Xin chào, Viet nam!

A week after returning from Vietnam, and I have fully recovered from the cold I caught on the last day of my trip. All I have to say is that it is a beautiful place, and I was so blessed to have been able to travel with my students. It was primarily a work trip, but I am glad to say that I went. Now that I am well enough to type a lot, I shall be recounting the experience (as much as I can.. Pardon me if I get tried half-way. Gosh. My stamina these days..). I will share some photos and a little bit about what I learnt/ saw/ felt etc.

My trip was to Hanoi, the capital city of Vietnam. We were told that it was going to be cold as winter was approaching, and temperatures could hit a low of up to 15 degrees, especially on windy days. However, I guess we were blessed to have such kind weather, and it was the perfect setting for our trip. I never got a chance to use my jacket, except for on the bus and the plane. And I also used it to cover my eyes while I slept in the hotel room. Thankfully, the great weather made sight-seeing and travelling around the country all the more convenient. I cannot imagine having to travel to the village on the muddy roads.. The bus might not even make it through!

The roads were crazy crowded with scooters and we were briefed by the guide and the agent on how to properly cross them (the roads, not the scooters). Of course, the theoretical lessons on how to navigate traffic was not enough to prepare us for what we experienced in real life. Traffic is, and has been a problem in Vietnam for a long time, and it has been difficult to enforce a lot of these rules. But I think the people are very used to their own rules, and it works fine for them most of them time. We did, however, come across an accident involving a mother and her young son, but thankfully both were fine. 

I know this is nothing like the crazy traffic I mentioned earlier, but this was near a village I think. 

Because I had to have halal food, most of my meals were packed, and boy did they serve a LOT. It was like having a 10-course wedding dinner .. every meal. Thankfully, I managed to get the guide to ask the caterers to reduce the portions so we wouldn't waste too much food.

Because I had to have halal food, most of my meals were packed, and boy did they serve a LOT. It was like having a 10-course wedding dinner .. every meal. Thankfully, I managed to get the guide to ask the caterers to reduce the portions so we wouldn't waste too much food.

Love this yoghurt. It was sweet and more of a milk than a yoghurt.

 We visited the Ethnology Museum on the first day, and my students got to play some of the traditional games. In this one, you have to get across the bamboo pole by balancing yourself.

A terrible shot of me coming down a house.

We stayed at the Hanoi Delight Hotel. Very nice and cosy place. 

The beautiful Ha Long Bay, of which you can find much nice images than mine by Googling.

In one of the caves, they also call this the "Royal Palace"

We visited a 300 year old house. No, its owners are not 300 years old. 

We learnt how to make spring rolls, and we later had them for lunch.

We were so hungry we actually finished the noodles.

Scenes from a pottery village.

I know. How adorable!

My traditional Vietnamese stove. Yes. It could have been a nice vase, but it did not materialize.

 Of course, the purpose of the trip was to visit the schools, and the students there have been nothing but warm and friendly. We got to see how their classes were run, as well as to interact with the students.

 Our trip to University of Languages and International Studies:

At the University of Foreign Languages.

Military lessons are compulsory. How cool is that??

We also visited the Friendship Village, where some of the war veterans live. The village also helps the victims of Agent Orange by teaching them some basic skills to be able to go out to work.

This man fought in the war.. and now lives here in the village.

 A trip to the Temple of Literature, and Hanoi Hilton (it's not really a hotel! HAHA)

 The last place we visited was the school for the blind. They started off with 2 teachers and 8 blind students, but now they have over a hundred teachers, a thousand students, out of which 200 are blind or have visual impairments. This was perhaps the best part of my trip, and I enjoyed myself the most here.

The sweetest girl in the world, Xuan.

As you can tell, I have become tired of writing about my trip. HAHA. It was, however, an incredibly wonderful experience. I would like to especially thank the lovely guide we had, Thi, for being so spontaneous and for really sharing her stories and experiences with us. It has truly inspired me to travel more, and to discover more. 

Till my next journey.. Or at least, till the next time I get off my lazy butt to post something... Have a good day!