church is near Lan Lan 2 hotel, it also stands at the center of Sai Gon. And it’s easy to know. While he was riding, he was calling his co-worker to ask the way to get there. That moment was so tough for him but with me I thought he was so hard-boiled. He didn’t know the way where to go how he could receive to ride me? I asked him about that he says : ” If you don’t know you can ask people, and if you have never try how do you know it.” Wow his answer made me thinking and exclaimed: ” Yeah! You’re right.” We got stuck with the traffic for ages. I told him that : ” You should change the way to the blank side over there.” He did and we skip that traffic. At that time I worried for the time we were waiting. We passed some traffic lights and he started nervous. He asked me to ask the local people who were walking, driving and exercising on the street for the direction. I was laughing so hard about that. I did and sometimes he did. Finally, we got to the center of Sai Gon. After he left I found a motorbiker, he ridden me to the hotel. Phewww! Thanks God I still had enough time before the trip goes to Can Tho. Anyway he is a funny and brave person, I didn’t get mad at him because he doesn’t know about way. And I guess it is the first time you hear about a taxi driver doesn’t know the way where to go in Vietnam.
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Sometimes when traveling in a group we are all occupied with our own sense of enjoying the scenery or place that we lose track of our group. In Hue, during our visit to the old citadel, Kim got lost. Some people were stressing out but to be honest. The worst thing that can happen is if you do get lost is to call a taxi. Have your wits about you how the saying goes. To be honest. Being lost in a city brings about a whole new experience. I myself love taking the taxi in Vietnam. Can’t beat less than a dollar for most trips. In relation to Tuoi’s response. It’s okay to be lost. Just ask for directions. No problem.
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Journal #3
Everyone told me not to worry about wifi because “there’s free wifi in the cities.” What I thought they meant was that stores everywhere had free wifi but the city has its own free wifi so you can stay connected wherever you go! I’ve never seen that before. It’s not the best but I still think it’s pretty cool.
Spending the day at An Bang Beach in Hoi An was definitely one of my favorite days. We didn’t really know what to expect. None of the locals were very enthusiastic when we had Hannah ask them if there were any good beaches nearby (she said they all said they were “alright”) but we were blown away when we arrived. If that was just “alright” I wonder what other beaches we missed out on. Granted, the heat was unbearable and the sand was scolding but all of my worries kind of faded away once I stepped my foot into the water.
Palm frond umbrellas and reclining beach beds lined the shore with restaurants behind them. You can ‘reserve’ one of the front row seats by purchasing one drink and one meal. The coconut juice in the coconut was the best I’ve had here because unlike all of the other ones I’ve tried, this one was ice cold. So good!
The water was amazing. You had to walk pretty far from shore before the water was deep enough to tread. Ashley saw two jellyfish! I couldn’t see them at first but she pointed to a black figure swimming in the water and it took me a second to realize that it was the shadow of an almost translucent jellyfish. That’s how clear the water was.
I was so excited to go back to the beach for dinner because the sun had gone down and it was nice and cool. We ate at Soul Kitchen and Aurora said that a restaurant’s drinks list is a good way to gauge how expensive a place is.
Our second night in Hoi An, we all hopped on little gondolas and made wishes as we set lanterns free on the river. It was such a sight to behold. I didn’t make a wish on the first one so I had Hannah ask if we could each get another one and she let us.
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Journal #5
On our way to Can Tuh, our class to plans to stop by Vi’s grandfather’s house around the countryside of Saigon because it was on the way to our destination. I sat next to Vi on the plane from Da Nang to Saigon. She regaled me in stories of family and that house, and seeing how happy she was to visit them for the first time in such a long time further excited me for this trip
Even before getting off the bus, I could see we were in a very rural part of Saigon. The pathway to her house was a long one and the heat was especially brutal that day, so Vi’s relatives were kind enough to motorbike some of us to the house.
Vi had mentioned that her family had prepared some food for us, but I was seriously not prepared for the sheer amount there was. Because their property has a sizable amount of space, they grew an assortment of fruits. We were lucky enough to taste many tropical fruits: coconuts, longans, bananas, durian and so many more. I am now fully convinced tropical fruits are the best fruits to exist on this planet. They had a fishing hole and many of us tried our hand at catching a few, though Vi’s cousin and Karen’s son were the only successful ones. Vi also gave me a tour around the property, showing me the various types of exotic fruits they grew and even an entire frog farm! The way they were kept was very smart; They baby frogs were kept in a mesh box above the water with four logs inside, each log housing a different size frog. A second box was next to it where they kept the breeders.
We wrapped up the day with a homemade meal from Vi’s mother. It wasn’t just any regular meal though. No, no. They caught all the fish straight from their fishing hole. I wasn’t even aware a pond that small could house so many fish; We probably caught well over 20 fish, some being the size of your entire torso. The hospitality Vi’s family was showing us went above and beyond what any of us could have expected. I know many of us were afraid we were overstaying our welcome, but she reassured us it was no bother. I could tell she was telling the truth. Growing up in a (partially) Vietnamese family has taught me that hospitality is simply part of their culture. The nagging feeling of being a burden was bothering all of us, I’m sure, so we all pitched in to help clean and cook. Some of us were in charge of cleaning and gutting the fish, while others were washing the vegetables and clearing and setting the tables. Every single one of us had a job and by the time everything was prepped, Vi’s mother dropped the first freshly cleaned fish into the hot oil. Our mouths started salivating as we heard it pop and sizzle. Vi’s mother told me she has a special recipe for fish sauce and method for making the fish extra crispy. The amount of food put on the plate was unreal; I felt like a king at his own feast. I was half afraid we were not going to be able to finish all the fish we caught, but we scarfed it all down in record time. All of the meals we usually receive are massive, and this was the first time we were able to consume every last scrap of food on our table. I had never had anything even remotely close to that fresh. It was, by far, the most delicious meal we have had on this trip. By the end of it, we were all singing and laughing. With all the work we put into the meal, I feel we really grew closer to everyone and it felt like they were my own family. It was such a raw and beautiful experience and will probably be my most memorable moment of this trip.
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Thank you Mackenzie, my ban mai mai! Reading your journal has reminded me so much about that day where we had so much fun and memories. My mom sits next to me now. As I translated to her, she could not stop smile in happiness. She said you all are so cute. She also had a good time too. She said that day was a very happy day for her. She hopes that all of us can visit her again. 🙂 ❤
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Journal #6
Today we had the opportunity to visit Van Lang University in Saigon. It is a private university that is in surprisingly close proximity to the hotel we are staying at. To be completely honest, I was very nervous before coming to visit them. I had no idea what to expect and we were prepped multiple times on things we should avoid doing or saying as to not make them uncomfortable.
What we were met with was very warm welcomes. I had learned several days prior that this was a college of Environmental Technology and Management. This immediately peaked my interest seeing as I am an Environmental Science major myself. I was looking forward to having good debates all around, and I was not disappointed. The topic of discussion was El Nino and the different impacts it had on the United States as well as Vietnam. I heavily researched the topic before heading to the University that day, and I was very surprised to find out that El Nino is a reoccurring phenomenon. In fact, the state of California has experienced an El Nino before in the late 1990s. It also has two separate phases, El Nino and La Nina, which put simply, cause opposite weather effects to occur.
The El Nino in 2015 had completely different effects on the two countries at hand. In the United States, specifically in California, we experienced pretty heavy rainfall and flash floods. Vietnam on the other hand experienced a severe drought. Though the weather was unalike at all, it still had similar detrimental outcomes to our crops and fisheries. Collaborating together on solutions was not only insightful, but very fun. I felt my knowledge of Environmental Science really helped me out here. (Thank you ES faculty!)
The faculty of Van Lang University was also generous enough to reward all of our students with a plethora of gifts and memorabilia. Everyone I have met in Vietnam thus far has been incredibly friendly, but the students and faculty here definitely top that. I’m really lucky to have met so many new, welcoming friends with similar fields of interest.
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Response #3
I couldn’t agree more! Our experience with the Van Lang students was memorable, and much like Mackenzie, I was nervous leading up to our visit. Not knowing what to expect really makes the mind wonder. I think our group had a great time brainstorming, and having Makenzie on our team was great, she was definitely in her element. The presentation she gave was perfect! Like Mackenzie, I was surprised to find out the different effects that El Niño have. I, too, was unaware of the El Nina and its effects. Being able to talk to the students and get to know their interests was fun. Like I said in my journal, it was nice to discover al the interests we share. The nervousness leading up to the meeting was quickly forgotten as we were made to feel so welcomed. I am glad to hear this was such a rewarding trip for others as well.
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RESPONSE #5
I love all the students that I met at Van Lang university. Despite the language barrier, they tried their best to commutation with us. I have a hard time making new friends in US but here I can become friends with everyone in a short time. Although I have absolutely no knowledge about the environment, the discussion about El Nino was very interesting and helpful. Thanks to you Mackenzie , our group presentation went great !!!
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Vietnam journal post #3
Hue had the most delicious food on the trip up to that point. The meal in the private room surrounded by the gardens was perfect. The food was light and the dishes weren’t too big for our group.
Hoi An was mostly a tourist spot. Drinks were twice the price in Hoi An than they were in other cities. The restaurants were also filled with mostly tourists. One great thing in Hoi An however was the bhan my sandwiches. We visited a bhan mi place that Anthony Bourdain has visited, and the sandwiches were so good I bought 2.
Another one of the best days of the trip so far was visiting the Marble mountain and seeing the giant Buddha statue. It was cool to find out that the bike ride to the female Buddha in Danang was one the the group of 3 that the marble mountain Buddha belongs to. I think the third was in at the yen tu mountain we hiked up. I wish we had spent more time in Danang. The city was so colorful and there were many locals which was a refreshing change from Hoi An.
The dragon bridge in Da Nang was very impressive. I wish I had been able to see the fire come out of its mouth but it was still amazing to see. On the one night we stayed in Da Nang I was extremely tired so I had an early night and tried to catch up on rest.
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Vietnam journal post #4
After we arrived in Saigon I immediately noticed how different this city was from the previous ones we had visited. It seemed bigger, more organized, and a little more modern. I think I expected a city that was similar to Hanoi, densely populated with a semi-quaint feel to it. Instead I felt like the city resembled San Francisco more than it did Hanoi. People actually followed some of the traffic laws here. The buildings also seemed more crammed together and higher than any city we had seen before.
On the first night, we went out to see the nightmarket. By this point we had already seen enough night markets to know what to expect. This one was no different other than the fact that the vendors were much more aggressive. If we so much as glanced at the merchandise a given vendor was selling he or she would immediately start telling us to buy from them and would give us a starting price. After we ignored or tried to decline the offer, the vendor would lower the price or ask us what we wanted to pay, starting the bargaining process all by themselves. This would happen over and over so I tried to scan the merchandise from afar before approaching.
The next day was another one of the highlights of the trip. Having lunch at Vy’s house seemed like the closest we got to authentic vietnamese culture. I really loved the fact that we all participated in the process of cooking, and the fact that they fished out fish that had been growing for 4-5 years was such as honor. This day will be one of the first memories I think of when I think of this trip.
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Vietnam journal post #6
Our visit to the Cu Chi tunnels was, I felt, the most interesting thing we did on the whole trip. Knowing that John Swenson served in the war at this sight made me the experience feel a lot closer to home that it would have (I don’t have any relative who served in the Vietnam war). I thought it was fascination how the Viet Cong used cunning and strategy to defeat an enemy who has a massive technological advantage. I noticed how cleverly built the traps were even as the thought of them sent chills down my spine.
The underground kitchens were very clever. Our guide said that the smoke from the cooking would so through a chimney that was 200 meters long and would come out of a termite mound. He also said that the would only cook in the early morning when it was foggy and misty so that the smoke was unidentifiable.
Crawling through the tunnel also amazed me. To think that the actual tunnels they used were smaller and that they went on for 5 kilometers in own direction gave me the same feeling I get when I see a giant skyscraper, a feeling of awe at what humans are capable of. After coming out of the tunnel and seeing how far we actually went vs how far it felt like we went felt like a joke. We were only a few yards away from where we had started.
Another one of the creepy things about this place was the fact that they had a shooting range on the site. While we were walking through the area, taking the tour, you could hear gunfire off in the distance. As it echoed through the woods, it almost took you back in time.
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Comment 3:
I completely freaked out when walking through the tunnels. I’m pretty sure I was one of two people who left the tunnel early. I walked down maybe 200 ft, and I can’t even begin to imagine how people walked kilometers down there. What our tour guide explained to us on the bus about the different kinds of flags and how they only cooked in the morning was all so fascinating. Even when we got to the site he abbreviated on their sandals and how they would flip them in order to mislead people. Knowing someone like John Swenson I think makes everything so much more real. Although I don’t know him very well, I wish he would have came with us to tell us more about his experience in Vietnam.
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Comment 3: I was blown away by their ingenuity. I remember our guide showing us their sandals and telling us about how they would wear it backwards while they walked to confuse their enemies about which direction they went. And their metal death traps were terrifying… It made me feel sad for those who were dragged into the war, Vietnamese and American alike, and had to suffer the torture of one of these contraptions. But it does shows that muscle isn’t everything and the underdog can still get the best of its enemy. While the Viet Cong was up against enemies with more technologically advanced weapons, they were able to outsmart them.
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