Street Children

Today, we got invited to participate in an English Club Session by PEC ( Parable English Club) at Bach Khoa University.

The discussion carried out was on the nature of street children, where they came from, who are they, and what can be done to help them.

A video was shown on the nature of these street children in Vietnam. They have a wide variety of street jobs, including shoe-shinning and selling of foodstuff. Most of which, often are told by their family members to go around and help to sell things or beg for money. Some are accompanied by their brothers or sisters who can play musical instruments while they ask for money.

Through this discussion, I got to know first hand the plight of these children, and what they have to go through due to the advent of poverty to some of these Vietnamese, most often they were abandoned by their families due to financial difficulties or adopted by people wanting to use them to make money. A play was later acted out, and it explained about a street child who was bullied, but later on found his parents who abandoned him and regretted her decision to abandon him many years ago. This story showcases how these street children live, and what they have to go through each day. Also showing the growing divide of rich and poor in Vietnamese society.

I couldn't help but feel pitiful for the plight of these children. And I feel that the government can do much more to help these children. This meeting was good in that it showed awareness of what was happening so that people could be more mindful and maybe provide some help for these children.

Cheers. daniel

Today discussion is on street children in Vietnam.

It is very hard not spot them on the streets. In fact, they might just come up to you begging for a hand out. Even on separate occasions when we went out with the club, we came across them roaming the streets of Hanoi. Probably some Vietnamese might not feel very comfortable talking about them and discussing about them. But there is no reason to ignore their presence, caused I feel that they are innocent victims of poverty. So I must really congratulate the parable English club for choosing this topic and showing that they actually care.

It is true that the society is still developing in Vietnam, and that most people only have enough for themselves. Therefore, I think that this is an important reason for why Vietnamese tend to look away from them. I remembered many times when I am eating in one of the stalls along the streets. Halfway through the meal, there will be one of the street kid wearing dirty and torn clothes asking for hand outs. Most of the time, it seems like the Vietnamese are used to it and continue with their meals. But more often than not, there will be a hush silence until some one gave 20cents or when the kid gave up and tried his luck somewhere else.

Every time, I found it hard to continue eating. I bought a few of them meals before, but how many meals can I buy for them? They are still so young and I really wish someone can do something more for them. I hope that they can have education, but sometimes giving them education is not enough. The economy might not have a space for them as there are just too many young people looking for a job now.

This is really a big social issue in Vietnam. Apart from the fact that education is not compulsory, thus parents can send their children to work for money and to help support the family; there are also many of them who are homeless or abandoned. I am glad that more of us can get to know about their plight. But maybe actions can be taken to. I have volunteered for a few times in one of a charity organization in Vietnam for street children and I have seen the positive results. I hope that there will be more of these organizations, not just from outside help, but also from the government, to allow more help to come in.

shi lei : )

Singapore Dreaming : )

There have been discussions of introducing the club to a Singaporean movie. And Daniel successful got a friend coming for a visit to bring "Singapore Dreaming" over. Manh told us that he heard that it is an award winning movie and I am glad that they expressed interests in it. : 0

I felt that Singapore Dreaming is a good movie to show as it will allow our friends to see a realistic portrayal of our society, that not everything is so pretty and good in Singapore. That they are economic problems too etc. And of course the Singaporean lifestyle: living in flats, eating in coffee shops, going aroud by cars for most people, having maids to take care of our house, and of course our language that is "not really English", as they commented.

Most was surprised with the gender discrimination in the show, especially by how the father favored the son over the daughter. They must have not thought that it would exist, but after giving deeper thoughts, they decided that we are still Eastern societies after all, so gender discrimination is of course still present to a certain extent. Of course it is improving just like in Vietnam..

and I hope so too, cos being a girl myself, it would have been terrible to be less valued by parents. I hope that everyone are cherished by their parents course they are ultimately their children too! >.<
shi lei

showed Singapore Dreaming today , a show which I feel deeply reflects upon the many aspects of Singapore Society, some of which includes

1) Family love and values
2) Having dreams

I showed the show because I wanted them to understand the difference in culture between Singapore and Vietnam. One of which is that because Singapore is a developed country, we focus alot on our education system, something that is very important in the minds of many Singaporean families. There was a scene in which a mother scolded her child for not getting 100 marks when she only got 90. In the main story, the youngest son also had a hard time getting a job as he did not have a recognized degree or educational qualification. Something many companies emphasize on. In Vietnam , however, I feel that the focus is not so much on education, as education is not compulsory in Vietnam.

I did notice that some children would help their parents at roadside stalls and not have an education. In Sapa, an area north of Vietnam where I visited, there is a similar scenario where children do not go to school sometimes in order to help their parents work. This is a very subjective topic, something that Vietnam faces, on the value of education. I also noticed that in Vietnam, there are many private schools and one of the key entity for entry to these schools is if you had money, you could go in ahead of the consideration of results. I got to know this from the Vietnamese students , and that in some cases, it is the poor students who are more of the hardworking ones rather than the rich ones, as told of the contrast in learning interest in different schools, a private one which hosts students who are quite well off, in that they are quite rowdy in class, as told by my Taiwanese friend, who is a Chinese teacher there, and could not understand why some of the students are not focused in learning, one of the reasons she thought of upon discussion with other Vietnamese students is that these students come form a rich family background, and therefore could get into these schools easily and take for granted what they have, the school being focused on preparing these students for studies abroad,as most of their family background provides them with the financial capability to do so, which is why they are learning Chinese.

This can be contrasted with other Vietnamese youths who don't have a chance to study at all. She still has to work hard as a teacher despite this because there are students in the class who really are focused and are serious in studying, but they make up the minority. There is a growing disparity between the rich and the poor in Vietnam and this has affected how the education system is implemented, which I feel more measures could be done by the government to change this disparity.

Overall, the film was quite well received, and students could understand it as most of the conversations were in English, a learning point for them as well. They also got to know about the nature of spoken languages in Singapore, where some Singaporeans speak in a mixture of languages. It was a real eye opener into the differences in culture for them , though a popular medium such as film

Here's a clip of the movie trailer


Cheers,
Daniel Foo

Popular Culture: The Phenomeon of Harry Potter in Vietnam

Today presentation is by Hoang Ha.

It makes me feel like we are not so different after all! haha, never know that my Vietnamese friends like Harry Potter too. and after today's presentation, I realized that there might be many who like me more than I too.. they actually remembered the titles of the whole series! I don't even know how many books are there altogether. : )

Actually, i think today discussion is more about Friendship instead. Most of the discussion revolves around the friendship of Ron and Harry. Despite being always in the shadow of Harry, Ron proved himself time and again that he is a good friend of Harry. Ron developed some sort of inferiority complex but was still able to pass through all the physiological hurdles to stand at Harry's side when harry need him.
I think the friendship between Ron and Harry became such a heated discussion as real friendship is something that everyone need and searching for in life.
Of course we are not thinking of something as fancy as that between Harry and Ronbut something that have the same elements?

The session ended ironically, with watching an episode of a Vietnamese drama. Turned out that most of the members were following a very popular drama and they hate to miss it. It is about a rich Vietnamese guy who only knew how to spend money and cant take care of himself. In a fit of anger, the parents throw him out of the house so that he can finally learn to fend for himself. Everyone laughed at the uselessness of the guy and wanted to see the transformation in him. For me, it wasn't really interesting but i think this is really one of the best drama production of Vietnam as Vietnam is still developing. They cant take difficult and fancy shots not because they do not have the expertise, but there is a lack in funding.

So I shall wait patiently for Vietnam to develop fast so that they can film good show too.. co len!
shi lei

I must say, this has been a very unique discussion, the topic being on Harry Potter, something which I'm not too familiar with as I'm not really a supporter of the series, however, it was quite well received by the students, showing that popular culture from foreign countries are indeed well received by the Vietnamese, especially by the new generation of Vietnamese youths, in this fast developing and globalizing country.

As mentioned by Shi Lei, this was proceeded by a screening of a popular Vietnamese drama. My thoughts on it was that the cinematography and development of scenes wasn't as good as dramas from other countries like Korea or Taiwan or Singapore, but what I noticed was that, it was unique something which the Vietnamese students could relate to and are interested in. And they didn't really mind the lower standard of film making, which I would conclude would be because Vietnamese people do have a strong sense of nationality and things made by the nation. Something I feel is not that great in Singapore, as Singapore dramas are not as popular in Singapore than their Taiwanese , Hong Kong and Korean counterparts. This can be seen by the greater volume of airtime given to foreign dramas as compared to local ones, with a whole channel, channel U focusing on foreign dramas, with an occasional local drama. In addition, Channel 8 shows both local and foreign dramas as well. However, in Vietnam, from what I have noticed on Vietnam Television, although there are foreign programmes, there is still a greater emphasis on local productions, something more related to the Vietnamese audience.

Thus, this was one of the learning points I have gained from this viewing and discussion.

Cheers
Daniel Foo

Princesses of Vietnam: A peak into the cultural/social role of Vietnamese women

Princesses of Vietnam: A peak into the cultural/social role of Vietnamese women

Today’s presentation came as a surprise to me. They refused to disclose the title of the topic so I was trying to guess what they were going to present on. I really like today topic for I think they managed to linked the discussions to the wider context and trying to show how women in Vietnam can still use the experiences of the famous princesses of Vietnam as role models.

These princesses were remembered and celebrated as icons due to their courage and sacrifices and their brilliant leadership throughout Vietnamese history. Some entered the resistance against Chinese invaders beside their husbands, while one married the neighboring Cham king so as to bring the 2 warring countries to peace.

However the one princess that evoked a lot of controversies is Princess My Chau who is blamed commonly for causing Vietnam to be subjugated to the Chinese for 1000 years. My Chau fell in love with a Chinese prince and married the prince. However, the prince had an ulterior motive, he married My Chau so that he could get his hands on the magical weapons that had helped Vietnam resist China conquest over Vietnamese land. Out of love for her husband, My Chau stole the magical weapon from his father and gave it to her husband. In no time, Chinese invaders swept over Vietnam and conquered it. In anger, the Vietnamese king chopped off his daughter, My Chau, head due to My Chau betrayal of her country.

Many Vietnamese remembered the story of My Chau and there was a heated discussion as to why My Chau is listed as one of the most famous princess of Vietnam. She should be “infamous” instead. There is even a temple in the old capital of Vietnam that is dedicated to My Chau and I have been there once. Some of them pitied her, saying that her love for her husband must have caused her much pain. However, most of the members called her love as “blind”. In the end, we decided that the temple was set up no really to commemorate My Chau, but to remind of this episode in Vietnamese history.

Actually, I think that My Chau and her husband did really love one another. It was unfortunately that they were borne in opposite camps. I chose to think this way as it was said that her husband committed suicide out of grief and guilt. Maybe, the husband of My Chau was also just a political pawn!

shi lei

As Shi Lei has mentioned, this session is about the princesses of Vietnam, in particular, of Princess My Chau, this has led me to understand that Vietnamese women are regarded very highly in Vietnamese society at present, and in the past. Reflecting on this, I remembered other heroic Vietnamese women who changed society, such as the Trung Sisters, who managed to successfully defend Vietnam from foreign invaders. Nonetheless , it was a interested look into the roles and functions of these women, as well as how well they are respected, touching in areas of conflict such as the extent of value of love between family and country. Reception towards her role as a hero was quite mixed among the students, with some supporting her decision to help her husband and some thinking that she should not have betrayed her country. However, it was very much concluded with a majority that despite of this, princesses were very brave and honorable in marrying foreigners in order to keep the peace with other nations in Vietnam. Whether or not they had loved their husbands. I have the same view, as in life, you can only have one partner to love and cherish, and in sacrificing this for the sake of your country is truly an honorable act. Emphasizing also, the high regards that Vietnamese have for their nation. With regards to Princess My Chau, as in custom, and in my view, marrying a husband would make you more or less a citizen of your husband's country as well, which I feel My Chau really was forced beyond her will to betray her country, something I feel she did not want to do.



Apart from the role of princesses, there was also a short presentation about one of the Vietnamese myths, the beach boy, in which a cartoon- style story was presented, this myth told of a father and son who had only a loin-cloth left, and when the father died , he wanted to let the father have his dignity in death and hence gave him the loin cloth, upon bathing one day in the river, he met a princess,Tien Dung who thought it was fated that they got married, albeit rejection from her parents. They soon ran away, started a river market that developed into a large market-city. Thus the couple became remembered for their love and faith in heaven.

story summarized from http://www.vietspring.org/legend/VietnameseMyths.html

Again, this is an example of the respect and traditions that Vietnamese princesses had, something which I learnt more of from the narration of the Vietnamese students in addition to my lessons in school.

Overall, it was a fruitful and interesting discussion about the role of princess in Vietnamese society.


Cheers
Daniel Foo

Religious Diversity...

This is really one of the most "intellectual" discussion we have had.

Suggested to Daniel that we can talk about Religion: what is religion? the importance of religion to people especially in Vietnam and Singapore.

It was interesting to hear Linh shared about her experiences as a religious minority in Vietnam. Since her grandfather's generation, they have been staunch Catholic. the rest of the class were more like " we are nonreligious.

I asked them on their opinions religion can be defined through performance, so if they are practiced and performed widely, do they become more of culture? eg. such as ancestor worship. Doesn't it originate from something religious but become accepted as culture later on? this got the class into deep discussions and some people rethink their claims on being "nonreligious".

we discussed on how some villages, as close as Ha tay just 20+ km away from Hanoi, are split into Catholic and non catholic villages due to mass conversion since the 18th century and how there have been history of warfares and bitter disagreements. I was surprised that most were willing to speak up, thought that they will avoid the topic. However, it seems like none of them knew much about it. but it lead them to discuss whether religion is sometimes more of a dividing force than a basis for unity..

we then talked about religion in Singapore, how Christianity used to be associated with a higher social class as the early Christians in Singapore were mostly schooled in English missionaries schools and could secured better jobs due to their language skills. it is less so in Vietnam now as Catholics and Christians are still really few as compared to the whole society.

and later, the class becomes so interested in the difference between Catholics/ Christianity/Orthodox, the conflict between Jews/Muslims and Christians that I have to try hard to remember my history lesson from Professor Lockhart so as to let them have a better understanding. I am glad that they are interested despite this being a rather heavy topic especially after their school work.
\shi lei >.<

This was an interesting discussion on religion. Discussing about the degree of religious influence in Vietnam and Singapore. It was found out that the students were not very religious, or Vietnamese people in general, but some of them, including one student Ha, said that she is rather open to religion, or if she were to marry a Christian, she would follow his religion and convert. Another student Linh, is the opposite, she has an extended family who are Catholics, but is still quite reluctant on religious openness.

After which, I mentioned to them a brief introduction about Christianity, my religion in Singapore, what we usually do as our normal practices, and how the Charismatic Church, my branch of Christianity, is a branch of protestantism, and Catholicism. It was the first time which many of them heard of these subjects and branches, which in my view, I think is due the lack of religious influence in the country, which is still in its early stages of accepting religious diversity and opening of doors to new developments in religion.

After which, I showed them 2 videos on Christianity, to give a feel of what is the main points about Christianity. The reception wasn't that great, but I feel in future, more things can be done in future to improve religious situation in Vietnam. Something which I found out is still quite restricted in Vietnam. These are the 2 videos I presented.




This presentation was backed up by a previous club outing to Shi Lei's room, where students were interested and presented with a viewing of a regular weekend Church service from City Harvest Church Singapore, which I belonged too, it was quite well received as it was the first time they saw our a contemporary Church worked, with contemporary songs being sang in a modern day environment. However, as it was in English , and something of a new topic to them, their interest during the sermon was not really well received , but we discussed on why I was so interested and a shared with them on how Christianity and the weekly sermons have impacted my life.

Overall, I felt it was a good opportunity to learn something about Christianity in Singapore. And in the whole as a whole and we had a very fruitful discussion on religion in Singapore and Vietnam, understanding more about the religious situation in both countries.

Cheers!
Daniel Foo

Mid Autumn Celebration: It doesnt take much to be happy : )

September 14th, 2008


I must say that this is the most special Mid- Autumn Celebration I ever had. Apart from the down side of not having a proper moon cake, those types that I really like eg snow skin or those with yam, pandan leaves or green tea flavor with egg yolk in them. But at least I got to try some exotic ones, like the thap cam, which literally means mixture of all ingredients such as sweetened melons strips, sesames and a lot of other different things but the coconut milk certainly was my personally favourite out of the many local types (truth was I only tried these 2 flavours)

But apart from the moon cakes, what made the celebration better was the company and the beautiful moon. I have never seen such brighter and beautiful moon hanging so close to me in the sky. And here I must really talk about the colour of the moon, it was not the bright yellow that we often see on TV, it actually had shades to it, some mellow, some speaks of darker shades, milker when there were white clouds, but it’s radiating glow lighted up the sky around it. And I am glad to have many new friends. At first, it was just a celebration with our friends from English club. But because this is such a special event to keep it to just the few of us, we decided to invite more people to join in the fun, so in the end, friends not just only from the Bach Khoa English club, but also my Vovinam friends, neighbours from our hostel A2, and many friends of friends to celebrate Mid Autumn festival. In the end, we have to squeeze 40 to 50 of us together into my room.

Earlier in the day, Daniel, Sam and I had traveled to Hoan Kiem to see the market for mid autumn festival. I have previously passed by the Hoan Kiem region on bus and the market looked so exciting, with a lot of decorations and toys for the little children. I remembered seeing the sky lanterns yesterday night on the way back from Vovinam and I am determined to get one of those! It had always been my wish to fly one of that myself. As we walked around the lake looking at the festive goods, I couldn’t help being like one of the little kids browsing through all the stores and looking for a lantern that catches my eyes. Finally, when I saw one of the đèn trời, I couldn’t help marveling at how simple it actually was and how beautiful it would become. But even beautiful is the meaning behind the flying of these lanterns, as told by the lady selling me the lanterns, they carried with them the wishes of those who flew them and I was really looking forward to fly my lantern later.

At first, I was overwhelmed to see the number of people who came. Half of them I have not seen them as I have agreed to Huong to bring her high school friends over. However, it soon turned out to be especially fun as one of them played the guitar and sang very well. He and Daniel took turns serenading us with different songs and even our Czechs friends sang a song for us and their sounded like angels. After the feasting and the sing-along session, we went out to fly the lanterns. We were refused permission to fly the lanterns at the courtyard of our place, so we had no choice but to fly the lanterns at a busy intersection outside Bach Khoa Stadium. As there were so many of us, and quite a few foreigners, we became “traffic stoppers” as passerby stopped to see us fly our lanterns. All of us were eager to write down our wishes on Post-stick and to attach it to the lanterns. As I watched the lanterns flew up one by one with the wishes of many others, I waited for my turn to get to the pencil (there was only one to share). It was sweet that Huong’ friends motioned me to pin my wishes up on the last lantern, despite the fact that many of them had not had their turns yet.

I enjoyed today not only because of the lantern flying, but because of the simplicity of the Vietnamese friends which really was charming. I like the way that it doesn’t take much for them to be happy. It doesn’t have to be a grand feast that I am always used to back in Singapore when people gather together. This is one of the most important lessons that I felt I have learnt from my Vietnamese friends, and I am glad to be introduced to a simple way of being happy

shi lei

Mid Autumn Festival celebration was indeed an eye-opener for me, I never expected it to be celebrated in such a big scale. There were lanterns, mooncakes and lots of other activities going around Hanoi. In particular, we decided to hold a mid - autumn celebration for our English Club, other guests were invited as well, in total there were many people , a majority from Vietnam, but also a handful from America and The Czech Republic. It was an enjoyable evening of song, jokes, games, and food!, there was a huge variety of mooncakes at the event, brought by various Vietnamese students!, all of which were very delicious. The link between a China and Vietnam can really be seen through the common celebration of this festival. It is somewhat like in Singapore , but on a larger scale, and with different varieties of mooncakes!

One of the differences is the lanterns that we lit up, as mentioned by Shi Lei, to send our wishes up to the sky for heaven to receive. We lit up our lanterns along the road side, in which many people stopped their motobikes to take a look, or to ask us where we bought the lanterns, a truly popular sight and function ! In Singapore, this was allowed in the past but not anymore as my friend mentioned that in the past, somebody complained about the shinning object in the sky , wondering if it was a meteor, upon knowing what it was, questions were still asked on the safety of these lanterns, as they might be a distraction for airplanes, which may be the reason why it is disbanded in Singapore, but for Vietnam, it is still allowed and is a beautiful sight to behind, but I do question the safety of this practice as well in terms of towards passing airplanes...food for thought.

Here's a video introduction of the events of that day! Enjoy


Daniel Foo

" Fishing" trip with English club

It was the first time that we are going out of Hanoi together. Manh and Ha kept saying that they wanted to bring us fishing, and we immediately conjured up pictures of beautiful beaches and the sea. Daniel couldn't wait to go course I think he like fishing. As for me, I just wanted to experience it. My said that she had been there a couple of time with Manh and other friends, so it seems like fishing is what the Vietnamese students do when they have free time over the weekends.

It was too bad that in the end, there were only 6 of us who could make it. The trip was going to take the whole day and some were busy. I think some could'nt make it too as it was far, close to an hour on the bike. It was so tiring to be on a motorbike for such a long journey but it was fun as we managed to cross the Long Bien bridge to the outskirts of Hanoi! I have been telling Daniel that Hanoi outside of Long Bien is a totally different place, immediately the landscape changed and there is just vast expense of rice fields! I really like the change and leave the sound of Hanoi behind.

While we past the streets, Manh picked some fruits from the trees. They were tiny red pear shaped fruits and we ate them. It was surprisingly good. But I was more surprised seeing Manh plucking fruits off trees as he passed. When we finally reached the place, Daniel and I were a little speechless, maybe even disappointed. We thought we are going to fish. Turn out that it is not really the case. There is no sea, just an artificial lake. Some wooden huts were built on the lake and we could rent some rods to try fishing. But ultimately, this is a restaurant and they would catch the fish for you if you cant fish them up yourself. Manh and Ha ordered lunch as they knew we could'nt catch any fish. I was glad we did that for the water is so peaceful and murky and I dont really think there are fishes in them.

I think this place is pretty expensive for Vietnamese students when I look at the price. However,since they have been here a couple of time, I guessed it was okay for them. But I realized that they were very cute when they ordered everything to share. Like a glass of coke for 3 people. They shared everything so that it is cheaper. Somehow, I feel that for them, food is never the priority. Having chance to spend together with friends is what they are looking for. : )

It was fun seeing how Manh bargained with the girl to give more food or to give us at a cheaper price. But of course he did not succeed, but I think he did it out of fun. It was good to sit down and just talk in the shade and look out at the garden surrounding us. There isn't fish but at least there is some scenery and of course a memory to bring back. We talked about school and how it is like in Singapore and Vietnam. Thuy asked me for help as she has to write an essay on democracy in Thailand. I think this is really difficult as I dont really see a strong democracy in Thailand. She had to read books on them and the most I could help was to look for some journal articles on it for her.

I feel that this outing trip is really expensive for a Vietnamese student at 5sgd each just for the food, not counting the patrol. Actually, this also goes to show the economic disparity between the Hanoians students. Those who came were all from Hanoi and they were richer than most of the other students who came to the city to study from the other provinces. I felt that this is the reason for which there were only so few of us today. I think that for the next trip that we came up with, it would be more affordable for all so that not one would be excluded because of economic reasons. But all in all, this was a good outing and I really love seeing the view of the outskirts on the motorbike. I think the motorcycle is fast becoming my favourite mode of transport. I get to feel everything around me rather than being stuck in a car : )
- shi lei

This trip was a very memorable trip to one of the areas on the outskirts of Hanoi, as you know, it was suppose to be a fishing trip, but it turns out we just went there to eat fish that they would cook for us. Also, for a small fee, the owner would show us how a fishing rod looks like, one that was used by the Vietnamese people in the past, as well as a bait for us to try our luck. Actually, it was possible to fish, just that I didn't have a weight for the bait to sink, nonetheless, it was really interesting seeing how life in Vietnam was for villagers of the past, and to some extent, the present.

What I loved about the place was simply the ambiance, it was simply beautiful, and a stark contrast for the city centre of Hanoi. A deep contrast of busy, noisy city life with the serenity of village. Showing two very different sides of the city of Hanoi. The architechture of the place was also constructed in hut shapes, to reflect the environment with which villages of the past and present live in, and just outside these huts were beautiful rivers.

From this outing, I also got to know what are the type of dishes Vietnamese like to eat, as our students ordered the dishes for us, in particular, Vietnamese people have a rather liking for salty food. As a normal Vietnamese meal would have seasonings of chili with salt and lime. Also, as normal, they love to just relax beside a nice cool cup of "tra da" or ice tea, one of the popular local drinks.

We also ate french friends, or "khoai tay" which I think is one of the more popular western dishes, as I have seen it at many different restaurants and eating places prior to this. Truly a move towards a more globalized Vietnam. And the french fries that they make are rather delicious as well!

In addition to that, was fruits, especially those plucked from trees. We plucked these small fruits that I was apprehensive about eating at first, but after a first try, I found that it was actually very delicious! And of course there are many different types of natural fruit trees, both in city locations as well as in outskirts areas, a unique entity of Vietnam that I noticed.

Also had a cultural exchanges of popular songs in Vietnam and Singapore, noticed that some there were some Vietnamese songs that were transcribed from the tunes of Chinese songs. A hybridization of music between Vietnam and other cultures.

Another thing about Vietnam from this experience is the journey there, which I was given a ride from the students.

1) It is not very common in Vietnamese culture, or I think in any culture, for a girl to ride a man on a motocycle. Because normally in Vietnamese culture, the Man is the leader. Our student was also quite uncomfortable with me hitching a ride from her motocycle as well, as she was not used to it and it is not the normal thing to do in Vietnam. On the journey there, I didn't notice any women giving a ride to a man as well.

2) Vietnamese women take very good care of their outward appearances, this can be seen by the riders, who often would wear arm sleeves, jackets, and masks or sunglasses to protect them either from the sun or from dust particles or smoke from the air while driving.

3) Vietnamese people are very comforted in riding motocycles. The journey was quite a long one, which I partly couldn't really enjoy after awhile as it was my first time riding a bike. However, they seem to be accustomed and comfortable with the bike journey.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and memorable experience which I learnt many things relating to Vietnamese culture.

Photos by Shi Lei and Daniel

13th September
The journey there, and the many motorcyclists



Crossing Long Bien Bridge



Scenery at Long Bien Bridge, the Red River

Shi Lei and My, one of the students, as you can see , with covered protection from dust and smoke.
Me and Thuy, another student
Students Manh and Ha


Scenery outside the restaurant, an ambiance of calm and serenity


The Hut Restaurant




Cheers
Daniel Foo

English Club Celebration at University of Technology Bach Khoa

After the one week Independence Day break where most students from provincial areas went back to the province, we were back together again. This time, our club have been invited to another English club!! My friends, Thuy and Truong form vovinam marital art classes were excited to know that I am running an English club and they would like to see how our club is run. But turned out that their meeting will come up earlier than us, so my club went down over to the meeting instead. Turn out that it was their 1 year anniversary! I am so happy for them course they are officially one year old! Our club is still fledging and coming.. haha but i am sure we will improve over time too! : )

ANd today, we decided to adopt the slogan : Dare to Speak!
course this is really an eye opener for all of us. Oh My GOd! the people from technological unviersity have better english than studnets from Humanities school. It might be the common preception, but there is no reason why our club members cant speak as good english as them.. so that is why I am really glad we have agreed to come today. Seeing how everyone is so confident of themselves only prove to our members that they can do it too!

JIA YOU! Co Len ( vietnamese)! Add Oil!

-shi lei

It was a nice experience to be invited to Bach Khoa's Information of Technology English Club , this club has had a 1 year history and we got a slide show of the many activities they had in the past, such as plays, discussions and so on, in hope of gaining a cultural experience, as well as to reach a commendable level of English. Made many new friends along the way, interacting with them on ideas to improve the club. Also noticed that they had many students who attended their anniversary, further emphasizing the desire for Vietnamese students to step out of their natural comfort zone and move towards an improvement in self abilities in areas outside of Vietnam. Such was the desire to learn English.

Photos courtesy of Shi Lei and Daniel


Our friend from France, Pierre, attending the celebration


Vietnamese flute performance by one of the members


An invitation to share our thoughts on the club. Basically we felt the club is really successful and has come a long way from its humble beginnings to what it is today, attracting many different students who have a key interest in learning English as well as in cultural exchanges, skills that can benefit them a great deal in future.




Group photo of members from their club as well as our club members


Daniel Foo