This past week I made a return visit to Vietnam and it was even better than my first trip back in 2011. Here's my journal for Feb 8-Feb 13. We spent a total of 6 days on land and it felt so good to be navigating the city, bargaining in the markets, and eating new foods.
Vietnam Day 1:
Duty Day!
I helped with disembarkation and once off the ship I hit the
streets with Ana and Oli. We tried to get money from the ATM for me (with no
such luck) and ended up at a rooftop bar overlooking the city of Saigon. We
listened to live music, danced with the DJ, and had fun cocktails!
Vietnam Day 2:
Travel Buddy: Local
Life on the Mekong Delta Field Program
Highlights include:
o
2 hour bus ride to Thia Village Pier where we
boarded a small motorized boat and took it to an island
o
Visiting Nam, 82 year old lady who grows fruits
and makes rice paper for a living. We got to take turns making the rice paper (100%
rice) and had a small snack of coconut jam, rice paper, milk apples, and a rice
cracker with hot tea
o
Bike ride through village back roads to the home
of a lady who makes fried donuts for school children for a living. We got to
roll the dough and eat our creations with hot tea
o
Lunch on the motor boat to An Binh island. We
had elephant ear fish, spring rolls, rice, steamed vegetables, soup, and
chicken
o
Homestay location was beautiful! Indoor and
outdoor showers in each room and the grounds were very serene.
o
Making dinner with the homestay staff! Spring
rolls, banana and rice wrap for breakfast, and stir fry.
o
Playing card games with the students after
dinner.
Vietnam Day 3:
Travel Buddy: Local
Life on the Mekong Delta Field Program
Highlights include:
o
Breakfast at the homestay
o
Row boat ride to see Dong Hing, a music/dance
group perform Hat Bo, an ancient traditional performance that is very popular
on the delta
o
Bus ride to Can Tho, larger city on the Delta
o
Bike ride through village town to a fruit
orchard
o
Free time to explore local markets, a Pagoda,
and the supermarket
Vietnam Day 4:
Travel Buddy: Local
Life on the Mekong Delta Field Program & Myself
Highlights include:
o
Waking up at 5am to catch a boat ride from Ninh
Kieu pier to Cai Rang floating market
o
Visit to rice noodle making location (50% rice,
50% tapioca)
o
Amazing buffet breakfast from hotel
o
Visit Binh Thuy ancient house. 19th
century home that was built by the French and is wide as opposed to tall, like
the Vietnamese build home.
o
Experiencing 5 hours of traffic and hectic
driving stopping for lunch at a very fancy rest stop restaurant for lunch
During our drives, I learned from our tour guide that 16% of
Vietnamese people are uneducated due to a lack of funds. They pay school fees,
uniforms, books, desks, lunch etc.
After a pit stop in my room, I went straight to the local
shopping market. The main market was closed but everyone was setting up for the
night market that occupies 3 streets. I dove in deep to the bargaining and
snagged a few souvenirs that I love! Nike shirts for my guys, a fun Pho shirt
for Xavier, and a pair of elephant pants for myself. I found Happy Feet, which
was a massage parlor so I stopped in for a 220 dong/$9.50 hour long foot, leg,
neck and back massage. It was great and even came with hot ginger tea!
Vietnam Day 5:
Travel Buddies:
Christian, Gabe, Oli, Ana, Charlie
We started the day by walking to the Vietnam War Remnant
Museum. The entry fee was $50,000 dong ($2.15 USD) and spent 2.5 hours
exploring, learning, and touring the museum. There were a ton of pictures,
guns, missiles, and a few cages/jail cells.
We found a food court that had a variety of food and outdoor
seating so we made that our home base. We then split up and I leisurely bought
snacks in the local Circle K, got a basic mani/pedi for 140 dong ($6 USD), and
bargained for a few shirts and a purse from the big market.
Dinner was a fun one where a group of 15 SAS staff went on a
foodie tour. I had a personal moped driver named Knee. She was from the Mekong
Delta and will graduate from college in August 2019. She lives with her friends
and they sleep on the floor without a mattress, just like she has done all of
her life. We had 5 stops on the tour. He had Bun Bo Hue, a Vietnamese soup
similar to Pho. I think I like it better than Pho! We drove through Chinatown,
a night market, and lovers lane where coupled go to spend time alone together
since most live with their parents. We also had bbq (frog, pork, okra, salad,
and local beers).
My favorite parts were riding around on the motorbike,
trying frog (similar to chicken), and spending time with my new friends!
Vietnam Day 6:
Travel Buddy: Cu Chi
Tunnels Field Program & Oli
I woke up early (6am) and met with the Cu Chi Tunnels day
program to explore the region where Vietnamese military built tunnels to avoid
and defend against the US Military in the Vietnam War. What an amazing
experience. The tunnel entrances were completely camouflaged and very tight.
o
Tunnels occupy 150 sq meters
o
Location: 75 km from Saigon
o
Tunnels are 3-4 layers deep
o
Medical services, kitchens, communal space, etc
were all located underground
o
Food was grown or fished and neighboring
villages farmed food for the military personnel too
After returning from the trip, I went to Pizza 4 P’s in
Saigon with Oli. We splurged and had a chicken tandoori and margarita pizza. We
then made one last stop at the Ben Thahn shopping market where I bought a pair
of sunglasses for $2. I purchased and mailed post cards at the major post
office in Saigon and spent my remaining dong at Circle K where I stocked up on
cookies, a candy bar, and a fun cider drink for the ride back to the ship. What
a great week!
