Our Final Post - The Mekong Delta cruise and more of the South

This past week, we have traveled throughout the southern part of the country. We started with a 22 hour train ride from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) formerly Saigon. We arrived extremely early in the morning and had a city tour! Saigon/HCMC is the business capitol of Vietnam, some GIEU students have equated it to New York City. There are many tall building, historical places, and shops!

Our Saigon/HCMC Tour started with a visit to the War Remnants Museum. This museum was formerly called, Museum of American War Crimes. This museum had many exhibits showcasing the lasting effects of Agent Orange and UXOs in Vietnam. There was an entire section devoted to the anti-Vietnam Protests around the world. Finally, there was a section graphically explaining the details of the torture and other American atrocities committed within war prison systems and POW camps. After the Museum, we traveled to the Reunification Palace. This Palace housed the President of South Vietnam before the War started. It has perfectly preserved the way the Palace was before the war. We then moved on to the Post Office which is situated adjacent to the Notre Dame Cathedral. The post office can be seen in the movie, "The Quiet American." Both buildings are renowned for their beauty.

We then got an a bus to head to Chau Doc. On our way we stopped at a Communist Secret Hideout in the Mekong Delta.
This secret hideout was tucked away in the canals of the Mekong Delta which is hidden from overhead planes. We were able to go on small boats and float around the secret grounds. We then drove for what seemed like forever and arrived to the hotel (a very nice hotel). In Chau Doc, we climbed Sam Mountain. Imagine the ultimate Stair Master on steroids in 100 degree weather with high humidity. Yes, we conquered that climb! In the end, it was completely worth it. We could see out for miles and even a glimpse of Cambodia!

On the top of Sam Mountain in Chau Doc

Can Tho was another stop on our Mekong Delta Tour. We were adventurous and ate snake, coconut worms, and tried hot cup massages. In Can Tho, we got on another boat and saw the floating market, feed catfish at a catfish farm, and saw the Cham village were we visited a Muslim Mosque.
Finally, we were able to experience true life in the Mekong Delta during our home stay on Green Island. We stayed in a place with mosquito nets, cots for beds, and no electricity until after 6pm! We were able to bond, nap in hammocks, and drink Ca Phe Sua Da (Iced Coffee with sweetened condensed milk). We ventured to the markets, played pool, and participate in campfire games including the Umbrella Club and the story game.

The bike ride to the homestay

Today is our last day in Vietnam as a group. We traveled back to Saigon/HCMC after seeing workers pop rice and then taste it! Our last day has been nice, we were able to have lunch on our own and had a few hours of free time.

Our final meal was filled with great conversations, memories, and gifts. The students prepared gifts for our fearless leaders Thuy'Anh, Rocky, and Truc. Julie and Brandon made "paper plates" (they do not sell paper plates in Vietnam so they used paper) awards! There were awards like Chi's Bridge Builder Award, Yen's Undercover Comedian, and Thuy'Anh's Mom Award. The 4 students from Hanoi University made wonderful cards for the American students! They wrote individual notes about how the American students have impacted their lives, memories they shared, and inside jokes!

Well, this is our last post in Vietnam. It has been a great time filled with life changing moments, life long memories, and great friends.
Tam Biet (good bye) Vietnam, we will miss you!
We will all be heading home whether that is Saigon for Truc, Hanoi for the 4 spectacular girls, or a very long trip back to America for the GIEU students!

GIEU in Danang and Hoa Mai center

Hai Van Pass - on the way to Da Nang

The first day at Hoa Mai center
Hoa Mai center has around 40 orphans age from 3 to 18 years old and they are supported to go to public school. During 4 days working in the center, we focus on planting trees and drawing the mural due to the limit of time and huge amount of work. However, we also had great time to interact with the children: drawing pictures, teaching them some English songs or playing sports. Language barrier or local dialect was not a matter and we have seen big hugs, hands in hands, big smiles of sharing and caring among GIEU members and people in the center.

Drawing time with children

One of the projects that we worked on at the Hoa Mai Center was to plant mango trees, flowers, and hanging garden. The flowers were just for scenery but the mango's will hopefully be able to provide shade and fruit over time and have a lasting impact.

Planting trees

Working at Hoa Mai orphanage center.

Another project that we worked on was creating, designing and painting a large and colorful mural together. The mural was about 12 feet high by 18 feet long - so there was a lot of work involved! It was one of the biggest murals that GIEU Vietnam has ever done so we knew we had to work efficiently in order to get it done. As a group, everyone first drew some ideas down on a piece of paper and collaborated afterward. Every person had a say in what they wanted on the mural, and we ended up with a beautiful piece of work, commemorating both Vietnam's and U of Michigan's culture. We primed the entire wall with white paint on the first day and then proceeded to trace the design on. Then, the colorful (and messy!) painting started and as everyone helped out - we finished the entire mural within just a short period of 3 days! Our theme behind the mural was "Reach for the stars" and we wrote this inspiring quote in both Vietnamese and English on the wall. "Vuon toi uoc mo", a translation for "Reach for the stars" was displayed proudly in Vietnamese over the top of the mural.

The completed mural

Our last project was a performance performed by the Hoa Mai Center kids, and GIEU students. The performance included Vietnamese and American songs, games, and a performance of Snow White organized by Paul, Ngan, Chi, and Linh. The ceremony was a success and after presenting the kids with books, and two bikes, then saying goodbye we left.

Here is the video clip of "Snow White and the Seven dwarfs.

On Friday we spent the day exploring My Son and My Lai. My Son is the site of temple ruins from the ancient Cham kingdom, Hindu people that held power in south Vietnam. The temples were used by the Cham people between the 7th and 15th centuries. However, the area was used by north vietnamese during the war and was therefore heavily bombed by the United States, so today many of the temples have been partially or completely destroyed and parts of the area still haven't been cleared to visit due to UXO (unexploded ordinance) contamination.
After exploring My Son we headed to the site of the My Lai massacre and memorial. The My Lai massacre resulted in 504 civilian deaths, many of which were women, children and elderly. There is a museum on the site which has pictures from the massacre; many of us felt that the the pictures selected and subtitles given were particularly anti-American in nature, not merely highlighting the tragedy of the event itself. In addition to the pictures of the massacre they also have pictures of the recovery that has occurred since the village was destroyed. After burning incense in front of the memorial we walked around what remains of part of the village, mostly just a few cement foundations.

Keep learning more about the Central Part of Vietnam

We were able to visit the demilitarized zone of Vietnam which surrounds the old border between North and South Vietnam. We saw an influential military base at Khe Sanh as well as a battle site at Hamburger Hill. The battle at Hamburger Hill proved important in fueling American anti-war sentiments during the Vietnam-American War. We were also able to visit a series of underground tunnels that the Vietnamese constructed near the shoreline of the South China Sea in the demilitarized zone. Many civilians hid in these tunnels for many years to escape bombs (and some craters can still be seen on the surface).

Hien Luong bridge at Ben Hai River (Between North and South during the war

We went to two different mausoleums in Hue: one for a great Vietnamese king and the other for a Vietnamese puppet king who was controlled by the French during the colonial period. It was interesting to see the differences between traditional Vietnamese architecture and that which was French influenced. It was interesting to learn that after a new dynasty took power in Vietnamese history, the mausoleums and ancestral worshiping sites of the previous dynasty were destroyed. This was done in an attempt to reduce the good fortune of the previous rulers enough so that they could not recapture the throne.

Hue Citadel

In the past few days we have spent a lot of time on our caterpillar bus. We have gotten many fantastic pictures of the beautiful scenery of Vietnam both in the highlands near Laos and near the shoreline of the ocean. Although the ride can be nauseating at times, the view is always breath-taking. We have spent a lot of time bonding on the bus through mafia, clapping games, songs, and conversations. Our Vietnamese friends have taught us a lot of useful words and phrases including "kem" (ice cream)and "nong qua" (it's very hot). They taught us how to flirt in Vietnamese which we all consider to be a very useful skill. We have also used the bus rides to catch up on our reading, writing, and sleeping. Look for pictures (of both the scenery and everybody sleeping on the bus) on the blog and on facebook shortly.

Play Mafia games on the bus

Today we arrived in Da Nang. We will be spending a week here working at an orphanage. We have many plans to utilize our individual talents to help the kids here. We have all been brainstorming ideas for a mural that we will be painting. Julie and Evan hope to use their artistry skills to make it as beautiful as possible. Paul hopes to write some poems for the kids to help them learn some English and to make them smile. Chi hopes to use her experience with children to help make the kids at the orphanage comfortable while we are there and to help foster our relationships with them. We are looking forward to making it happen in the next week!

At Hoi An, the Ancient town near Da Nang city

We all miss Danielle very much and are glad to hear that she is safely back in the States. Get well soon!

Great Times in Central Vietnam

At the Khai Dinh Mausoleum in Hue

We have been in the old capitol of Vietnam, Hue (pronounce ha-way), since yesterday. This city is situated on the perfume river (which Sam came up with a great story about why it is called that). It has been very hot and humid, but we all are enjoying our time in this historical town. We had a chance to visit the citadel yesterday and enjoy some of Vietnam's great history. Today, we went to many different spots including Thien Mu Pagoda,, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh Mausoleums. We got to ride on a boat down the perfume river and visit the sites.

At Thien Mu pagoda

Earlier this week, we were able to help plant trees at kindergartens in A Luoi, Thua Thien Hue in the Central of Vietnam. We planted about 90 trees total at 3 different kindergartens.We worked together in the heat to finish the job. After we finished planting, we were able to interact with the kindergartners. We played games with them, heard Vietnamese children's songs, and even sang the U of M Fight Song.

Planting trees in A Luoi

Having fun with the kids

Brandon and Julie came up with a fight song for Hanoi University. Since Hanoi University does not have a fight song, colors, or a mascot, they decided that the Green and Brown Geckos would be best suited. (there have been some small lizards here and there!). Here are their lyrics to the tune of Hail to the Victors:

"Hail to Hanoi University,
Hail to the Green and Brown
Hail, Hail to Hanoi the place for us all!

Hail to Hanoi University,
Hail to the Green and Brown
Hail, Hail to Hanoi, hear the Geckos call

Go Gecks!"

Singing along

More great times to come soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More GIEU stories from Yến (Hanoi University)

Here is more GIEU stories from Yến, one of the four students from Hanoi University who joins GIEU Vietnam this summer.
Sweet memories

Hamburger Hill

This is the picture of Hamburger Hill, Vietnam during the battle of Dong Ap Bia, May 1969
















And....., Gieu 2010's members at the same spot and angle of view 41 years later.

















Truc

Hi my name is Paul Rink.

Hey everybody! I think I finally figured out how to work this blog thing. Here's a little about me:

My name means "That which is better than Danielle"

I went to Ha Long Bay three days ago and it was one of the top five experiences of my life.

I like to write limericks.

I can do the charleston, salsa, and swing dancing.

I like thunderstorms, sunsets, mountains, mountains, and bridges. I especially like when clouds eat mountains.

I don't sleep. I just blink.
Turtles and otters are my favorite animals.

I have one sister who goes to school in the upper peninsula. She is a special lady.

I will have a complicated love life, torn between three lovers. I will have three kids, a lackluster career and a long life. I will get married at 26 to a woman whom I love greatly, but who has little talent, moderate levels of attractiveness, and lots of money.

I am from northern Michigan where they grow them conservative.

GIEU Vietnam 2010 is the best experience of my life.

Have a good night everybody.

-Paul RInk

1st Week - The beginning in Ha Noi

Xin Chao (Hello)!

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

This week we spent in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. We've done a bunch of crazy and exciting things such as visiting the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and even shopping in the Old Quarter.

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

We traveled outside of the city to Ha Long Bay experiencing the beautiful scenery that Vietnam has to offer.

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

We've gone to several lectures ranging from culture to the economy.

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

One day we spent in a village donating books to a new library in Bac Giang.

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

From GIEU 2010 - First week in Hanoi

We also visited the "Hanoi Hilton" prison where prisoners of war were held during French reign and during the Vietnam war. This evening we're departing to Dong Ha in central Vietnam on an overnight train. Keep looking at the blog for updates of our travels.

Tam Biet (Goodbye)!

GIEU Vietnam - a quick hello from Hanoi

This is a virtual postcard from TA in Hanoi:

So GIEU Vietnam is the first GIEU site to start this summer.
Everyone has got to Hanoi, Vietnam, safe in one piece (though one piece of luggage was missing, and then was collected on Monday)
The first part in Hanoi is more of exploration and getting to know Vietnam but it seems everyday is fully packed.
Hanoi is hot and humid, in comparison with temperate weather in the States. Vietnam has Monday off as the extended day of the long weekend holiday.
After a long and busy day, I could find some peaceful moments as the day ends to think of the charming Hoan Kiem Lake. There is a always tranquil place in the middle of the bustle and crowded city that one can find peace.
We will update with more real activities and thoughts from the students.
- Thúy Anh-

First of May in Hanoi

Some cool articles about Hanoi, the starting point of May in our journey
- Introduction
http://travel.nytimes.com/frommers/travel/guides/asia/vietnam/hanoi/frm_hanoi_0197010001.html
- 36 hours in Hanoi : http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/travel/05hours.html
- The awakening of Hanoi: http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/02/18/travel/18hanoi.html?fta=y
- Bites in Hanoi: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/travel/08bites.html
- Hanoi's Cafe society : http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/09/travel/hanoi-s-cafe-society.html?scp=1&sq=Hanoi%27s%20Cafe%20Society&st=tcse
- Phở, an old love on the streets of Hanoi: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/08/13/dining/13HANO.html?pagewanted=1
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