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!