Another must-go-or-regret-it-forever-and-ever destination in Vietnam is the Mekong River/Delta.
I will assume that if you go to Vietnam, you will be staying in a relatively urbanized city, so getting to the Mekong is a treat in itself. From the windows of whatever wheeled contraption you’re travelling in, you see giant open fields, rice paddies with non la-clad people tending them, and an overall sense of horizontality – a stark contrast from the almost suffocating, clustered cities. You can also see big, colorful clusters of monuments in the open fields, which are in fact graves. But don’t let that get you down, pretty boats are soon to come!
Sitting on the loud, vibrating riverboat is the proper way to tour the area. It is almost as if there is a city on the sea, made up of a landmass of boats. There are floating marketplaces; boats have a long bamboo pole at the stern, attached to which is whatever product they are selling – cabbage, gourds, fruits. If the bamboo pole bears nothing, I believe it means the boat itself is for sale. Many of the vessels are ramshackle, but I assume they must constantly be repaired since the river is these peoples’ livelihood.
The river itself is a muddy, opaque red, a color attributed to the clay sediment underneath. Gliding along the muddy waters, you wonder how fish can survive in it, but when you taste a fresh-caught fish at a restaurant along the river, you’ll be a believer.
In addition to seeing the lovely water foliage and some unique poor villages, you can alight from the boat to see things like brick factories (which use the clay from the river), honey farms (they bring the bees to you!), and coconut candy factories. I use the term “factories” lightly of course, as these factories consist of a few workers hand-working everything.
On the Mekong, you can see wonderful things. Besides for the Cambodian coast (just kidding, but this is a site about Vietnam after all). On the last leg of my tour, we were driven – boated, rather – to a bustling seaside city. Though it looked more like Ho Chi Minh City, it still had a unique, seaside feel. For some reason, I was tired as hell by the end of the trip even though I spent most of it sitting down. I suppose the unique and wonderful views drain you.
Arthur Zak
A small island located off the southern coast of Vietnam, Phu Quoc is, as of this writing, a mostly untouched paradise. Well, a part of it is, at least. The beauty is truly breathtaking and spectacular, but this beauty is not dispersed across the whole island. On the western part of the island stand various resorts and restaurants, ranging from upscale 5-star properties, to more affordable places. However, typical of many resort towns, everything outside of the resorts and tourist areas is poor, rural, and dilapidated. I landed at the domestic airport, a tiny, one-runway excuse for one (perhaps I’m too spoiled by JFK in New York), and took a cab to my hotel/resort. The drive there revealed beautiful resorts and hotels, and poor locals sitting at their food stands right beside them. Dogs were everywhere, though after my stay there, I learned that most of them had owners and were tame. Just like mainland Vietnam, sidewalks were basically a luxury, and thus, almost non-existent. Ramshackle…shacks…were what comprised the locals’ residences. Everything was gritty, real, and frankly, initially scary. When comparing my resort to the surrounding areas, I felt like I was entering the Pearly Gates of heaven, with St. Peter asking me for my passport and check-in signature. The lush island vegetation creates a wonderfully verdant canopy above your head, and you walk through the stone-paved grounds, past the humble cottages (yes, you don’t stay in a room, but in your own cottage), to the not-so-humble bungalows that of course cost a bit more. My Large Sea View Room was phenomenal – a high-ceilinged, spacious cabin, with an outdoor shower and two beds, perfect for whatever your heart desires. But wait, there’s more! If you call now, you’ll also be steps away from the resort’s private beach! Walking past the warm, elegant pool, and descending a few stone steps, your toes touch the grainy white sand, and then the warm ocean water. It feels like stepping into a hot bath, albeit with a ton more salt and less floating candles. And the sunset? Don’t even get me started… There are a few other things to do on the island besides lazing about your resort. Hire a driver for a day (only ~20 USD), or rent a motorbike (considerably cheaper) and drive yourself around. You can see an old Vietnam War-era prison called the Coconut Prison, the Suoi Tranh waterfalls (not as epic as Niagara of course, but beautiful nonetheless), pepper plantations, pearl farms where you can buy jewellery for your nagging wife, and Sao Beach. Sao Beach’s water is crystal clear, and so untouched by humans that the small fish swim right up to you instead of running for their lives. It is also so shallow that you can walk out until you can barely see the shore, and you’ll still only be waist-deep in the water. For food, you can eat at any of the ethnic restaurants in Duong Dong (for a touristy price), or you can take the cooler option and eat at the Dinh Cau Night Market. Open from 6 pm until midnight, it sells trinkets, souvenirs, and an obscene amount of fresh seafood, caught right off the shores of the island. There you can have scallops, sea urchin, crustaceans, and fish, freshly prepared for you, and all of affordable prices. When the new international airport is completed in 2012, Phu Quoc will undoubtedly turn into a tourist resort destination. Bulldozers and construction equipment litter the island already, and the government is forcing locals out of the area of the airport land. In a way it is sad that the virginity of the island is being taken by tourists and foreigners, but this will inject much needed revenue into the island. Sure, almost none of it will go to the local denizens, but at least more job opportunities will be available. Take my advice and try to go to this island before the new airport – and tourist floodgates – open. Relax. Take in the breathtaking vistas. Swim in the warm water. You’ll be able to brag to your indie friends later that you saw the island before it became cool and mainstream. Top resorts: Cassia Cottage - http://www.cassiacottage.com/index.htm La Veranda - http://www.mgallery.com/gb/hotel-6479-la-veranda-resort-phu-quoc-a-member-of-the-mgallery-collection/index.shtml
“Arthur, where the heck are we?” That is the first thing I said to my boyfriend when I landed in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was night but you could not really tell from the heat and the bright flashing lights. When I looked out the taxi’s window and saw the masses of motor bikes swarming in and out of traffic, I was scared for my life. I had never seen such a ridiculous scene. I would soon come to learn that there would be countless things I had never seen, never experienced, never felt, and never imagined before. And if there was one thing that could summarize my trip in Vietnam, then that was it. Arthur and I had done plenty of research for every aspect of our trip. We had looked through numerous hotels and decided on a hotel because of its location and reviews on the internet. Thien Vu Hotel was in between Go Vap Orphanage and the notorious District 1 of Ho Chi Minh City. The hotel is a family run business with kind and gracious owners. We definitely made a great choice. We got very close with the owners as they even made us dinner on our last night in Vietnam, but the fact that I knew how to speak Vietnamese and that they knew that we were here to volunteer at Go Vap Orphanage sure did help. How do I describe my first day at Go Vap? Well, for starters, it was something I had never seen before. Thanh, one of the employees there who used to be an orphan there as well, gave me and Arthur a tour of the orphanage. At each ward, there were these precious darlings with unfortunate situations. I did not fall in love with everything right away. There were so many beautiful babies without a family and really, without good medical care. I had volunteered a lot of time at the largest public hospital in New York City and I used to think that place was unsanitary and disorganized but it was immaculate compared to Go Vap. The lack of the use of gloves, hand sanitizer, and sterile material put these children in a dangerous environment. Despite my disapproval of Go Vap’s hygiene, I went on spending some time with the children in the Down Syndrome ward, I immediately felt at home and at ease. A little boy, maybe of seven or eight years old took me by the hand and showed me around the place. He told me to sit down and tugged on my hand when I did not listen to him the first time. He pulled me down to the floor to show me one of the caretakers feeding another child. He said to me “Look, she feed him! She feed me too!” The caretaker looked to him and told him to leave me alone in the most endearing way possible and proceeded to hug and kiss him. This was my first glimpse, and certainly not the last, at all the love at Go Vap. I walked into the hydrocephalus wards and went slowly through all the three rooms. It must have been most heartbreaking moment of my life. Never had I seen so many sick children with such poor prognoses. I felt helpless because there was nothing I could do. I walked into the youngest room of the hydrocephalus ward and found the sweetest children. I think I had recognized some faces from spending so much time on the Vietnam Volunteer Network’s website and Facebook, but to see these faces actually in person was a totally different feeling. After being so heartbroken, I was really down. But almost immediately, their smiles could warm you in an instant and their deep gazes into your eyes could capture you attention for a very long time. After that moment, I did not really feel my initial sense of powerlessness because I finally saw that there was something I could do. All these children desperately needed attention and love. The caretakers had too many children to take care of and could not give in their heart and soul, besides; they had their own children to take of too. However, I was here just for these children and was ready to give them all my loving.
For travelers I would certainly recommend reading Off Track Planet, for cool tips & tricks & places to tour around the world! You can visit their site via this link: http://offtrackplanet.comHere is another great article from Off Track Planet 'How to Ride a Motorcycle Across South East Asia' & riding around Vietnam on a Minsk! Enjoy!! Thank you so much to Freddie Pikovsky, CEO & Founder off Off Track Planet for giving me permission to re post this article. http://offtrackplanet.com/featured/how-to-ride-a-motorcycle-across-south-east-asia-a-step-by-step-guide/If you haven't seen it already, then I would serioulsy suggest you watch Top Gear's Vietnam Motorbike Special which is ridiculously funny as always! The boys did good!
 Kate Loring & Hien What have I gotten myself into? My first thought when everything was being arranged for me to go to Go Vap Orphanage. I was concerned that I would see things that I couldn't handle or possibly even worse, things I just didn't want to see.
Go Vap Orphanage is old, like much of Vietnam. When I entered the buildings I wondered how many children have passed through these gates/corridors/rooms over the years.
My first day was a bit of a blur. I met Mai and Sydney who showed Jen (my new volunteering friend) and I around the orphanage and helped with translating, very helpful! Everything was confusing, from what's all this purple stuff all over the babies bodies, to what are the staff thinking about me! The staff were friendly with inviting gestures and smiles, no need to be worried. I counted 23 babies laying around on the mats in the playroom, how amazing, all these babies and not one of them crying! That didn't last long! And so continues the day.
Each day after this I became more informed, less confused, and above all I began to see the need for volunteers, and this is where the work being undertaken by Kim Nguyen Browne, founder of Vietnam Volunteer Network, is vital. The support I received from Kim has been fantastic and I couldn't have wished for a better organisation to volunteer through.
Here are a few examples of what I did during my days at Go Vap Orphanage:
The special needs ward:
The kids in this area seem to have a multitude of issues. They are all different ages, all different abilities, all different personalities and they are all looking at me! I helped one of the carers move the children into the play room, which is next door to their sleep room. Some walk, some crawl/shuffle, and some need to be carried. We all sit up at the table, some children play with the toys put on the table and some just sit there, one colour’s in a colouring page. The noise is incredible...there are squeals of excitement, banging of toys on the table and floor, babbling, clapping, talking, singing, all blended with loud Vietnamese children’s music. But it is fun!
Play time continues until around 10:15am. I help pack away the toys with the carers and then the children are moved to the hallway were they are fed. This is messy business. When helping to feed the children, always have the bowl out of reach of the children, I learned the hard way. They rest at 11am.
The terminally ill and sick ward:
The rooms on this ward are full. All 3 rooms, with 18-20 children in each, all in cots. As I look around the rooms my heart starts pounding, I don't know what to do, where to go, or who to give my time (the only thing I can give at this point) to first. They have all been given their unique cross to bear. Some have Hydrocephalus, some have Spina Bifida, some have Cerebral Palsy, all have a smile, even if only for a second when you look into their eyes and connect with them. I spent a lot of my time on this ward, I did fall in love. In truth for many of the children on this ward there isn't much you can do, but if for one minute you let yourself remember when you have been sick and stuck in bed, then the thought of someone being there, sitting with you or touching your forehead can be a much appreciated and comforting feeling. So that's what I did. I sat with them and gave them human touch.
There are also the children that can move around; these kids are a lot of fun. Like any 2-7 year olds they are full of energy and love to play. They always captured my attention at some point during the morning. I found that by playing with these kids, the other children that were not able to move easily could also join in the fun by watching, listening and occasionally copping a wayward toy to the head (only soft toys) which always made them smile.
Many times I cleaned up vomit, nappies, spilt food, and drool...and there's plenty of it!
The special needs class:
My time spent with this group of kids was wonderful. The first time I met these children they were playing outside, sitting in groups and sharing some toys. It didn't take long for a few of the kids to grab my hand and make friends with me, showing me their rubix-cubes and yoyos, their most favourite toys on earth! One young boy likes throwing balls and engages me in a game, when you look at his eyes it seems impossible that he can see anything, but he has amazingly great hand eye coordination and is able to out play me with his accuracy and precision. A lot of my time is spent with this boy, he holds my hand, puts my arms around his chest so that I am cuddling him and always finds something for us to throw to each other, once taking my water bottle, drinking the entire contents in one go, and using it as a ball, what can you do but laugh.
When you are with these children you have to look past their physical features and their ages and take what you find, which is loving, cuddly, and playful kids that want to hold your hand and play with your hair and touch your leg when talking to you.
The Director, Co Loan also kindly invited me and 2 other volunteers to join her, the staff and the children on a trip to the beach. The trip was over 2 days, spending one night away. This was an amazing time, truly indescribable for the most part. The kids were wonderfully well behaved and made the most of their time away, from singing on the bus trips to playing games together at the hotel. We had 2 glorious days at the beach, splashing, swimming, playing and generally just soaking up the sun and happiness! The smiles on the kids’ faces never once faded.
My time spent at Go Vap Orphanage will be forever remember and cherished, I will return, I will do all I can to help my new friends and I will encourage others who are considering volunteering with these kids, and others in Vietnam, to do so!
Thank You to Kim for giving me the opportunity.
Thank You to Co Loan and the staff at Go Vap Orphanage for being welcoming and friendly.
Thank You to the children of Go Vap Orphanage for allowing me into your lives.
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