Reflection on My Hanoi Experiential learning-Ong Shi Ke

My initial impression of Hanoi was that it is most likely not a place where there is many things to shop for. Also I assumed that Hanoi’s hygiene standard was incomparable to Singapore’s. However, after spending 4 days in Hanoi, my impression of Hanoi had changed. After visiting a few places in Hanoi, I realized that the hygiene standard in Hanoi varies from places to places. For example, certain restaurant that we visited had clean toilets while others were dirtier. Also, I realized that Hanoi had many things to shop for. For example, the streets around the water puppet theater had many shops. However, most shop sold almost the same things.

I had many memorable experiences during these 4 days in Hanoi. One memorable experience was the water puppet show. I felt that the show was a great demonstration of teamwork. The puppet handlers coordinated perfectly despite the fact that they are not able to see the puppet as they are behind the scene with a screen blocking. Apart from the teamwork displayed, I am also surprised that the puppet handlers were actually half-submerged for the entire show. I am surprised as initially I thought the puppet handlers controlled the puppets from a dry area. Another memorable experience was having lunch on a boat. I felt that the chefs/cooks were really incredible as they actually managed to cook all the delicious food for 25 people in a small kitchen. My best experience was the visit to the Dau Go Caves. I found the caves unbelievable. I think that the caves are certainly a fantastic work of art by Mother Nature! I found the caves superb as it is actually formed through erosion processes through rain and waves (told by geo teachers and tour guide).

The water puppet show(ending part)




The Boat we boarded....

Some of the food we had on board...

Dau Go Cave

From this trip, I learnt that being able to live in Singapore is indeed a privilege. For example, the drinkable tap water, the neat and safe flowing traffic and even the lockable and clean toilets. All of these which we Singaporeans have take for granted. Also, the life as a student in Singapore is way better than in Vietnam, Hanoi. For example, the big classrooms, the clean environment and air and of course the variety of facilities such as air-conditioned library and vending machines.

To end off, I am thankful to the school for giving this opportunity to go to Vietnam. Also, I would like to thank the teachers: Miss Ong, Mdm Wee, Mdm Tami, Miss Lim & Mdm Koh, for organizing this trip and to accompany us on the trip.

Reflection on My Hanoi Experiential Learning - Seah Jing Yi

HELLO! Sorry for the messy arrangement of th text and images.

Unless you pay me a hundred bucks, or else i will not use BLOGGER! -.-

Alrights, HANOI. The very first place that i took a plane to.
I thought airport in all countries are supposed to be very big, maybe some not as big as Changi Airport, but the one is vietnam is seriously small. :X
It's very cramp, especially when we were waiting for our luggage.
Can you imagine people from 4 different flights, waiting for their luggage in just 1 single luggage belt?!

After everyone finally got their luggage, we met our tour guide. (:
When we step out of the airport, OH MY GOD!
It's freezing cold, but i bet everyone enjoy it very much as in Singapore, we will never have this cool feeling even it's raining heavily.
I shall skip the boring part in the bus.
Trishaw, the best part of my first day.
I will never forget this experience. I can say it's more fun and thrilling than a rollar coaster!
You can see motorcycles, bicycles, buses and cars, so close, all around you.
At first, you may get annoyed of the honking of the vehicles.
But then i realised that it is their way of saying "EXCUSE ME!".
And none of them get irritated.
I also realised that they don't really have traffic lights, i had seen less than 10 of it.
But they were all experts in giving way to each other, even they were all going in different directions.
While sitting on the trishaw, i can see a lot of shops around. Some selling souvenirs, some selling clothes. I notice that there were some art studios too!
And the most impressive one, which is the street that were all selling SHOES!
I wonder how they survive with some many competitors around them, in the same street!

The second day, we went to the Hanoi University of Agriculture.

The professor speaks to us about economic and environment.
I think one day, they will earn big bucks from agriculture.
I totally love their fruits there, so sweet and fresh!
We then went to the Ho Chi Minh's Museum and Mausoleum.
Then follow by the One Pillar Pagoga and Temple of Literature, which let me know more about their religious culture.
Fortunately, we have a few hours of SHOPPING TIMEEEEE! :D
Glad that i manage to buy some souvenirs and a pair of shoes from that 'SHOES STREET'.
Me and my cliques are almost expert at bargaining for cheaper prices. :X
And last but not least, the Water Puppet Show.
I can say it's a little boring because i don't understand what they are talking about.
But it's quite intersting actually after Ms Lim told us more about the background history of the Water Puppet Show.
I was quite impressed. These actually came from farmers.
When i harvest season is over, they use these puppet show to entertain themselves.
But guess what, it became a traditional arts in Vietnam!
If one go to Vietnam, definitely cannot miss this performance. (:

I can say the thrid day is the BEST.
BEST FOOD, BEST SCENERY, BEST EXPERIENCE!
On the way to the Ha Long, we went to the rice field and take a look at how the farmers do the cultivation.

Then on the cruise on Ha Long Bay, we had our delicious lunch!
And then i will let the pictures do the talking. ^^




We also visited the Thien Cung and Dau Go caves.
I can say the scenary is the best!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

Then we went to a ceramic and hand embroidery workshop.

And the very last day, we went to the Agent Orange Orphanage.
I didn't wanted to take pictures, but to me i think the environment is not the best for the children to learn and play.
How i wish i was really rich, how i wish to build a better place for them to live, even if they only had a short lifespan.
But i see the children there are all so happy, they never give up on themselves.
I saw innocence in their eyes, they smile widely went they see us coming.
They don't know anything about their future, but here they are learning as much as they can, and maybe even trying to contribute to the society someday.
Something that struck me is that, i saw a group of girls doing hand embroidery.
And 'WOW'! I dont even have th patient to sit there for hours or even days to do that.
But they, even they have a little problems with their movement can do better than me!

In conclusion, i do enjoy the trip to Hanoi, a lot!
It made me realise that actually Singapore is once a country like Vietnam.
Since we can change into such a modern city why not them?
I bet the next time i go to Vietnam, there will be a great changes!
Place or thing that i will never forget is definitely the trishaw, Ha Long Bay and of course the Orphanage.
Looking back at my life as a Singaporean, i think i am so so soooooooo~ fortunately.
As students, we always hate school. With a larger population there, and with lesser schools, i think not all student can get educated. Even if they get educated, they would not be as well-educated as us.
So let's just treasure the knowledge we have and learn more with more passion! :D

Last but no least, i thank for the good weather.
Glad that everyone came back ALIVE! HAHA.
&Of course our caring teachers, Ms Lim especially, who had told us alot of info.
Mdm Tami, Mdm Koh, Mdm Wee and Ms Ong.
And also my group members, the rest of the SKY Achievers and Our TOUR GUIDE!!! ^^
Hope everyone enjoy the trip to Hanoi! BYE~~~~

PS : I HATE USING BLOGGER! I SPENT HOURS JUST UPLOADING THE PHOTOS!

Reflection on my Hanoi experiential learning - huimin

When i heard that there was a learning journey to Hanoi. There was a feeling telling me it was not going to be an enjoyable trip as my relatives told me that the dishes will be going to be full of vegetables and the place we are going is not some kind of urban area instead it is just remote areas. However, i`m still keen on going there.
The fist time when i stepped into Vietnam`s airport, I felt that their services is not very efficient as the procedures are rather slow. This can be seen from by the number of people crowing at one one area to get their luggage's. During the trip. I realise that the city have many beautiful landscapes. It is not like Singapore. In Singapore, when we look around there will be high rise buildings popping out from nowhere. But in Hanoi, the most frequent thing we see are plots of lands full of farming materials. The most important thing is that i think that Vietnam is slowly developing into another busy city. Vietnam is also trying to curb its problems by encouraging sustainable development on its agriculture's. Furthermore, Vietnam`s dishes is not as bad as i have imagined. Too me, it seems like some wedding kind of dishes. Every dinner and lunch, there will be alot of dishes on the table but nobody seems to want to try it out.
Three of my most memorable experiences are the water puppet show, the boat ride and entering the thien cung & dua go caves.
water puppet show: It is such a memorable experience as it is not like any puppet show. What make the puppet show special is because it is in the water performing and the music come from the group of musical players on a platform beside them. I think the people moving the puppets are very cooperative. Although the people making noise are rather noisy but still it is a great experience.
Another of my most memorable experience is the boat ride. This boat ride shows me how important tourism is to the locals. On the boat, i`ve seen locals working as chefs, waiters and waitress and lastly the sailor. Locals also sell handicraft on the boat. This is one of the way how they provide a living for their family. The natural landforms seen on the boat is also very beautiful. It is not like some artificial landforms made by man.
Lastly the third memorable experience is visiting the thien cung & dua go caves. If i had not visited there, i would not have known that there is such a beautiful caves in the m0untains. Even of i had visited there alone, i would also not know so much about the rocks and who founded it.
Last but not least, I feel that i`m very lucky to be a student in Singapore. If i`m not a Singapore student, i`ll not be able to taste the chances and opportunities given to me by my teachers and the government. I will also not have the chance to experience all this. I realise that failing examinations is already not a big problem. If i fail, i can still work harder to try to get good results. However, there are more serious problems faced by children in the orphanage in Hanoi. They have some kind of disability which no normal people can imagined. But yet they still work hard to prove themselves. Although the journey they encounter is painful and long but if they preserve till the end, they will eventually success and live on a normal life like any of us.

Reflection on my hanoi experience-Jolene.K

Before we touched down to the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi. I thought that since its a slightly less developed country than Singapore, it would not have much facilities and shop buildings that are new. However, when i got out of the airport, i was surprised by the cold weather that seems to be constant through out the day.It got one of my friend with a slight flu. I could not get used to the food in the country though, probably i am too used to local food in singapore, nevertheless, i enjoyed some of it.I especially enjoyed the trishaw rides on the first day, however the roads were really crowded with vehicles, mostly of the motorcycles variety. It was probably the first time i fear for my life when crossing roads and in a trishaw.It was very scary. As we roam through the roads, i realised that the wires in the country were everywhere, it is probably why the country doesnt have double-decked buses.The air was also really polluted by the fumes from the vehicles moving.I am surprised that there were shop buildings like ours in singapore, like brand names and all.Overall i think that the trishaw rides is one of my best experience during the trip.






I also particularly like the trip to ha long bay. There was the food i liked=prawns! yay! also there was the scenary which is very visible from the boat. And i took many photos with my friends. The passage to the cave was quite steep, however, we were rewarded by the magnificent sight inside. there were animals features, there was also one that looks like the merlion.


We also visit the hilton prison. I guess this helps us to understand how the prisoners were treated and how they feel.There were also items that were displayed used to torture the prisoners. I am surprised that the females prisoners were also very loyal to their country even if they had been tortured by the french.This make me admire their courage and spirit towards their country.

The last day to the orphanage had been an eye opener for me, the children there look normal but they are really victims to agent orange. I feel a wave of sadness and pity towards them as they could never be able to lead normal lives.But they seem happy with what they have, even if they could never fit to society.

Through this trip i learn to appreciate my parents more, also i learn not to take things for granted at any point in time. To be happy with what i have now and to think myself lucky that i am living in a kind of luxury life since birth. I am grateful that i am born in singapore too. Lastly i want to thank the teachers for such a wonderful time during the four days in vietnam, i have learn quite a few things about geography even though i am a literature student.I would like to say that i would like to visit vietnam again in the future.

Reflection on My Hanoi Experiential Learning – Si Ying

Well, this few days in Hanoi had widened my horizon, through this trip I understand more about Vietnam, its culture and many more.

Before this trip, my impression of Vietnam has been like many other: a Third World Country. I thought that Vietnam was a less developed country. Mental image of a dirty road filled with a heap of rubbish, a contaminated river and numerous depilated and rundown building never failed to appear in my mind whenever Vietnam was mentioned.

However, obviously much of my opinion and impression was proven wrong as the four days trip in Vietnam changed my opinion to a certain extent, it was not as horrible as I imagined out to be. Instead, I find that Vietnam is very much similar to its neighbour country like Thailand and Yunnan in China. Traffic and road system in Vietnam was bad and messy but the unique culture and splendid scenery made up for its disadvantages.

During this four days, there are many wonderful and countless memorable memories and experiences.

So picking up the top three was really difficult, but well... I must say that the cyclo rides was the most unforgettable. On the first day, we sat on the cyclo and tour around the ancient quarters. The ride around the street was exciting, thrilling and dangerous, but that’s what made it exciting. The road was filled with mostly motorcycles, a few bicycle and cars. All the vehicles were moving in different direction on the same road lanes. Furthermore the cyclo was constantly changing direction or path to avoid collision with other vehicle in front. The uneven road practically made the cyclo jump which contribute to the fear or perhaps dangerous factors.

At the same time, we were treated with a fair share of Vietnamese daily lifestyle as the cyclo cycle round the street, through this I have a better idea of Vietnam and its people. Lastly, I had a slight idea of the traffic and road system as every second in the road was filled with drivers honking. This cyclo rides was comparable to a rollercoaster rides and it kind of remind me about racing where every vehicles wanted to reach their destination first, hence overtaking one another and making the road look so cramp.

Cruising to Ha Long Bay to visit Thien Cung and Dau Go Caves is next on my list. Imagine having lunch at breathtaking scenery, it certainly made a different. The experience was like a geography textbook come to life, where the picture of landform was right in front us. Of course, I couldn’t resist the beautiful scenery and snap a few photo and spent a lot of time appreciating and taking in of the scenery. The weather and the scenery made me feel calm and peaceful.

When I stepped in the Dau Go Caves, I was awe by this limestone cave with numerous stalagmites and stalactites. The colourful light lit the cave with a clear view of weathering process form in the cave. The Dau Go Cave remind me of the Jiuxiang Cave in Yunnan which both use colourful light to highlight the process occur and feature formed. Both Ha Long Bay and Dau Go Cave are certainly will not be found in Singapore, I spent most of the time absorbing the fascinating scenery and at the same time learning a lot of these process and formation of the landform. Hence, I have some idea of the beautiful landscape in Vietnam.

The visit to the Hilton Prison and Agent Orange Orphanage shows us the terrible truth of war. We often heard people telling us how horrible it is but we couldn’t understand how terrible it is. Hilton Prison shows it all, the horror of Vietnam War, the torture method use and execution equipment and it also shows the horror of any other war in general. There was an indescribable feeling in me while looking at the information and tools displayed. War was and always cruel, all this killing and humiliation was indescribably cruel. The atmosphere in the Hilton Prison was quite...tensing, and when I peek through the hole, I got nearly frighten out of my wit as I didn’t expect a life size model to be inside the cells. It is this kind of feeling which I suppose they wanted to convey to us about the Vietnam War.

The visit to Agent Orange Orphanage tell us about the after war impact on the second and third generation Vietnamese even after the war was long gone. Agent Orange is a kind herbicide that induces growth of plant which the American soldiers use to kill the board leaf plant so that the Vietnamese soldier couldn’t hide. The children in the orphanage suffer from birth defect and disabilities mostly due to Agent Orange. It was definitely heartbreaking for not only me but many other people as the children were trying to cope with their suffering.

The reason for putting the Hilton Prison and Agent Orange Orphanage together as a third most memorable experience were because both have a common aim of showing the destruction war causes. Hilton Prison shows how the prisoner and victim suffer under the hand of their enemy during the Vietnam War while Agent Orange Orphanage shows the impact of the Vietnamese children and people after the Vietnam War. I believe that the Vietnam was less developed than Singapore due to the huge impact of the Vietnam War which probably affect Vietnam growth and economy.

The trip has taught me to be more independent as I couldn’t depend on my family. Everything has to be done by myself and also learn to control my purse string.

I also learn to appreciate Singapore and my school as in Singapore, the road was safe and not as hectic as in Vietnam and the education system was in such a way that we learn more about other things beside studying the textbook all day long. This Vietnam Trip prove that Singapore educational system is quite creative and not so deadpan as many thought. The trip helps me to understand geography more as reading textbook couldn’t compared to seeing it yourself.

Lastly, I learn to look thing in a different way as this trip help to broaden my view on certain issue and not to be a frog-in-a-well.

Finally, I would like to end this reflection by thanking the school for the organizing the Vietnam Trip, the teacher for preparing the trip and assignment and making this a wonderful and unforgettable trip ever. Our tour guide and not forgetting the driver (who spend a lot of time driving – the three and a half hour ride to Ha Long Bay), and fellow schoolmate and friend for making this enjoyable and fun :D

Reflection On My Hanoi Experiential Learning - Adrian

When we first arrived at Hanoi, my first impressions were that is an undeveloped country, with neither proper toilets nor roads, and that their facilities would be very old and basic. However, i slowly realised that even though vietnam is still developing, it can still be a very good place to live in. As Vietnam was influenced by the french in the past, you can get to see many french-styled buildings there, which shows that not only does Vietnam has Geographical features, it also has Historical features.

The stay in Hanoi had left me with many memorable experiences, one of which was the cyclo ride around Hanoi. The cyclo ride taught me alot about their traffic here in Vietnam. Even though they have traffic lights and pedestrian crossing, they do not really use them. When on the cyclo ride, the traffic is just so cramped! You could just stretch out your hand and touch the motorcycle next to you. I find it quite wierd though, even though the traffic is cramped, no major accidents had happened before, maybe its because of their flexible driving skills. Even though they keep honking at each other, they do not scold foul languages at each other, which shows how compassionate vietnamese are.
Another memorable experience was the trip to Ha Long Bay. While on the ferry, we could see many landforms formed mainly by erosion. Some are headlands, bays and wave cut platforms.

On Ha Long Bay, we get to enter the one of the famous tourist spot in Vietnam, the Dau Go Cave! In the cave was limestones being corroded through solution. The Cave was so big and when the tour guide told us that the limestones would only increase in 1mm of length every year, i wondered how long did it took for the cave to form such a magnificient site!
Last but not least, and the most memorable experience to me was the visit to Agent Orange Orphanage. Previously, the Orphanage only accepts children who suffered from the Agent Orange, now, they also accepted children who are physically or mentally disabled. The Agent Orange could be pass down for generations, and now the Orphanage has 3rd generations who suffered from the Agent Orange. Upon visiting the Orphanage, i finally knew how fortunate i am.

This trip had taught me to be independant, and not to take things for granted, which i have always been doing before. I have also learnt to appreciate everything in Singapore as i do not have to go through any hardships in Singapore.

I would like to thank the teachers, friends and the tour guide(Mr Quynh) for making this such a memorable trip.

Reflection On My Hanoi Experiential Learning - Helina Foo

I didn't think much of Hanoi before I was there. To me, Hanoi was a poverty-stricken country which had yet to flourish, since the majority of Vietnamese are farmers and they don't earn big. The foul-smelling airport and chaotic roads confirmed my belief. However, I soon realized that although the country is developing and there are limited facilities available, Hanoi can be an awesome place to live. I didn't know I would see gorgeous old French-style buildings and endless plantation landscapes. It is such a beautiful country! Well... except for the wires. I think they're called wires. They are so ugly!

Above: Cable wires. They are everywhere.
Below: French-inspired buildings.

One remarkable experience I had was the cyclo ride. Initially I thought it was a trishaw, but Mdm Koh said otherwise. Trishaw is attached to a bicycle and the driver cycle beside you while the driver cycle behind you in a cyclo. I googled it so hopefully it's correct. Like everyone else, I love the cyclo ride! It is so dangerous and can I say 'shiok'? In fact, I think the government should establish an age limit law for riding cyclo or a motorcycle; accidents may occur real easily. I'm kidding. Vehicles are appearing from all four directions as there aren't any traffic lights, they just honk and drive. Pedestrians crossing the roads don't bother with waiting; they simply step out to walk to the other side. The vehicles will automatically slow down for them. Once, I even saw a woman carrying a bowl of piping hot noodles crossing the insane road. I will miss this scene because this will never happen in Singapore.
Another adventure in Hanoi was the visit to Ha Long Bay. Yes, breathtaking scenery with what all those landforms but I preferred the cruise. It felt so cozy cuddling up in the suntan chair witnessing the headlands, bays and wave-cut platforms. It was the dry season when we visited Hanoi, therefore most of the landforms we saw were exposed and it was easy to imagine how the landforms looked in high tide due to the water mark on the rocks. Perhaps when I cruise Ha Long again in the future it wouldn't be as lovely.
Last but not least, we visited an orphanage with victims of Agent Orange. Agent Orange is a chemical used in the Vietnam War and it is deadly. We didn't saw any children with abnormal features in spite of some children having to have their arms and legs stretched so they can walk. It is so melancholy seeing how they wail due to the pain yet they still tried to withstand it. My heart goes out to the volunteers and nurses who gave their time for the children. I always take things for granted. I never bother to appreciate my life or that I have no mental disability. Those poor kids! They are so young and innocent, yet they have to be affected by the effects of Agent Orange. I cannot believe they accepted their life and tolerate pain.

Both pictures: Ha Long Bay.
Below: The Fighting Roosters.

One important thing I learned from this trip is that everybody's different. I know it's odd to learn something like that. Some people were born with a silver spoon in their mouth and never lift a finger to do anything, while some people were born into an underprivileged family with disabilities and had to work hard all their lives. We just have to accept our lives and live it, not abuse it or whine about it. Not only that, we also have to accept other people for who they are and respect them for it.
I also learned to adapt to new surroundings. In Hanoi, the weather is dry and chilly unlike the humid and blazing hot weather of Singapore. It may be tough trying to adjust to new living conditions and not able to drink straight from the tap, but it is necessary we adapt because in the future we might work in foreign countries and we need to be independent.
In addition, I also want to really appreciate my life and be thankful that I have awesome parents, teachers and schoolmates. I'm grateful that I don't have to bear the consequences of any war, and I should lend a helping hand to the people who are in need. Thank you to the five lovely teachers for making this trip successful. And thanks to my classmates too! :)