Vietnam!

Sorry all for not posting in such a long time. I was trying to post every weekend but it hasnt been that easy (more because I am lazy!). I want to try to post twice this week to catch up. This is a busy time of the year, but I want to put more pictures of Singapore online.

Recently, I have been spending so much time on NUS's campus. I really need to get out of my room and see what there is to do! As I make take these new adventures (like going to a jazz club last friday) I will try to keep posting.

Vietnam! I went to Vietnam a week ago. This past week has flown by. Vietnam seems like a blur, but there are so many memories that I want to share.

First, the schedule. We flew to Da Nang and took a train to Hue, the old imperial city. It was beautiful. We walked around the city, and at a local restaurants that were geared for tourists. However, I had so much fun trying Chicken Tacos in Vietnam. It was just chicken and cheese of a bunch of small sopapia type things!

We walked through the citadel, and was interesting to learn things about the imperial culture. Nine is the holy number, so there were a lot of urns filled with water all in a row of nine.

Below are pictures of the imperial city.







Next, I got my palm read by a man who lost his father to the vietnam war. He told us his story, and said that he was studying buddhism as a way to cope with his lost. He read my palm, and told me about my future. It was very interesting.
The next day we went on a bike ride to TU DUC Tomb. The bike ride was the best part. We rented bikes for the day which cost us 1 US$. The bikes were old and used, but they work. I didnt care because i was focused on getting us there and navigating through the traffic. The traffic in Hue was nothing compared to Vietnam, haha! There are so many motorbikes. The infrastructure is there, but people just dont follow the rules that are set infront of them. They have no public transportation, which seems odd for a Communist country. Youd think that government should fill those roles. Even if they did have public transport, I dont think people would use it. Family all ride on the same motor bike. Kids practice their skills with training wheels in the middle of dangerous streets. It was quite a difference from home.

We than went Hoi An which was very pretty but very touristy. I got a suite and white pants made at the tailor place. Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage site, so they are trying to preserve it. I find that by doing so it takes a lot of character away from this very unique place. I found myself more stressed that white people were around, than trying to talk to locals.

Below are some pictures from that trip!

these are silk worms. they grow the silk and then make the tailor clothes from them. this was a tourist ploy to get us to come into the store.
The next night we spent in Da Nang which wasnt very nice. We then flew back to Ho Chi Minh City. This city is amazing. So much traffic, kissing in the park, people asking for motorbike rides, and prostitutes. the people were so friendly, and Thuy are hostel front desk person was amazing. I did Ho Chi Minh on my own, because I needed time to myself after traveling with 4 other people I only met a month and a half ago. I met some people from the cast of Roger and Hammersteins Cinderella with Lea Salonga (voice of Mulan and Jasmine from Aladdin). They were so loud and open, and entertaining. I was really able to have fun being myself in a foreign country. We were still culturally sensitive, and always observing, but we also just relaxed. Something I found so refreshing!

Below are pictures from the las leg of my trip!
This is Ho Chi Minhs art Museum. The paintings were so dark, because there is so much pain and death in Vietnams history. However, the contemporary work is so much diffferent, and very uplifting!
This was our hotel. We stayed in the backpacker area, and it was a great experience!
The Reunification Palace. The last US helicopter left of this buildings roof at the end of the war.
An example of HCMC's traffic.

I loved Vietnam! I would definitely go back. I guess that Vietnam will soon be an example of how communist countries dont have to be 'backwards' in their development. The people seemed happy, and like they were moving on with their lives. There were so many mothers, fathers, and babies. This country, I guess, will be important 50 years from now.

Until next time...