Hanoi and Halong Bay

Hanoi was a great city. We stayed in the French Quarter and ventured by foot around town. The French influence on the buildings were not as striking as I thought, but the architecture and feel were definitely distinct (as well as the communist flags on every house and business - even the little pineapple stands along the road). After a day there, we headed on a bus 3 hours northeast to Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin. The drive up was awesome - passing rice terraces, villages, palm trees, homes and shacks right next to each other. The tall narrow homes (to avoid property taxes) and the big corporations stood out as well. It was very interesting. Apparently three years ago, the government built a bunch of tall homes outside of the city of Hanoi to create 'suburb-like' areas outside of the city, but no one wanted to move there, so now they are just abandoned.


Once we arrived at Halong Bay, we boarded a boat, had fresh seafood, and embarked on an overnight journey on the water. It was absolutely breathtaking (pictures coming soon) - the rocks and islands were peeking out of the water which made it look like a huge dragon - hence the name (?). We got to explore different caves in the bay, and climbed the highest point in the bay (about 500 steps) for some more amazing views. That part was really fun, but literally by the morning we were all suffering from cabin fever. Let's just say we weren't staying on any luxury cruiseliner on the water.

Then we headed back to Hanoi, and then onto a flight to Dien Bien Phu. There we visited a war memorial, cemetary, and history museum. It was reminiscent of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. One of the most memorable moments was climbing up A1 Hill, a famous site where the Vietnamese defeated the French, and all of a sudden 3 young men came running down the hill as fast as they could. We all stared with bewildered looks, then within a matter of seconds, the hardest fiercest rain we've encountered thus far hit with strong winds. We were all soaked, and our Vietnamese tour guides (who have been with us the whole time here) said it looked like the gods were shooing us away from the bunker. It was pretty powerful to see the areas, and the cemetary.




The REAL highlight of Dien Bien Phu for me has been visiting the ethnic minority village to begin some of our service. We spent an afternoon at a local schoolhouse (with walls made of bamboo and dried mud, and roofs of banana leaves and straw). Our first stop in the journey was to the Xa (Kho-Mu) people. Unfortunately the community secret police were there and the chief of the village was made to distribute the items we brought. We gave the children clothing, basic school supplies, and much more. The biggest challenge was the language barrier. I had to try hard to fight the tears away, the children looked so sad and scared to see us. Then when we started playing with them, they started to warm up to us. I played catch with this young boy (about 4-5 years old), and he wouldn't stop. I also was able to leave a SWLC bag with the teacher of the village, and took a picture with her. We were taking pictures of the children and showing it to them on the cameras... they were amazed and intrigued.

Now, I am in Paso, a small village in NW Vietnam, near the Red River, on the way to Sapa. We will be here for two nights, and will be visiting some more small ethnic minority villages, thje Black Thai (Thai Dam), and Red Zao. The road here was insanely beautiful. I don't think I've experienced a more scenic drive (other than Big Sur). The mountains were green and lush, and the road was winding all over the place. This part of the journey is definitely the heaviest and the most rewarding. Its very weird though, as we want to capture the moments on film, I can't help but to feel bad about taking pictures. The only way I can is by connecting with the kids/families and showing it to them afterwards - as part of the experience.

That's all for now. Overall, it's been absolutely amazing, humbling, and refreshing to experience another culture, interact with the people here, and enjoy the sights. The conditions of some of the homes have been eye-opening (again, somewhat similar to some areas in the Philippines). It definitely makes me appreciate everything we have, and in some ways makes me envy the freedom of simple life some have here too. I've definitely questioned the lens and perspectives by which I'm experiencing different feelings and reactions to what I've seen. It's all about the journey.

p.s. the food in Vietnam has been fantastic, and it's been fun being adventurous with our meals, but I'm definitely going to stay away from certain specialties (Thit cho). Next on the agenda after a few days in Paso, Sapa.