Hanoi, Vietnam Learning Journey 2016

“7.6 million people and 4 million motorbikes” .. Mr Billy laughed and said this as we curiously watched the graffiti on the roadside-walls, lepak people outside almost every building chit chatting and having drinks, crude buildings (mostly double-storeyed) and busy roads at Hanoi. I was with a group of 53 students and 8 teachers from my school, Evergreen Secondary.

As part of the enrichment programme for Secondary Three students, we travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city on 29th May 2016. Here’s the story of what we experienced and learnt at Hanoi.

Day 1

5.45am.. Most of us reported to school sleepy and tired but still exhilarated about our overseas learning journey to Hanoi, Vietnam. We arrived at school with our large travel bags and backpacks, and awaited for further instructions. At 6.25am we made our way to Changi Airport. At 8.40am we boarded the plane, excited and jubilant to finally be on our way to Hanoi. That was that, we flew to Hanoi.

No Bai International airport, Hanoi, took me with a surprise. No Bai airport was one of the best operated airports that I have been to. We met Mr Billy, tour guide for our group (we were split into two groups. I was in group 2) who started to share with us about the wonderful history of Hanoi. Mr Billy told us that No Bai airport, the highway to the airport and the Nhat Tan bridge to the airport (opened only a year ago) will stay for long as it was constructed by a Japanese company. (Haha.. the trust Japan has earned from the world!!)

The unique blend of oriental and western charm in Hanoi was evident in each and every road we passed by on our way for lunch at Red House restaurant. We were so lucky to try out authentic Vietnamese spring roll for our first meal at Hanoi. As such our journey at Hanoi started with a sumptuous meal.

Soon after the check-in at Flower Garden Hotel, we set off to visit the Old Quarter Hanoi. The old-styled narrow streets full of antique brick houses bore the energetic life of locals who gathered to sell their products. Sparkling silver products to simple and beautiful paper products were displayed. As shops at Old Quarter Hanoi catered mainly towards tourists, it was not difficult for us to find varieties of souvenirs.

My bargaining skills proved as a blessing to get lots of souvenirs such as magnets, hand fans and bracelets for a reasonable price. As souvenir shops filled one stretch of the street, shops full of shoes and sandals named after reputed brands filled the other stretch.

After an hour of shopping, we proceeded to watch the famous Water Puppet Show that featured traditional lifestyle of farmers and fishermen. I was astonished at the art form which was only a leisure activity for farmers while they wait for the crops to mature. I learnt how significant it is to preserve cultural practices and traditional art-forms for future generations.

These art-forms are the heart and soul of the community that brings people together. The water puppet show was accompanied by traditional instrumental music and Vietnamese songs. Puppeteers stood in the waist-deep water behind bamboo curtains to control the puppets and tell stories about agricultural work, farmers catching frogs and chasing fox that tries to catch ducks and fishing.

Buffalo-boy playing flute, Thang Long festival drumming, Dragon’s dance, Phoenix’s dance, Unicorn’s dance and Eight fairies dance were also presented using the puppets. From the show I learnt that dragon, unicorn, tortoise and phoenix are the four sacred animals in Vietnamese culture. I loved the show as it explained traditional lifestyle of Vietnamese in a simple and humorous fashion.

After the show we had a delicious dinner and headed straight to the hotel for debrief. Though tired and sleepy, all of us were excited to share our views on the activities for day 1. It was interesting how the same observations left different impressions for different people. My first day at Vietnam taught

me the significance of preserving traditional customs and beauty of simple lifestyle.

Day 2

We woke up to a delicious breakfast served on the top floor of the hotel. Fried rice, sausages,baked beans..

We left the hotel to depart to Ho Chi Minh mausoleum where the body of the first President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh, was preserved and Ho Chi Minh’s House On Stilts.

Ho Chi Minh led the Việt Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the Communist-ruled Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954. He lived a simple life. He was not comfortable living in a big Presidential house, so he requested that a smaller house be built for him.

When Ho Chi Minh moved into his new house, there were only three rooms–a bedroom, a dining area and a study room. People of Vietnam still remembers of Ho Chi Minh fondly and addresses him as Uncle Ho.

Next we visited the One Pillar Pagoda, built by a Vietnamese emperor to worship Lord Buddha. The story behind the structure is that the emperor wanted a son, but did not have one for years.

One night, he dreamt of Buddha on a lotus flower, holding a boy out to him. He built a pagoda in the shape of a lotus flower to worship Lord Buddha. A few years after he built the pagoda, the emperor’s son and heir to the throne was born.

We then proceeded to the Temple of Literature, a temple to worship Confucius, which was built in 1070. 6 years later in 1076, the ruler at that time opened a school behind the temple to provide higher education to the people. Thus, that became the first University of Vietnam. Students still visit the temple to pray for bright academic success.

We continued to Bat Trang, a seven-century old ceramic village in Hanoi. We were tasked to create something from a lump of clay that was provided.The instructor was skilled and was able to create various shapes from clay. It was a fun experience as all of us got a chance to literally get our hands dirty and make a ceramic product on our own.

After a whole day of rich learning we returned to the hotel, had our debrief and went to have our well-deserved rest.

Day 3

On the 3rd day, we went to Hanoi Ethnological Museum that exhibits artifacts of different minority races and tribes of Vietnam. It was a fascinating place that taught me about Vietnam’s diverse community and how the different tribes were able to live in piece with each other.

From the exhibits I learnt that around 86% of Vietnamese population belongs to the Kinh tribe and they reside the cities. Rest of the minority tribes still live in mountain areas. We got to see tribal houses such as longhouse and tribal communal house.

Next, we went to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum. The exhibit was built from what was remaining of the French Prison to recreate and educate people of the torturous treatment that freedom fighters had to go through. Most of us were horrified by the thought that it was able for a human to inflict such damage to another human.

It made me think about how important it is to stay together as a community despite the differences. It also got me appreciate the peace that we have in multi-ethnic Singapore.

We went back to hotel reflecting about the hardships of our ancestors that we take for granted for the peace and harmony that we enjoy in Singapore.

Day 4

It was time to return home. All of us thanked Mr Billy and his team for guiding us through a wonderful learning journey in Hanoi. It was definitely an enriching experience. Excited to travel back home and have a nice Teh Tarik with my family, I bid farewell to the humble city of Hanoi.