Today, Vietnam Yellow left Mai Chau province and made the 4-hour journey back to Hanoi. We stopped a couple of times along the way, once for snacks and the bathroom, and the second time for a short Remembrance Day commemoration.
We checked back into our first hotel and then headed straight back out again for lunch. Huang took us to the top Bun Cha restaurant in Hanoi- and it was absolutely delicious!!!
Next we visited the “Hanoi Hilton” prison , where the American soldiers were held during the Vietnam War. It was really interesting to see the different relics from the different ruling parties within the prison: a guilletine from the French rule over the Vietnamese as well as those from the time of Ho Chi Ming’s rule in the North. Donald Trump was due to visit the prison an hour after us so it was also pretty cool to see the American Secret Service agents outside the prison as we entered.
We then headed out for some more shopping in the Old Quarter, followed by some chill time back at the hotel. Next came another yummy dinner (so much food!!!!) and a night market (so much shopping!!!!).
Today was long with lots of traveling, walking around and bargaining but a good day overall.
Each member of the group also wrote a reflection of their time in the village while we were on the bus. We hope you enjoy reading about what we found surprising and challenging from our time in the village.
Jamie: The best part of the house build in the village for me, was definitely seeing the emotions that the family who we built the house for showed, as it demonstrated that all our hard work had finally paid off. All the hours of bamboo chopping, moving and splitting, had been rewarded with the best gift of them all, happiness and appreciation from the family. Something that surprised me was the extremely mountainous terrain that the village was located within. It was interesting to see the huge mountains towering over the plethora of rice fields down below in the valley, where the rice workers were harvesting. The other thing that surprised me was the attitude and positivity that everyone as a whole in Vietnam Yellow showed throughout the entirety of the build. Not only did this make for a much quicker building time, but it also allowed for everyone to enjoy themselves most of the time. The whole house building experience made me feel extremely grateful for all I have at home, and also very joyful when I saw the family and villagers, kindly accept the gift of a lifetime. Even though the work was strenuous and used a lot of vital energy, it was definitely all worth it for the awesome end result and reactions from the family.
Tallen: Throughout my time at the build village, there were various parts that were very enjoyable such as playing volleyball with the local builders or walking through thick mud just to bring back some bamboo, but my most favourite part of the time spent at the village was just seeing the final results of what our hard efforts had gone into. Although everyone contributed to tough work and tired by the end of the day, it was a pleasure and a relief for me personally to see the final results. When building the house, the most surprising thing was watching the builders (not us!!) just casually climb the tall structures and work so calmly without any safety equipment. After experiencing this, I wondered about many things. One main question that kept on flying though my head was have these people actually fallen and hurt themselves or are they just secret spider-monkeys in disguise. Although they were professionals, this still made me feel slightly nervous for them as anything can happen nowadays.
Sam: My personal favourite part about the village build was seeing the gratitude and happiness displayed on all the villagers faces. For me, the villagers surprised me the most with their sense of pride and connectedness with the people around them. It’s something we, as Australians don’t experience as much with our neighbours, and the people living around us. The house build experience gave me a large sense of pride, knowing that I helped in making that family’s dream come true, and putting in additional money to purchase a cow, this is because before organising our group to come and build for them, that family thought they would never be able to have a home like the one we helped create for them.
Hugh M: I enjoyed two things about the village build, one, the walk to the village allowed myself to enjoy the vast plains and grand mountains surrounding the village, although the walk was tiring especially after building the house, the scenery was beautiful along the walk. My other favourite aspect of the village build was putting in the hard work and seeing the appreciation and gratitude of the family. As a group we improved their lives by constructing the house, a house that seemed unlikely to be built without our help. Cutting the bamboo and creating different parts of the house was strenuous, but ultimately rewarding. The one part that surprised me the most was the accomodation. Going into the village I had the preconception that the accomodation would be even more basic than it was and I also believed that we were staying amongst the building site, however this was not the case. The accomodation was good, but simple and far better than what was previously expected and we also stayed in an alternate village, not with the family or the village in which the building was taking place in. What I felt whilst developing the house and also finishing it was, gratitude for what I have and a sense of fulfilment in putting in the effort towards completing the house and being rewarded with appreciation. I think I may do something similar to this experience again to help out people in need. I wonder how the quality of life for the family will improve with a better house and also our donation of a female cow for farming and goods selling purposes.
Charlotte: One of my favourite parts of the village build was the hike through the rice fields surrounded by mountains. This walk showed me the most beautiful place I’ve ever visited and I enjoyed it immensely. I’ve never visited a place quite like Mai Chau and was amazed by what we got to see every day. During the house build I had thought that the amount of work (although very tiring) was minuscule compared to the work the Vietnamese builders were doing, however on the last day of the build when we handed the house over to the family it was incredible to see just how grateful and emotional they were for the work and fundraising we had done for them. At the end of the second day us and the villagers played a game of volleyball, I was shocked to see that two groups of people from completely different lifestyles, parts of the world and being unable to communicate with one another managed to come together and enjoyed themselves through a game of volleyball.
Mia: There were many highlights to the village house build. One of which was the connections I built with the villagers. Both old and young. I met a young girl named Chook. She taught me one very important lesson: to appreciate the smaller things in life. I learned this by watching her play with bubbles for hours on end. A bright smile would glow on her face every time that the bubbles were blown. This brought me so much joy, seeing someone so happy with something so simple. On the last day we gifted her with a bubble blower with a fan on the top. To see the excitement on her face made me feel so warm inside. Not only did I connect with the younger generation I talked a lot with the older locals. As I was chopping bamboo many men came up and corrected my technique and showed me how to do it at a more efficient speed. This was interesting to be a part of because as there was a language barrier I learned through demonstrations, this lead to many laughs as I struggled to get the hang of it. I also found the final ceremony of handing over the house very touching. Many of the women were crying of joy and gratitude, hugging us and thanking us with bracelets. This showed how you don’t need words to express your thoughts and feelings. Overall the village house build was an incredible experience that taught me many things. I am so grateful that I get the opportunity.
Tilly: What surprised me most about the village was their hospitality and the sense of community portrayed by the locals. Even though we come from two separate countries, brought up in with different languages and cultures, this proved no barrier as we all had a common goal and that was to help out this family. The village community excepted and welcomed us with open arms, providing lunch for us every day and welcoming us into their homes which we were extremely grateful for. As well as welcoming us into their homes and lives, they continuously offered assistance and help toward the house build, teaching us their ways and helping us when we needed it. Even though we are miles away from our homes and lives, it can be very easily said that we were welcomed into theirs. The look on the family’s face when we handed over the house was one that will not be forgotten easily, and will become a very fond memory of mine for a long time.
Oleana: The house build in Mai Chau village was extraordinary. I might not get any opportunity so rewarding and special again. There were many aspects of the house build that I loved. One being meeting the family. It was a grandma, her son and daughter in law and their family. Their family used to live in an old shack the size of the middle school bathrooms. It was so heartwarming to know how much of a difference we were going to make to this amazing family. The second highlight was handing over the house. This was truly a memorable moment for me and I am sure for everyone else. I was so proud and I had a great sense of pride over what we had completed. They were so grateful and I knew I had turned a whole family’s life around. Emotions were running high and it was such an overwhelming and worthwhile experience. What I found most interesting through the house build was that the use of a ball and net could turn all faces into a smile. The simple things in life that we sometimes take for granted are used in these villages as a way to amuse everyone. I have definitely learnt an ample amount about myself and my capabilities. I can’t wait to see what is in store next!
Jordan: When we arrived at the village it was crazy, we had a massive welcome from the family and the builders that were there. It was really quite amazing experience especially getting a opportunity to paint a picture for the family to be hung in the house. It was a very special moment with everyone and working with the builders and family, even though we couldn’t speak their language and they couldn’t speak ours we did bond with them. One little girl from the village helped me with the painting. It really was unique and a one in a life time experience (I know that sounds cheesy but it really was interesting and special). I think everyone who will come back will say it really was a good choice picking Vietnam. :/
Isabella: the village Vietnam Yellow travelled to was a unforgettable experience. Each day in the village was full of different surprises and moments to remember. Everything about this experience surprised me. Never in my life would I think I would be able to help one family in so many ways. What surprised me the most is definitely the fact that the language barrier had little to no effect on the bonding and friendship between the St Leonard’s students and the villagers. The most special moment was definitely the ceremony of thanks once the house was completed. Watching the family thank us for so much help was incredible.
Rosie: Traveling to Mai Chau and building a house for people who were so grateful was an amazing experience. My favourite part of the house build was handing the family’s new home over to them. Their expressions and emotions were so genuine and made the whole Vietnam Yellow group feel so incredibly proud of all the work they had done. As well as this, I also enjoyed having assistance and help from the people who lived in the village. All of the people living in village were so helpful and had such genuine values. Throughout working in the village, I felt many emotions, the main ones being exhaustion, pride and happiness. Overall the experience during the past 4 days was unforgettable.
Maddy: Travelling to this village has really opened my mind about the world we live in. The number of privileges and opportunities we get is incredible and sometimes I think we forget about people who aren’t as fortunate as us. I feel so grateful and appreciative to be able to have this experience and be able to help this family feel as lucky as we do. My favourite moment from the trip was handing over the house to the family. I don’t think I can ever forget the expressions and emotions they portrayed during this moment, seeing how genuine and grateful they were was extremely moving and it will be a very fond memory of mine. One thing that really surprised me was how even little things gave them happiness. They didn’t need expensive, fancy objects to enjoy spending time with each other, all they needed was each others company and friendship. Overall the trip and been a once in a life time experience and I’m so grateful to have this amazing opportunity.
Mak: The village we were lucky enough to built in was so much more than what I expected. There was a real sense of community and love within it and everyone was happy to help out. Having most of the families watch us build made me realise how special what we were doing was. It surprised me how the actual houses were built. I couldn’t really picture in my mind how a bamboo house would work. However, if I’ve learnt anything this trip, it’s how resourceful the Vietnamese are so the design and efficiency of the house was amazing. I became friends with the youngest daughter of the family which we were building for and it made me realise how much we, as a society living in a rich environment, rely on materialistic things back at home. She was fine playing for hours and hours with leaves and bubbles, nothing more. It really makes me wonder how different our world would be if we focused on the important things like family, friends and love. The extent of our hard work didn’t fully hit me until the 80 year old Grandma, along with the rest of the family and me, started crying during the house handover. To think that we potentially helped to save the grandma’s life by allowing the family to spend their money on medicine instead of a new house is incredible. We each received a bracelet which was handmade by the daughters of the family before saying goodbye to the community and to Chook (the little girl). The goodbye was nearly as emotional as giving them the house as we had finally done our job and could leave the community to grow and thrive. It’s definitely opened my eyes to the privileges and support I have at home and will make me focus more on what really matters. Xx
Lexie: My favourite part about the village we built in, was how communal everything was – the neighbours, the extended/immediate family, friends and other builders were all happy to help out with the house build in any way they could. The thing that surprised me the most about the village experience was how the language barrier wasn’t really a problem. Even though the builders couldn’t speak English very well and we couldn’t speak any Vietnamese, we still managed to communicate our ideas in creative ways and were able to understand instructions and emotions. At the ‘House Handover Ceremony’, I felt so accomplished, appreciated and appreciative. As a group of students and experienced workers, we were able to build a house for a family in about 3 days. Once the family started crying and expressing their gratitude, it kind of created a chain reaction – they started crying and then other people began to tear up (I was one of them, along with Makenzie). The father of the family said that this village was our “second home in Vietnam”, and that if we ever wanted to visit again, we’d be most welcome. This made me think about coming back in ten years time, almost as if it were some sort of reunion. I then started to wonder if anything would’ve changed – would the village look the same? Would Chook (the family’s youngest daughter) be finishing school? Would they remember me and the St. Leonard’s students?
Spencer: My favourite part about of the village was not the buildings or the a actual place that we were in, but the people that lived and worked there. I have never seen people so grateful or hardworking as the people that we met. Throughout the build, the whole group learnt more about hard work and friendship than we could have imagined, watching everyone work hard together determined to create a better life for a family living in their small village. Even when our group weren’t at the village working on the house, the village continued to tirelessly work more hours than was expected, before our group had even reached the village on the first day the whole frame of the house had been built and almost completely put up. It was really surprising to find how throughout the time we were in Mai Chau, the language barrier between our group and the Vietnamese people was almost non existent. Although a lot of the time we may not know half of what the conversation is about, the villagers managed to portray their thoughts through expressions, gestures and common words. While helping to build this house, it made me feel very happy, making a difference for people who aren’t as lucky as us, giving them something that they both need and deserve. I also wondered throughout this experience what the family would be doing in the following years, if they will now have enough money to create a better life for themselves and if they will have the necessities to live their life how they should.
Hugh.S: My favourite part of the village was the time when we were playing experience was quite funny seeing Mr Probyn-Smith (Mr P.S) playing against some amateur volleyball players even though Mr P.S is an ex Australian volleyball player. Their determination not to try to lose was especially evident when they finally managed to return one of Mr P.S’s serve. The thing that I found the most surprising was the communication and how they were able to communicate with the English speakers even though we didn’t know any Vietnamese. For example, the time when we were carrying the floorboards we had to communicate whether it was a big side of the bamboo or the small side. The end ceremony definitely had some feelings and you could tell that the family was very thankful and gratuitous for the house and the gifts. I am greatly privileged with the opportunity to build this house.
Robbie: My favourite experience of the village was teaching the locals how to play AFL. It was very fun and felt very good to teach something completely new to people. Getting many of the men and children involved in our game definitely put a smile on my face and it was a generally friendly experience. What surprised me from the village was how productive and involved every person in the village was to building this home. Everybody made a contribution to the project which was something I wasn’t used to as in Australia house builds are much less personal and definitely don’t result in an entire neighbourhood getting involved. Because of this the build had a much greater meaning to not only the family but the town itself. I felt very rewarded and happy once the project was project was complete. Seeing how grateful the family were really opened my eyes to the situation they were previously in and made me wonder how I would feel if I were to be in their shoes. I also felt very thankful to have such an opportunity to change the life of a family.
Alec: The village was a very interesting place full of unique people, what surprised me the most was how genuine and nice the village people were. Also how much English they spoke and how hard working they are. I really enjoyed the hands-on work, and getting smelly and dirty. It made it all the more satisfying. However, I wonder if the house was stable and good enough to fit the family in, and hold them up. Also, I think that they were really happy and impressed in our abilities at building a house. It made me feel so good, seeing the family and villages faces once the house was finally built, the tears, appreciation and smiles made the build a whole lot better. I am so happy that I raised the money, and that every cent made a difference to this family. After walking into the village and seeing a house that is smaller than our classrooms that was home to 5 people, to seeing a fully built, stilt house after only 2 days was incredible. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we were given, and I would visit the village if I was to come back to Vietnam.
Jack: The two things I enjoyed most about the village were watching the house finally come together thanks to all our hard work and effort after days of chopping bamboo, moving leaves and nailing wood for the walls. I also loved seeing how happy and grateful the family was after we had built their new home with the help of some of the other local villagers. The thing that surprised me the most about the village how even the elderly members of the village were still seemed very active and healthy for their age, and some were even playing with the children while we worked. I think the whole experience helped make Vietnam Yellow into one big team working together to achieve their goal and it also helped put into perspective how lucky we are to have so much while some people have so little.
Aiden: My favourite part of the village was stepping back and seeing the final product. The house had come out really, really well and the family that we were building for were very emotional seeing their lifelong dream come true, and finally having a house that they will live in for generations. The most surprising part of the village was the community involvement and how enthusiastic the people in the village were to help us build the house. After seeing the house up, it was very inspiring seeing a family who have had nothing for so long to finally have a very beautiful house.
Seb: My favourite part about the village was seeing how happy and overwhelmed the family were when their dream of a better house come true. As they had been trying to save up for ages, seeing their house being built in 3 days brought the biggest smile to theirs and our faces. The most surprising part of the village build was how physically demanding it was and how everyone had to play their part to build the house. A lot of blood and sweat went into this build which made the whole processes even more rewarding than just raising the money. Throughout building this house, I felt so privileged with all the things I have had growing up. Even when we gave them an AFL ball, they seemed so excited to learn to play with it and have fun. These were things that I have taken for granted growing up. Overall the village build has made me more grateful for what I have and really is a big experience.
Harry: My favourite part of the village build was seeing the reaction from the family of the house we were building for. The family was completely overwhelmed by our efforts to build the house and they could do nothing but praise us for our work. I was very surprised by how quickly we ended up building the house. We starting from a small frame and in three days we had built a large house for a family previously living in a small shed. After completing the house I felt very privileged to be part of such a wonderful task. To build a house for such a poor family and make their lives so much better was a wonderful thing to be part of.
Beau: My favourite part of the village was seeing the look on the family’s house in the hand over stage. The family got very emotional and were truely astonished and thankful that we had helped them out. I was surprised mostly about how many people would eventually live in the house and how we were able to lift the heavy frame onto concrete stands. The techniques that were used to transport the materials and build the house were very old yet efficient. The use of bamboo also surprised me and how it can be used for so many things from floors to huge poles to lift palm fronds onto the roof. After the house was complete, I was truely thankful for what I have at home, and what my parents do for me. The experience of being with the people on the village and building their house was an eye opener to me and it makes me more appreciative of what I have and use in my everyday life.
Matthew: My favourite part of the village experience in Mai Chau, was hanging out and getting to know the locals. I really enjoyed immersing myself within a village environment, as well as socialising with a whole group of new individuals. Another notable highlight was actually handing over the practically finalised house. The most surprising part of the village build was the ability and helpfulness of the locals. I somewhat underestimated their input into the build, but was pleasantly surprised when they offered literally all of their free time. The entirety of the experience can be summed up in one emotion, gratitude. The build made me feel very grateful for everything I possess, as seeing the family react after receiving a newly built house, was very emotional. It made me feel very privileged with my life, and made me feel pride in giving back.
Austin: My favourite part of the village experience was meeting the locals and getting to know their unique and similar personalities. I enjoyed submerging myself in a tropical environment and working hard beside my friends and village locals, working towards a similar goal which was worth every second. Another significant highlight from my experience at Mai Chau, was handing over the almost complete house and hearing the gratitude that the hosts had to portray. The thing I found most surprising in my experience, was finding out how various tools like machetes are used to manipulate the bamboo into making components of the house. Watching the house form from start to finish has given me immense pride. I feel like I now understand a little bit about what it is like to be a less privileged, and feel like I have changed a deserving family’s life for the better.
William: My favourite part of the Mai Chau village was sharing my amazing experience of building a house, and changing a family’s life, with all of my friends and some very friendly locals. It was a very enjoyable time working with the Vietnamese builders and the people from school, and I made some amazing connections with different people. I was very surprised in the village when I saw that the people, who were living very simple lives, were very happy with just their families. It made me appreciate how privileged we are, and that material possessions aren’t the most important thing in life. In the village I saw a wide variety of things, and these included the traditional stilt houses, lots of animals and all the happy people. In the village I felt very determined to help the villagers that were in obvious need of assistance, as well as feeling very proud once the house was finished and in the hands of the family. In the village I wondered what the family would have done if we didn’t come in and build their house, as they were obviously very poor. I also wondered how this house would change their life in the future, as I heard from other stories of houses being built that the children from the family started to go to school, as well as the family having a new source of income with the cow. Overall, my experience at Mai Chau was a positive one, and it made me appreciate what I may have used to take for granted.
