Reflection on my Hanoi Experiental Learning-Xue Ting

Located near the river, Vietnam has very fertile lands and
are mostly involved in primary industry, farming. It has
been known as the second biggest exporter of rice in the
world.Unlike Singapore, they don’t use high-tech farming
but animals like ox to plot their farm. These traditional
farming requires a lot of hard work from them.

Vietnamese live in overcrowding houses which goes up
to mostly fourth-storey high.

Vietnam has a chaotic traffic with vehicles zooming across
recklessly. Their mode of transport is mostly motorcycles.

The noise pollution from the motorcycles is deafening.

These are the common sights I had seen in Vietnam

which left me the impression that it is not as developed.

But after all these days, I saw the fighting spirit in the

Vietnamese. Undaunted by Vietnam War,they have

been trying to develop by all means. They hope that

other countries like Singapore would cooperate and

invest in their products. They also have been setting

goals for themselves such as developing the country

successfully by 2020. This is something that we,

Singaporeans should learn from. Never give up!

Getting to know more about Vietnam is not just looking

at the roads or houses in Vietnam. During these four days,

we visited some historical as well as geographical features

in Vietnam.

Sitting on the coach to Ha Long Bay area was a thrilling

and fun-filled experience. I had seen many interesting

geographical features such as the stacks, sea cliffs, shore

platforms, headlands and bays. Seeing it with my own eyes

was different from seeing it in the textbook. It was incredibly

amazing that water can shape these landforms so beautifully.

This is one of the famous tourist spot in Vietnam, the Dau Go

Caves. Limestone is being corroded through the process

solution forming such magnificent caves.I just can’t keep

my eyes off it!

It was the first time I visited a prison. It had a historical
significance for the Northern Vietnamese as it was used

by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners

and later by North Vietnam for prisoners of war during

the Vietnam War. Here, they displayed information on

how the French tortured and interrogated the prisoners

by rope bindings, irons, beatings, and prolonged solitary

confinement. It was a tough time for them.

Through these four days, I get to know more about

Vietnam as I immersed myself into their rich historical

and geographical features. I also learnt many life-saving

skills. Being in a foreign country, I had to learn to be

independent such as managing my own time, managing

my own spending and taking care of my own safety.

Moreover, I realized that being a student in Singapore is

really fortunate. Unlike Vietnam, It is safe in Singapore,

with videos cameras almost everywhere and police stations

just a mile away. We have all the facilities we want, such as

proper sewage system, proper sanitation. We don’t have to

worry about the hygiene in Singapore. However, we should

not take things for granted but appreciate everything we

have now, our homeland, Singapore.

Going to a new place
Learning new things
Meeting new people

Thank teachers, fellow travelers, and tour guide for making this came true :D