Vietnam Philanthropy Tour – Part 1
In trepidation and excitement, we arrived early at the airport and endured the formalities and sprawling queues of customs. Once everyone’s bags were checked and we were safely aboard, so begun the eight-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City. After a layover in the aforementioned city, acclimatising ourselves to the new culture, language and food (with some of us making the first of our ill-advised dong-spending decisions), there were some delays with the flight, the resolution of which the cabin crew celebrated through a mesmerising multicoloured light display. Meeting our new tour guide, the illustrious Dong, and following our Global Learning Expedition connections Ben and Ross, we wearily boarded the bus to our hotel, where we were given our accommodations and collapsed in bed for the night.
In the morning, we enjoyed a buffet-style breakfast rife with culinary discoveries, with both familiar classics and exciting new dishes to try.
We set out for the remote village of Mai Chau, captivated by the towering hills of our surroundings. Mai Chau is a beautiful village among rolling green hills and enormous fields of rice, which we had the pleasure of touring through in the afternoon (despite the sweltering heat). Later, we stopped by the local primary school and nailed an impromptu dance performance led by Audrey S and engaged with the children on various riveting subjects such as Fortnite, Ronaldo v. Messi and fierce rock-paper-scissors battles. Everyone was astounded when, saying our goodbyes, they all hopped on their bikes and departed without parental supervision. We were grateful to donate over 2000 exercise books, 600 pencils, 1200 pens, 300 erasers and 300 sharpeners to the school community as a result of the generous donations from our community.
In the evening, we were acquainted with our dinner venue for the duration of our stay in Mai Chau, a traditional lakeside stilt house, where we were provided with an abundance of delicious dishes, plus some variation of potato fries to remind us of home. We were welcomed to the village by a talented group of Thai dancers, who captivated us with their performances before getting us involved in a bamboo dance. It was tricky and technical to begin with, but we quickly got the hang of it and, when the opportunity for another bamboo dance arose later in the trip, we were pros. We also wheeled out another impromptu performance yet again courtesy of Audrey’s quick-thinking choreography skills.
Xavier M (Year 12) & Phoebe P (Year 12)