Hue, Vietnam

DSCN0621, a photo by Heather April on Flickr.

Last Day in Hanoi

Today was a great lecture day. We met with the Vice President of the Vietnam Peace and Development Foundation and he gave a fascinating talk on the history of Vietnam and its development stages from decades ago until now. Vietnam has been under 1000 years of conflict from colonial (Chinese, French, Japanese) to modern wars (American). They have also been under adverse climate change because of the amount of coastline the country has and its proximity to sea level. Climate change currently jeopardizes their export business which is an important part of their market system. In 2011 Vietnam was the #1 country exporting rice to the rest of the world.

Mr. Loi was raised during the Vietnam/American war and he gave us first hand accounts of what it was like living in rural Vietnam as American planes constantly bombed over head. He went to 13 different schools in 10 years due to the constant need to relocate because of bombing risks. The rural people would build underground schools every time they moved and his people lived in very rudimentary structures, using only small fuel lit lamps to see occasionally. I am continually amazed at current relations between our countries, since an agreement went in place between us in 1995. The resilience and tenacity of the Vietnamese is really amazing.

Mr. Loi explained the socialist practices in his country from then to now, and why they were put in place, as well as the successes and failures of them. Even in the midst of some negative statistics (23% inflation rate last year which is double from the year before), there are also positive ones: 10% poverty level in 2011 as compared to 75% in 1986, and life expectancy was 72 in 2011 vs. 62 in 1990. The GDP is still very low, around 1,400. The average service worker can expect to make less than 200$ USD in a month.

Our next visit was to the American embassy annex and we learned about the foreign affairs office and what work they do in Vietnam. All of this was interesting to me because of my interest in international affairs but I wont bore you with the details. We discussed environment, politics, economy and other aspects of how the embassy works with Vietnamese diplomats. Very cool!

After that we hopped a plan and flew south to Hue, in central Vietnam. I videoed a few minutes of the ride to Hue, however there is some background noise, etc. I tried to give you some information about what city life is like here for the Vietnamese. I am going to do a walking video one day too so you can see it better. It is a bit unbelievable that what they are living like now are the best living conditions that have been in place for many generations.

Till next time! Hope you are all doing well back in the USA.

One of my new friends in Vietnam

DSCN0595, a photo by Heather April on Flickr.

The last two days are a blur but a few things really stand out. We had two lectures, one was really great. It was on traditional musical instruments and we learned about a few of them including the Dan Bau which I am quite fond of. We also had an ethnography lecture and I learned there are 54 ethnic groups in Vietnam, some dating back thousands of years.

Today we visited a place that really impacted most of the students. It is called the Vietnam Friendship Village and they are a place that cares for Vietnam veterans and disabled children that were affected by agent orange in the Vietnam war (which they call the American war, by the way). Currently 40 vets and 120 children get care and education here, and all services are free. The children are the third generation of agent orange affected population and they really have no idea how many generations out might be dealing with these effects. The village teaches the children a sense of identity, some life skills and other things. It is a really special place. Some children come there with no sense of self, and cant hear or see. Most are mentally disabled, some physically disabled. I made fast friends with several of various ages right away. :)

We also visited Hanoi University. It was very neat to visit a college in another country and be able to talk to teachers and students so we could compare/contrast our schools and programs. The Asian boys were so cute and interesting-very well rounded and intelligent.

Lastly, I have spent several days in Vietnam now and I have come to the conclusion I would never survive in Hanoi. The city is so overcrowded, polluted, and dirty. Traffic at rush hour is totally off the charts. I have been wearing a pollution mask when I walk in the city. They seem to have little rules here about public cleanliness and most people sweep trash right into the street, sewer or road. In the long run it piles up roadside and on every vacant plot or spot it can. Even the beach in Ha Long Bay was several miles of polluted trash. So sad.

Video Blog from Halong Bay 1-9-11

Heather Video Blog 1-9-11 a video by Heather April on Flickr.

Today we transferred to Halong Bay which is a couple of hundred kilometers away but takes five hours by bus, in traffic. Halong Bay is a world heritage site and is very beautiful. Its a bay full of caverns and mountainous rocks of all sorts of shapes and sizes. Our hosts, the Vietnam USA friendship society, had booked a whole cruise boat for our groups of 13. We were out on it for six hours cruising the bay and having a five course lunch. They really treat us first class here. I am getting very spoiled. Hotel staff opens doors for us, cooks us brilliant meals every morning and are just all around welcoming. In all of the restaurants and on the boat staff does everything they can to meet your every needs. Totally different than in America where waitstaff and food workers are generally irritable, unhelpful and sometimes downright nasty.

During our boat cruise we went to a limestone cavern in one of the mountains and the boat landing and climb up to the cavern were very rugged. We also stopped at a fish farm platform on the way out. It was all so intriguing and different than at home. The people are all welcoming and curious about us. We got some great group shots on the platform.

We stayed overnight in a hotel there, and transferred back out to hanoi the next morning.

Water Puppet Musicians

Water Puppet Musicians a video by Heather April on Flickr.

*The instrument in the front is called a Dan Bau, and it is from the zither family. It plays only one chord but what a beautiful sound. It is said that in Vietnam a long time ago only men played the Dan Bou and young girls were not allowed to listen to its music lest they fall in love with the musician. :)

Chao!

Today was my second whirlwind day in Vietnam. I have traveled and learned so much that I already feel more comfortable here. Highlights:

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Complex: He was a fascinating man and the people's respect and love for him is simply incredible. We had a soldier guided tour into his tomb, which is taken very very seriously and we were instructed on how to walk, talk, etc.

Temple of Literature: Vietnam's first university which educated only the sons of mandarins. Several blocks of courtyards, gates and walkways. When each student achieved his doctorate, they were given a large stone tortoise (longevity) tablet in the complex.

Lecture from an American Vietnam Vet working and living in Vietnam, for the past 15 years. He runs a project called
Renew which works to reduce Vietnamese injuries and deaths from landmines. Kind of hard to believe that more tonnage of bombs was dropped on Vietnam than all of WWII. Great guy, lots of world experiences.

Water Puppet Theatre: See pics and videos. There was beautiful music and talented puppeteers, this is a very ancient Vietnamese art.

Food: AMAZING! I had pho, finally. It was great. The fruit drinks here seem to be fresh squeezed and incredible. There are so many varieties! Also, the yogurt here is very good-different taste and texture than in the USA. We also had dinner at a great seafood restaurant, family style.

A translated quote I saw today that I liked: "First learn to be human, then learn something else."

Tomorrow we transfer to Ha Long Bay which is a world heritage site and supposedly very beautiful. We are staying overnight and taking an afternoon boat cruise with meals. I could use some quiet time. These 12-14 hour days are making me so tired but I can't complain too much. It has been a great experience so far. Tam Biet, till next time! :)

A day in Hanoi

Kids a video by Heather April on Flickr.

:) Day 1 in Hanoi. What a whirlwind day of activities! I loved the experiences but I am definitely road weary right now. Highlights of today included:

one of our students picking up a poisonous caterpillar- much to our guides dismay,

that same student giving a bear hug to the guide during a photo op - also much to her dismay (no really, check the pictures),

seeing soldiers with AK-47's marching in the street,

bartering with (and literally running from) very desperate street vendors,

navigating the chaos of a traffic system that was built for 250,000 people but is now used by 6 million people,

a visit to a very lovely pagoda where I learned a little more about the Buddhist beliefs. There was even a Bodhi tree-very cool,

dinner at the four seasons where I tried all sorts of new foods,

the curiosity and spirit of school age children here (see video),

a visit to the colonial prison where John McCain and other POW's were housed. :(

Lastly, the country is building up to their New Year holiday (called TET). The atmosphere is both celebratory and reverent. Offerings and alters are everywhere you look. It is very interesting to find out what beliefs Vietnamese have about this holiday. A great many symbols must be present in every home and shop. These symbols bring all sorts of things including: wealth, good health, peace, happiness, etc. Neat.

Whew! Notice, I didn't get locked up either. ;) Off to rest for tomorrow's big day. Love to my friends and family back in the USA.

Hanoi

DSCN0241, a photo by Heather April on Flickr.

Via Flickr:

We have arrived for our first night in Hanoi. What an exhausting 24 hours of travel. There was so many checkpoints and transitions along the way. I did not sleep well.

We arrived in Hanoi at midnight their time and the culture fascinates me already. It was 55f, which is cold for this region. There seems to be a huge evening social scene here. We passed many pho eateries full of people eating and drinking at midnight. There are also a ton of stands selling food and people hanging out in the streets, burning fires for warmth. Traffic was insane, even at midnight. Although there are lines on the roads, no one pays attention to them and people drive, walk, or bike anywhere and any direction they damn please. Craziness!

Currently, I am off for a few hours of sleep before we get up and tour Hanoi in the a.m. with our delegation.

If you would like to see more pictures, find me on Flickr. I am still stoked about 16 days and 16 nights in Vietnam. :)

P.S. There is no USA facebook here. Email or blog me! Love you all. Heather

Hanoi

403px-Hanoi_Montage, a photo by Heather April on Flickr.

So, trying out this photo thing from Flickr. I thought this trip needed an *air guitar* montage to get it started! Here is Hanoi, the capital city that we are flying into after 21 hours total travel time. It's the second largest city in Vietnam and located next to the Red River.

We are staying in a three star hotel right in the old quarter. It looks like an awesome place. Temperatures in Hanoi as of late average a balmy 65f. I can dig it.

I'm going to try my best not to imitate Karl of "An Idiot Abroad" or the show "Locked up Abroad". Hopefully, it will just be "Study" abroad for me...however, I haven't tasted any rice wine yet.