Vietnam

Wednesday-Thursday, May 18-19

Our first activity in Vietnam was a presentation at Hai Phong University, a two-hour drive from Hanoi.  Our hosts were ELI teachers, including a former student of mine, Ruth; our venue was the American Center there, sponsored by the U.S. Embassy, so the event was the occasion for lots of official networking.  I gave two workshops (critical thinking and student-created practice activities) to a large audience of a few teachers and a lot of students (required to be there?).  We enjoyed dinner with ELI folk, followed by an evening with a few students.  The next morning, Ruth made sure we enjoyed a typical Hai Phong breakfast at a street café: rice-noodle crepes around vegetables and shrimp.  After we got back to Hanoi, we wandered around the old town of Hanoi by Hoan Kiem Lake.  A couple of hours of shopping left us ready for mango shakes in a lakeside café as the evening cooled.

Friday-Saturday-Sunday, May 20-22

A rainy morning made for a good time to stay inside and work on my presentations for Saturday.  More time in old Hanoi in the afternoon.  Evening with Mike Beard, our Hanoi host, for a game night with some of his university students along with his family, teammates, and a group of four American college students visiting Vietnam.

Saturday was an all-day workshop for about six international and twenty local teachers at Vietnam National University, the International School (where Mike teaches).  I gave five different talks,, followed by a Q-A session.  So thankful for health, stamina, and a very responsive audience.  The university treated us to a nice lunch and a wonderful dinner afterwards too.  Vietnamese food is delicious!

On Sunday we went with the Beards to Hanoi International Fellowship in the morning (another great multicultural worship service) and the Museum of Ethnology in the afternoon.  There we saw exhibits about the minority ethnic groups of Vietnam, and also got to watch a water puppet show.  It was also fun to see groups of local college students enjoying themselves there.  That evening a sudden thunderstorm broke the hot weather which had been building up.

Monday – Ha Long Bay, May 23

We were tourists today, taking a tour to the famous spot where more than a thousand vertical islands dot the bay north of Hanoi.  Since Vietnam hasn’t joined China in its road-building craze, the drive on a two-lane road crowded with all kinds of traffic took more than three hours.  Seeing agriculture, industry, and small town life made it worth it.  We were one of seventeen foreigners on one tour boat (with dozens of others) plying the water among the islands, stopping first at a floating fish market (where one can supplement one’s lunch), then at a kayaking dock (fun to paddle in and out of some sea caves), and finally at a place to get out and hike up to a cave (quite spectacular).

Tuesday – last day in Vietnam, May 24

I was able to squeeze in a visit to another language institute, a trip to the big foreign language bookstore to help Mike with some summer materials choices, and a return to IS-VNU to observe some local teachers.

One of the things one immediately notices in Hanoi is the traffic.  The majority of the population ride motor scooters (including Mike and Michelle—so we were often on the back of their bikes).  Shaded by an umbrella, sheltered under a poncho, burdened by all kinds of loads, joined by a friend or couple of kids—the thousands of scooters flow along, interacting with cars and busses in a mutually amicable way. Intersections without lights, u-turns to negotiate multi-lane avenues, or left turns across traffic—all seem crazy—yet we never once saw an accident.  Pedestrians (including us!) learn to cross the streets by walking slowly and predictably so traffic can flow around you.  It seems like a good metaphor for Vietnam—definitely getting to their destination, but in a way that accommodates all kinds (including former enemies, like Americans).

Another thing we noticed is how much life occurs outdoors.  Most sidewalks (if not filled with parked scooters) are filled with small plastic tables and chairs—a little restaurant--or people selling fruit/shoes/scooter helmets/etc.  Parks are filled with people—couples on benches, women doing jazzercise in the cool evening, students hanging out with friends, afficianados with their bird cages…New high rise apartments going up in the suburbs may change that, but for now, the public/private distinction in Vietnam is very different than it is in the U.S.

I loved the enthusiasm and quality of the teachers I met.  We also really appreciated the warmth of the Vietnamese.  Definitely a place to consider returning to.  (And like every where we went, they're eager to get more English teachers...with places for everyone, from a short-term volunteer to a highly-trained professional...)