Therese Foo (2300809G) 

Experiential learning

Experiential learning  

Activity 1: Vietnam's historical sites 

Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh, we headed to the Central Post Office. We arrived late, so it was closed, but we were amazed at the exterior of the building! It was elegant yet showed a deep sense of culture. It was a pity that it had closed that night. 

Next, we visited the War Remnants Museum and were greeted by this big chopper at the entrance. I was amazed at the sizes of the weapons and can't believe it was the actual one that was used in the Vietnam War. 

The exhibits in the museum were educational but the one that struck me most was the one on the one on Agent Orange. The photos of the victims were quite disturbing yet saddening to see the tragic past they had gone through. 

Activity 2: Culture and Sustainability 

On the morning of Day 2, we woke up early to begin our journey of a 3 hour bus ride to the southern tip of Ho Chi Minh. We then had to take a ferry to cross a river to the mangrove forest.

We then continued our journey with a super long walk under the hot sun  and mud (around 2km) to the mangrove planting area. It was nice to be away from urban life and enjoy the greenery. 

And the mangrove planting begins! The vietnamese farmer demonstrated it with such ease but it was quite difficult to dig a hole out. Each of us had to plant 3 trees to call it a day. It was so hot that even our boots were close to burning our feet. It was a eye opening experience and I have so much respect for those who have to stand under the hot sun the whole day. 

We visited Ben Thanh Market, where they sell many things at a negotiable price. It was my favourite part of the trip as we got to interact with some of the locals and shop and bargain for things! 

Us looking quite happy after our shopping spree!!

We spent almost an hour at this shop selling authentic vietnamese coffee. This kind lady even gave cups for us to try the coffee and it was so good. She was really hospitable and even offered other flavours for us to try. We ended up buying almost over $50 SGD of coffee per person, but it was so worth it. 

Activity 3: Visit to Nong Lam University 

On our last day, we visited Nong Lam University and interacted with students from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Food Technology. 

The student leaders brought us to tour their labs. I was shocked at how different their labs were. The air con is hardly turned on due to high fees so the students had to wear lab coats that were short sleeved. 

During our free time, we got to roam around their campus. They had so many trees at this area that it looked like a forest. It was a nice place to rest under the hot sun! 

The teacher in charge of the faculty welcomed us and gave us a introductory speech on their school. Their students even performed songs and arranged games for us. 

We also had to put up a performance for them. So we decided dance to TP's school song and they actually enjoyed it. The students there cheered us on despite the language barrier. 

Iceberg model 

Vietnam's traffic situation 

Visible aspects: 

The traffic was overpopulated with motorcycles and it seemed like a big problem to me. It can cause high amounts of air pollution, and as i observed, some of them do not follow the traffic lights. There is no traffic police or any form of control present. They would also sometimes drive on footpaths or very narrow spaces which is scary and reckless. 

Invisible aspects: 

Motorbikes has a cultural significance in Vietnam as it provides a sense of freedom and independence for Vietnamese individuals who cannot afford to buy cars. It also provides improved mobility to navigate narrow streets and reach their destination faster than cars. Surprisingly, it uses less fuel than cars so it reduces the air pollution compared to using cars. In my experience crossing the busy roads without a traffic light, the drivers were quite gentle and would stop to let you walk. 

A3 infographic