The story of my Vietnam trip does not begin with the plane ride, but with the informational meeting, the original, months before. I was reluctant, actually uninterested, in going to Vietnam for my Spring break. Why should I waste my break in Vietnam of all places? I always had an appreciation of the Vietnamese but did not carry a desire to actually meet them. I attended the meeting because two of my best friends, John and Chris, wanted to go to Vietnam. I can assume why they wished to go but, an assumption would be the best I would have. I generally stay late after school out of boredom and without homework to do that night I willingly went to the meeting to see what was plan for my friends in Asia.
I knew people were going for selfish reasons: “What looks better than community service with orphans? Orphans in third-world countries!” To protect their identity I will not use their name, but ideas such as these disgust me to a high degree. This major turn off was completely nullified after the informational meeting though. The trip, although helping many orphans, was presented as a vacation. Mr. Dang’s realistic presentation, without a high and mighty elevated view from service done toward orphans, impressed me. I realized that this was a week of fun with a small portion, but substantial nonetheless, of orphanage services. Leaving the meeting I felt a desire to travel abroad to Asia for the first time in my life, besides I had to get out of the East Coast College trip somehow.
Mr. Dang gave all twenty-one or so of us a brief cultural lesson. These mandatory meetings didn’t have 100% attendance, this means you Doug, but Mr. Dang attempted to enlighten our ignorance. The meetings were divided with people ranging different grades and ages sticking to themselves even when “project” groups for orphanages were arranged, group members generally still sticked to themselves. My group was divided and before Vietnam unease and tension lingered. I attempted to lighten the mood of our group but the underclassmen of my group were reserved. Although separate, we were able to gather an enormous amount of donations.
True inter-group bonding didn’t occur until the airport/plane ride. I say this because Chris, John, and I didn’t sit next to one-another. We each made new friends with different sides of the entire group. From this general and similar spreading everyone was able to intermingle fairly well after the plane rides toward Vietnam. As socially awkward and self-conscious as I am, new friendships sprouted quickly.
Customs in Vietnam began an almost silent interaction between the natives and me. Without knowing their language I felt bad but somehow the native Vietnamese and I pieced together the right money or papers needed. My great plan to get used to Vietnamese time was, to not sleep on the plane, therefore passing out when we arrive at midnight. Not a wise idea. I am still ridiculously tired for not sleeping on the return flight from Vietnam looking back four days after returning. The bus ride toward the hotel was interesting with the façade of the city being much more derelict than what I’m used to. It was a different type of architecture but I was reading and tired so my mind didn’t absorb much. When we reached the hotel everyone around me got knocked back from the smell of Vietnam. I was confused. My inefficient sense of smell did not smell the stink of Vietnam beginning my love of the city/country.
When we started the next day, the plan was to walk to the former Presidential Palace. We walked down to a currency exchange where my affinity for math began my instant translations from Vietnamese đồng to USD. I am a walking zealot taking enjoyment from the movement. I choose to walk up and down stairs over elevators and escalators making this initial exploration of the city enjoyable. The problem for pedestrians though is that traffic light systems in this country aren’t rules but guidelines to follow if present.
It took me a couple days but I completely understand pedestrian activities in the city. The drivers and pedestrians are all mutual cautious for everyone else. Without a traffic light system a horn honk is the efficient way to present location when in proximity to others. The city was always alive with moped or car honks warning others of their daring endeavors through traffic against them. Driving through four-lane perpendicular traffic wasn’t an uncommon site. The sidewalks were designed immense to American counterparts. The outer two-three feet nearest the road would be an area where pedestrians wouldn’t linger without intent to cross the street. When located in this area every driver watches cautious of hitting a pedestrian who decides to walk into the middle of traffic. It is safer to keep walking after beginning than to stop in the middle. People will swerve around you but keeping a constant pace allows them to gage where you will be.
When we arrived at the former Presidential Palace the unmanned metal detectors went off but no one seemed to care and neither did we. We took a tour of the building but it was basically a tourist attraction mixed with a history lesson. We headed back toward the hotel. Although pick pockets and other thieves should have been a concern I felt unbelievably safe.
With crazy drivers and a packed city with poor people I felt no need to feel guarded. I felt totally at ease amongst the people and their happy faces. The city had a generally lax feel. Although every native Vietnamese worked, all day and night it seemed, they all wore smiles. Pleasing the tourist may have been their objective but they worked. I saw little beggars in the largest Vietnamese city in comparison to smaller US cities. Everyone worked except amputees and one person, whose face lacked eye lids and lips, I was unable to determine gender and making eye contact would obligate me to give money. I was frugal and reserved on my spending except when smoothies were involved.
For lunch we went to a Pho 24, a noodle shop. At this restaurant I found my favorite Vietnamese cuisine, Sinh to Dau, strawberry smoothie. Although there are accent marks sporadically spread throughout the spelling can’t leave my mind. We were warned repeatedly about drinking the tap water or any drinks with ice in it, but it took me a mere eight hours since arriving to break that rule.
We visited the first orphanage, an all girl orphanage, that day where we were greeted exuberantly. I feel uncomfortable around kids and didn’t do much with them but the activities our group did with them made them joyous. We gave balls to them but they brought out badminton for us. Some of us didn’t help the kids paint so we played with the balls and the badminton rackets and birds. The kids were very kind and much smaller than us making it awkward to play with them. One girl, the smallest of the group, had trouble keeping up with the physical requirements of some of our games but another girl took great care of her, increasing my respect for the Vietnamese.
Our bus driver was chilling on a swinging bench watching the kids have fun so we invited him to play badminton with us. He was great and professional at the game. From that point I thought he was one of the coolest people ever: driving in the wrong lanes, coming within inches of poles with his fatty bus, and being pro at badminton while always wearing a happy, warming smile.
I will skip dinner and other meals because although an experience to cultural cuisine, it isn’t fairly important to explain the food. I choose to highlight moments of shining memory and general itinerary. For the next day we went to the Cu Chi tunnels, former Viet Cong tunnel system, which has many displays and hands on explorations of the tunnels. If not claustrophobic everyone should jump into every possible hole allowed to them. Words shouldn’t be allowed to describe the experience and should be lived first hand. Bring a flashlight! To see in the dark would have greatly improved my experience.
Lunch that day like other to come was optional but I feel the need to mention this lunch because it was our first time being served by Captain. Chris, Doug, John, and I found a restaurant with a waiter with Captain on his nametag. We thought that was cool but he was very nice and super cool. He helped us and new a little English. This restaurant also had the best Sinh to Dau I tried. Captain wore a smile and was generally awesome being the coolest Vietnamese native I met. Didn’t really talk but him and his co-workers enjoyed my display on the last day where I drank five smoothies in one sitting. I saw him three times that trip and got a picture with him. This is a big deal because I am very anti-photography but for a picture of Captain I was willing to be framed.
The Me Kong Delta was very interesting. We had an excellent tour guide, with great English compared with other natives, who gave a very interesting informative presentation of the river. We went on little canoes and were paddled through a smaller stream to a village. We were fed and mauled by children wanting stuffed animals from us, returning over and over again for more although we offered only one. Adults also wanted to take toys but we offered only children. I dissociated myself from the crazy kids and let Mr. Dang and others to take care of it.
Our group exemplified its great dynamic on the return bus ride. I am a closed, self-conscious individual that never sings but on that bus ride we sang and sang. I sang more that day than I had ever sang before. Our group was all accepting as long as you could put up with some preliminary annoyances. The entire group consisted of four subsections with three intermixing fairly freely. By a free floating pair, Malia and Tiara, I was defined repeatedly and thoroughly. I am “emo” and anti- and other such nonsenses and titles which is probably true due to their evidence, experience, and research. The trip was great only because people like me could feel accepted. Punahou students may have faults but I haven’t met a clique at Punahou that rejected an individual. Individuals choose on their own where and how often they join cliques but cliques generally never reject members from their inner circle.
The second orphanage we visited and did activities in was a Buddhist one. The children here were young, because the older ones were at school, but enjoyed the Polaroid pictures and painting activities we did with them. The Vietnamese kids at both orphanages impressed me with their general happiness. It lifted me seeing them enjoy their lives so much and our helping meant a lot to me. I felt that this was a truly good deed because no one wanted to leave, no one felt the help to be a burden, and everyone probably felt the desire to do more. An institution designed to help disabled people that we visited and didn’t stay at would have been another place we wished we could have done more and helped out more. It felt weird to just stop by and leave but the institution had way too many people to help even with the twenty-one of us.
After that we went to the resort. It was a four star resort… Nothing outstanding or special and it was more laid back time for our vacation. It was in the middle of nowhere basically and lacked shopping excursions.
Every day of the trip besides those resort days had shopping trips. Haggling and searching for extremely cheap products was fun and everyone did lots and lots of shopping. The trip was a great amount of down time where people chilled at hotel rooms or went shopping / exploring. Although the days were packed they went by far too fast. On the last day we burned our money shopping some more and any left over was given to our awesome bus driver. As a personal thank-you I gave him a $20 bill and he was shocked. He was really happy at the airport when we asked for a picture of him.
We boarded our plane to Korea and I felt the excitement in me build. I hate Hawaii temperature, thinking it is too hot, how I survived in Vietnam astounded me, but in Korea I was expecting 50’s degrees Fahrenheit boiling the joy inside outward. People changed into jeans and sweaters to plan for the cold. I scoffed and wished to take in the cool to the highest level I could. As I walked out of the airport in a t-shirt and shorts, I smiled.
In Korea we went shopping in a market absorbing Korean culture. During the entire layover in Korea I missed Vietnam, and I still do. Pangs of yearning for the loud streets and enjoyment are surprises. I usually don’t enjoy big trips and it could be said I don’t enjoy large social gatherings but this is a trip that I don’t think I can forget easily. The true memories and friendships made could last forever and I hope they do.

David Gans