URBAN DOMAIN 2024

Vietnam Yellow – Day 2

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Exploring Hanoi

By: Will and Ole

Today was the first full day in Vietnam for us, and the first day that we really got to explore the city of Hanoi. After a long, well-deserved sleep it was time for a buffet breakfast at the hotel. The food was delicious, and ranged from pho to noodles to croissants. It was good to sit out on the balcony and take in the amazing views of the surrounding buildings and the continuous stream of motorbikes. To begin our activities for the day, we met our guide Huang in the lobby before setting out on a brief walk around the streets and to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. The tomb was bigger than we could have imagined, and we all wondered how one person could deserve all of that concrete. We then had a brief history lesson with Huang, where we learnt all about the timeline of Vietnam from the French colonisation to now, and we got an insight into the tragic but amazing lives of Vietnamese people throughout the years. Next, we ventured next door to the homes of Ho Chi Minh, discovering how he lived the simple life, but was worshipped by the entire country. We were all surprised that he turned down a larger palace, and instead chose to live in a much smaller house on stilts. After a couple of perilous road-crossings, we were back at the hotel getting packed and ready for the busy afternoon that lay ahead.

Afterwards, for our first taste of real Vietnamese cuisine, Huang took us to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant where we tried traditional rice paper rolls and, for some of us, our second bowl of pho for the day. It was unique and different from the Vietnamese food back in Melbourne. After lunch we took a bus to visit the Australian Embassy of Vietnam, where we were greeted by the ambassador of Australia in Vietnam. From his speech, we got an insight into the relationships between Australia and Vietnam across all aspects of the economy, from trade to defence. Next, we took the bus to the old quarter of Hanoi, where we had a walk around the markets and took a tour on electric buses around the busy roads. After a quick introduction to bargaining from Huang, it was time to go shopping. Off we went in our groups to the shops selling everything from shoes to ‘happy pants’. It was a ‘big experience’ being independent and making our own decisions, as well as being fully immersed in the culture and ways of shopping in Vietnam.

After a tiring shopping session it was time for Huang to take us to a traditional water puppet show. It was certainly an interesting experience, however it was difficult to understand the story because it was in Vietnamese! By the end of the show, everybody’s stomachs were growling and it was time for dinner. We made our way through the jam-packed streets full of sellers and congested traffic. When we finally made it to the restaurant, we were excited to see what food would come out on the plates, It was a wide variety of food, from pumpkin soup to fried catfish, which we all enjoyed very much. At the end of the night, everyone was very tired and ready to get some sleep for the upcoming challenging day which will consist of travelling to Mai Chau to commence our house-build.

Wifi may be limited in the village, so we will update the blog when we can.



Vietnam Yellow – Day 1

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We have finally arrived in Hanoi after a long day of travelling. We’ve checked into our rooms and are looking forward to a good night sleep and an exciting day tomorrow. We will post again tomorrow. 

Vietnam Red – Day 2: Museum’s, Parliament gates, Shopping and a Great Race

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Day 2 Ho Chi Minh city

Today we woke up to the sound of our 7am wake up call. We were met at breakfast by a giant Vietnamese buffet. This was different from many of us as we had only ever experienced western buffets. There were foods like pork bun, fried rice, dumplings and wide variety of fruits. After breakfast we got on a bus to head to the parliament gates where Sunny, our tour guide, informed us about the rich history of the street and gates before us. In 1975 a tank crashed through the Parliament gates to protest the union between southern and northern Vietnam.
Next, we took a 10 minute walk to The War Remnant Museum. Along the street we were met by Vietnamese making a living by selling produce, such as food, sunglasses and other miscellaneous items. Once we arrived at The War Remnant Museum we were given our own time to experience the interesting but confronting history of the Vietnamese/American war. Throughout the museum we learnt about the effects that the Americans left in the after math in the Vietnamese war. One of the most explicit and damaging parts of the war was Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a chemical developed by the Americans, sprayed over Vietnamese to not immediately harm the victim but which severely deformed future offspring. 4.8 million people were sprayed but only 3 million were affected. We also learnt that Australian and American soliders that were exposed to the chemical brought it back home and the same effects occurred. At this exhibit some of us were deeply affected by the horrendous images on display, however it is important to be informed about this important aspect of history.

Before lunch, we visited the biggest market in the whole of Vietnam. This was quite a busy and intense experience as we do not have markets like this back in Melbourne. The shop keepers were quite hands on as we found that this is their livelihood. Our money conversion cards proved to be very useful when bargaining. For most of us it was our first time bargaining but we quickly adapted. Some of us got accosted aggressively which was quite funny but painful when we spent more money then we should have. We came away with better bargaining skills and emptier wallets.

After a quick and spicy authentic Vietnamese lunch we went started an adventure race around Ho Chi Minh. During the race we visited icon buildings, rode on cyclo’s and tried intense South East Asian exotic fruits that were new to us with some interesting  results. Our last stop on the adventure was the tallest building in Vietnam where we saw Ho Chi Minh city in all of its contrast. After finishing the race we went for a well deserved dinner where we tried a wide variety of new Vietnamese cuisine. On the walk back to the hotel we saw a family friendly festival. The roads were closed off and lots of different music was playing. We are looking forward to a change of pace tomorrow where we will be visiting an orphanage and RMIT university. Bye till tomorrow.

Ash C, Lauren E and James K

 

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Vietnam Grey – Day 1 

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We have landed safely in Ho Chi Minh City, checked into the Blue Diamond Hotel, and had a delicious dinner at the Cyclo restaurant!

Update – Vietnam

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Dear all
I have just spoken to our tour leader in Vietnam about the tragic Typhoon that hit Nha Trang yesteerday . We do not travel to Nha Trang but do visit Hoi An , where there was some flooding.   We believe that Hoi An will be fine when we get there, the typhoon has now dissipated and , whilst Hoi An is prone to flooding, the water there quickly dissipates as well. Our groups will not be there  until the 13th November – ( 15th for yellow) and we do not believe it will effect the Big Experience itineraries at all. That said , everyone will be keeping a watch on the weather , and will make changes if need be.