Author: Annabel Southey

It has been a privilege and a pleasure to travel with the Fireflies over these past 18 days. We took away a group of school children and are bringing back a fine group of young adults. They have risen to every challenge with maturity and a readiness to help others. A highlight for us was the way they worked together on the house build in the Mekong – we were incredibly proud of the initiative and kindness they showed towards each other and the Vietnamese villagers. These efforts were magnified due to the oppressive heat experienced during the day and overnight. You should feel very proud of your sons and daughters, and they will have many stories to tell once they’ve caught up on their sleep!

Thank you.

Robyn Marshall, Chris Raudys and Bel Southey

Our last full day in Vietnam has finally arrived. After one of our last buffet breakfasts we headed off on the bus to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Since Ho Chi Minh’s body is currently in Russia being preserved for future generations to see, we spent our extra time wandering around the Presidential Palace grounds. It was a beautiful spectacle of lakes, amazing houses and stunning nature, perfect for taking some nice photos.

Next we entered the Ho Chi Minh Museum. Here we learnt about Ho Chi Minh’s influence on Vietnam and his relationship with other countries. In the Presidential Palace grounds was the magnificent One Pillar Pagoda. The tranquility of the fish-filled pond surrounding the pagoda, mixed with the vibrant touristic atmosphere, provided us with a peaceful ending to our visit to this historical area of Hanoi.

After roaming the Old Quarter for lunch, we were able to complete some last minute shopping.

Our final activity for the day was returning back to Australia for an hour. The Australian Embassy provided us with an insight into Australia’s aid provided to and relationship with Vietnam. We had some really interesting speakers from different areas of the Embassy who helped us to understand why Australia’s partnership with Vietnam is so important.

To finish up our last full day we had a lovely group banquet dinner in a fascinating restaurant which had bird cages hanging down from the roof. The food was absolutely delicious and a great way to spend our last dinner in Vietnam as a group. For an exciting twist, we headed to a funky karaoke bar. Mrs Marshall and Miss Southey really got into the groove of it with a passionate rendition of “I Will Survive”. Many other students also had a crack in full voice – the best we’d ever heard – uncovering many hidden talents. Tired from the massive day, we headed back to the hotel to pack our suitcases and hop off to sleep.

Tomorrow we head home!

Tia and Jessie

Awaking on the train, at the pleasant hour of 4:30am, we stumbled into an awakening Hanoi. After yet another buffet breakfast, we began our exploration of the city at the Hao Lo prison, nicknamed ‘Hanoi Hilton’. This prison was originally built by the French to hold political prisoners. The Vietnamese that were held there were subjected to horrific tortures and living conditions. The trip there was a confronting one and allowed us to reflect on the hardships faced by many.

After the historic visit we went to the markets to view yet another side of Hanoi. The markets were busy and full of life, allowing us to buy some last minute gifts for loved ones back home.

Before dinner we were treated to an outstanding performance of puppetry. But not just any old puppetry- the famed Hanoi Water Puppet Troupe. The show consisted of puppets in water controlled by sticks and accompanied by traditional Vietnamese music and singing. The performance was interesting, and even had fire-breathing dragons, fish and phoenixes.

Today was a great day, and it’s scary to think we have one full day left before the plane trip home.

Frances and Jacqui

As the day began, reality started to kick in – we have only five days left of our Big Experience which is very exciting for some, but for most is quite sad. Today was the train journey to the last city on our trip, Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital of Vietnam and is the main city of the North.

We started the day with a boat ride to a pagoda. This pagoda was home to a lot of orphans who were raised to be monks; however, on their 18th birthday each of them will be given the opportunity to become a full monk or leave. When we got back to the hotel we checked out at around 12pm. From the hotel we had a short bus ride to the station for a 13 hour train trip to Hanoi. On the train we are in small but cosy cabins with 4 beds and a small table which we have been using for card games like President and Cheat.

The train journey has given us a lot of time to think and reflect on the trip that has been. Family, friends and even little things like our phones and iPads have all been on our minds and as the trip comes to an end and we approach Hanoi, it feels like we are closer and closer to arriving back at the South Road gates.

Tom Wilson

Tonight the Fireflies catch the Reunification Express overnight train to Hanoi, and will not be able to post.

So here are a few more photos from yesterday in Hue.

We started the day with an early morning breakfast with seasonal fruits, omelettes and bacon. We then left by bike for our long journey to the citadel. We enjoyed a tour by our guide Sunni. We saw where only the king and his family could go and how it was severely damaged in the American War. We then rode to the colosseum where once a year an event was held by the king where a lion or tiger fought an elephant. Every year the elephant would win (primarily because the tiger had its teeth filed). It was very interesting to see the tiger scratches inside their cages.

After a nice look and some photos around the colosseum we rode to a side shop where they made incense (and conical hats) and had a cool refreshing drink. We went to a Buddhist pagoda which served vegetarian food that was delicious and made my taste buds tingle. It was enjoyable to learn about one of the many religions of Vietnam – a type of Buddhism where many Gods are believed.

After we had enjoyed our beautiful lunch we had a calm and fun ride back to the hotel. We all wanted to go for a swim so we went to our rooms, had a shower, and enjoyed a cool swim in the roof top pool which was on the 11th floor. The pool was extremely refreshing and had amazing views of the city of Hue.

Once we had completed our swim we came down to the lobby ready to go out to dinner. We separated for dinner and went to a restaurant of our choice. We went to a restaurant called Ushi which had very tasty and lovely western food along with some traditional dishes. Ushi had a pool table where we spent time enjoying a game of pool. After we came back to the hotel we went to our rooms for a shower and packed our bags for the train.

Alex, Ben, Chris