Chào các cô và càc bạn,
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| Our group photo :) |
Mình tên là Qùynh Thơ. Mình là sinh viên năm thứ tư, học ngành kinh doanh. Cuối tuần mình thường chơi quần vợt, và mình thích xem phim hơn mua sắm. Sau khi tốt nghiệp mình sẽ du lịch bụi ở Đông Nam Á.
I visited Vietnam in 2008 because I heard that it is a country rich in culture and the people are very friendly. Together with a friend, we backpacked from Hồ Chí Minh City to Hanoi for nine days.
I remember the bustling city of Hồ Chí Minh and how there were remnants of American culture present, as the Americans had occupied the South of Vietnam during the war. In particular, I had my first bowl of phở bò at a restaurant that George Bush had apparently dined in when he visited Vietnam.
At the outskirts of Hồ Chí Minh city was the Củ Chi tunnels. What striked me was how narrow the tunnels were and how the Vietnamese soldiers in the past were agile enough to navigate through them. Even I had trouble entering them!
I loved the beaches in Nha Trang and enjoyed parasailing over the blue sea and pristine, white sand. I recall the labyrinth of small shophouses in Hội An with rows of quaint tailor shops and coffee houses. I made a top and a skirt in one of the tailors and it was very cheap!
I went to see the water puppets in Hà Nội and walked around the park in the city. Somehow, the culture of Hà Nội seemed quite different from Hồ Chí Minh. I thought Ha Long Bay was beautiful but overly mentioned in guidebooks. Besides, its beauty was tainted by the number of noisy tourists visiting it.
I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and intend to return soon to visit Sapa.
Qùynh Yến
I visited Vietnam in 2008 because I heard that it is a country rich in culture and the people are very friendly. Together with a friend, we backpacked from Hồ Chí Minh City to Hanoi for nine days.
I remember the bustling city of Hồ Chí Minh and how there were remnants of American culture present, as the Americans had occupied the South of Vietnam during the war. In particular, I had my first bowl of phở bò at a restaurant that George Bush had apparently dined in when he visited Vietnam.
At the outskirts of Hồ Chí Minh city was the Củ Chi tunnels. What striked me was how narrow the tunnels were and how the Vietnamese soldiers in the past were agile enough to navigate through them. Even I had trouble entering them!
I loved the beaches in Nha Trang and enjoyed parasailing over the blue sea and pristine, white sand. I recall the labyrinth of small shophouses in Hội An with rows of quaint tailor shops and coffee houses. I made a top and a skirt in one of the tailors and it was very cheap!
I went to see the water puppets in Hà Nội and walked around the park in the city. Somehow, the culture of Hà Nội seemed quite different from Hồ Chí Minh. I thought Ha Long Bay was beautiful but overly mentioned in guidebooks. Besides, its beauty was tainted by the number of noisy tourists visiting it.
I really enjoyed my trip to Vietnam and intend to return soon to visit Sapa.
Qùynh Yến
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| Qùynh Yến |
Mình tên là Qùynh Yến. Mình là sinh viên năm thứ hai, học ngành hóa học. Mình thích nghe nhạc không lời và pop Hàn Quốc.
Although I have yet to visit Vietnam, I have a fond memory of it because of the trip my father and my brother took a few years back. They went to visit my uncle who was working for a chemical company in Hồ Chí Minh City, but I was unable to join them because I was sitting for a national exam. They came back with lots of pictures, stories and a whole box of vacuum dried jackfruit!!
Some of the things that intrigued me were the shoplots in Hồ Chí Minh City (narrow, each one a different colour from the next and how the floors were not level to the others), the large number of motorcycles on the streets and the places of interest they’d visited.
They also couldn’t stop gushing about how fresh and cheap the seafood was. And being huge beef lovers, they had Vietnamese beef noodles (phở bò) for breakfast every day!
Thinking back, Vietnam was so foreign to me, especially the language and now, with some basic Vietnamese, I am looking forward to the day where I am able to experience the country firsthand. And not forgetting to stock up on those delicious jackfruit chips ;)
Quỳnh Vân
Mình tên là Quỳnh Vân, tên tiếng Anh là Yun Hui. Mình học ngành kế toán. Hiện nay mình là sinh viên năm thứ hai. Mình thích đọc sách và nghe nhạc.
I do not have any prior experience with Vietnam prior to entering National University of Singapore (NUS). Last year was my 1st year in NUS and I was offered accommodation in Sheares Hall. I get to know the first Vietnamese friend in my life. She is from Hà Nội, a scholar of ASEAN scholarship and I get to know certain “things” about Vietnam like there are Chinese in Vietnam. This piece of information is as good as nothing but it is a good start for me getting to know Vietnam more.
Why did we choose Hội An?
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| Night view of the famous Japanese bridge |
We chose Hội An because Hội An is an interesting old town which is not “modernized” yet. The buildings in Hội An are well-maintained and it is a small quite town which is free from the hustle bustle of a typical city. It is a heaven for backpackers where you get to enjoy life, take things one step at a time, without being rushed here and there. The breath-taking scenery of Cửa Đại beach, the soft sand, vast blue sea, the clear sky… everything at the beach is just perfect for anyone who wishes to be away from their usual daily activities. The Cù lao Chàm island is painstakingly beautiful, a place where tourists can appreciate the beauty of mother earth as well as relax themselves by diving into the deep blue sea. Sumptuous seafood could be found at here as well. Hội An is a fusion of history, culture and nature. A quiet, peaceful town with traces of its past glory well maintained even after thousands of years.
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| The charming beauty of Hoi An |
While doing this project, we learn more about Hội An, its history, its culture, and its people. We learn what is the locals usual means of transport, we know that there are cooking lessons offered in Hội An, and there are bicycle tours which is unique to Hội An. My passion for Vietnam develops over the past 12 weeks when I learn Vietnam from my 3 beloved and friendly teachers. The project is indeed an eye-opener for me as I get to learn about various UNESCO heritage sites of Vietnam which I am determined to visit someday. Armed with the knowledge I learned in class, I could at least communicate with the locals without much difficulties.
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