Group 4

Hi there, we are Group 4

Our members are Sheila, Axel, Avinash, Malcolm, Lorraine

Join us on this fantastic Vietnam Learning Journey!

Pre-trip souvenir buying

                                             


One oft the challenges that we faced  was that we had trouble fixing a date as everyone had different schedules(tuitions,CCAs...etc) .We did not have many days to meet up so time was very precious.
Another challenge was that we had to decide on  a place to  go to buy the gifts that represent Singapore.These gifts are more commonly found in touristy places so we decided to go to Bugis. Another challenge that we faced was when we had to decide which gift we should choose as they all seemed to be attractive.We thought that having landmarks such as Merlion,Marina Bay Sands,Singapore Flyer will help the Vietnamese students understand the Singapore identity .Lastly,we faced the challenge of deciding on whether  our group gift(goodie bag with sweets ,biscuits ) would be appealing to the Vietnamese students.We chose the food based on what children really like.

                        

DAY 1:The journey begins...

 Probably many of us were too excited, we were counting down the number of days, probably even the number of hours left to the trip.. We assembled in school at 6am, some were late, but all of us reached by 6.15am. Though it was very early, nobody complained because everyone was happy to go on a trip together as a school. We took some photos before we entered, with our new peincipal, Mr Lim. He then gave us a short talk, wishing us a safe trip to Vietnam. We entered the gate, cleared immigration, and the teacher gave us 45 minutes to do whatever we want. And again, no one reached the boarding gate late. As we got onto the plane, we did our own personal things.. Some watched movie, some slept and some played games.

Here is a fast-forward clip of us landing safely in Vietnam




Our plane at Changi Airport

This looks like candy but they are ceramic figurines from Minh Long Ceramics

Not long after, we have safely reached Vietnam! We met our tour guide and got onto the bus. The tour guide introduced us to some of the history of Vietnam. We had some of their local food

 and it was good. Many of us actually thought it wouldn't suit our taste but it actually did. We couldn't finish the food so we were playing games like guessing the number and scissors paper stone, loser will have to finish the food, and that's how we cleared almost everything.

We then took a bus ride for about an hour to Minh Long Ceramics. Weather wasn't on our side but thankfully we were indoor.  We first painted a plate that was already prepared for us and then headed to watch a short clip about how making of ceramics developed over the years. We then took another hour to go back to where we were to have our dinner.

Dinner was fine but some of the food was spicy. But they had many other good food too! We didn't do anything much so we went back to the hotel for debrief and now we're in our hotel!

 Day 2:Life by the river

We started the day at 5.30am (viet time) and left the hotel on a 2 hours journey to the Mekong Delta river which stretches from Chine to Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and finally reaching vietnam.

Once we reached the rover we boarded a boat. Here is an image of our first stop at the Mekong ricer where we saw how their sun drying was done

After that we sat off to the coconut candy and the crispy rice cracker and crispy noodles where we not only got see how it was made but also try them when they were fresh and even managed to buy the ones we liked!

here is a photo of the wines that they use

After going to the workshop we made our way down to the mudfishing area where some of us went down into the mud to experience mudfishing first hand

Although the day was very long, i can safely say that almost all of us enjoyed ourselves and were really happy to have experineced all this magnificent things what the vietnamese are doing!


Day 3:Going back to the haunting past

We started the day by taking a 2 hr bus ride to the reowned Cu chi tunnel . The tunnel is used by the North vietnamese to hide from USA and south vietnamese bombings during the vietnam war

Once we reached the Cu Chi tunnel , we saw how narrow the Cu Chi tunnels were and the traps the North vietnamese soldiers created to fight against the Americans and South Vietnamese soldiers.  The following video shows how the traps works . We also got to interview a war veteran and got first hand information about the war .

After spending time at the Cu Chi tunnel ,we went to the Thien Duyen Orphange. These children are people who suffer from the side effects of the Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a chemical weapon which has affected people over 3 generations. It is really upseting and sad as they are innocent civilians who have to suffer the consequences of the war.

Subsquently, we went to the War Remnant Museum. We saw what weapons did the soliders used during the Vietnam war . We also got to see the effects of agent orange and got to see toture methods used by the South Vietnamese and Amercians. The image at the bottom shows the rifle used by the Americans .

Today we got to see the effects of the vietnam war and the negative impact of chemical such as the agent orange which has affected many people and its effects are still felt today

Day 4:Back to school

Today has to be one of the most exciting day. Guess what we did? We visited Hong Ha school in Vietnam, quite near to the airport. Every few minutes, a plane would literally fly so low above the school. When we first arrived at the school. We were warmly welcomed by the students of the school. They were so welcoming , inviting us to have  seat and they were the ones who kick start the conversation with us. We were shocked because usually all these students are very awkward and we thought that they would not open up much.

After having a short introduction and learning about all the family relations. We introduced them to all the traditional games that we used to play when we were young. Games such as "kuti kuti, pickup sticks, five stones and also chapteh". Guess what one of our student got really popular with the girls because they though thag he looked like a korean popstar and they were all fangirling over him. Some even asked for his number and took photos with him.

Following that we had a scrumptious lunch at one of the local restaurant. Most of it sold was the famous "pho".

After a 1 hour bus ride. We went to  a coffee house to see how the coffee gets processed. It is a very long and time consuming process but that is how the coffee is made for us to drink. Fun fact: people in Vietnam do not act sugar to their drinks. They add condensed milk to the drnks. Almost half of a cup.

Finally we went to the night market and bought alot of items. Sadly many of the students fell sick and had stomach cramps amd they went back to the hotel.

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Day 5:Home sweet home!

Today was the day when we had to say goodbye to Vietnam as we had to go back to Singapore.Time  really files when you enjoy the learning process.This morning,the teachers told us that a computer was missing.We searched high and low for the computer in the hotel but we could not find it.Through this,we learnt that we should be responsible for any logistics given to us.Luckily,the teachers found the computer on the bus.We board the bus and headed to the airport.On our way ,we passed by landmarks such as Notre-Dame cathedral and the post office.We will miss the sights and sounds of the city.

Asean members'flags

Soon we were about to reached the airport.The local tour guide sang a song that mean  harmony among mankind .We applauded for him.When we got down the bus,we collected our luggage and said bye to the local tour guide.After we cleared customs,we had one hour of shopping before the boarding gate opened.

An aircraft at Tan Son Nhat Airport  

About 1 and a 1/2 hours on the plane,we reached Singapore.After we cleared customs,we boarded the

 bus towards school which ends this awesome journey.

Changi Airport