July 2010: Holiday in and around Ha Noi

In no way does this Blog reflect any thoughts, opinions or ideas of VSO.

July 2010

Frank came over from the UK to join me in Viet Nam for a holiday and we had a blast. It was HOT and very steamy so our energy levels needed to be carefully utilised but despite that, we had a great time.

Frank arrived on the Friday night just in time for a group of my favourite people in the VSO world to descend on Ha Noi to gather together as it was the birthdays of two of their group. This was the group that arrived 2 months after me in March. Four of their group are based in Ha Noi and three in different placements around the country. Anyway, I (we) hosted a drinks get together at my new house (moved in just 3 weeks) then we all went out to dinner together. So for Frank, it was in at the deep end. After a lovely brunch the following day with the group, Frank and I headed to downtown Ha Noi.

After a couple of days in Ha Noi, we headed out for our first trip, two days in the Ninh Binh area visiting the extraudinary beauty spots and a rescue primate centre that had primates peculiar to Viet Nam....cute!!

A few days back in Ha Noi to rest up and explore then we were off to the valley of ........... for a couple of nights. We went primarily because it was supposed to be a place to cool off from the heat of Ha Noi and it turned out to be having a heat wave! Undaunted we pressed on. Day one, we went for a bike ride. Day two a walk and then we went for to visit a cave and went deep into the mountain. It was exhausting and wonderful. Later that day, we took a ride up into the mountains to an ethnic minority village and market. These are the Blue Humong tribes (and they all wear blue) and the Flower Humong tribe (they wear multi coloured clothing. The market was a treasure trove of colour!!

Back to Ha Noi! We sat one evening in the old quarter with a glass of locally brewed beer at a road junction watching the antics of Vietnamese people weaving their round each other with their various loads and passengers.....all of course, on motor bikes.

We loved the first two trips but we definitely saved the best 'til last......Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Island.

We spent the first day on a rather grotty run down boat, visited the cave then went to Cat Ba Island. Cat Ba is the largest of the islands in the Bay and is mainly made up of mountains with gaps in between where the odd village or town collects. We went to the main town in the south side of the island, booked into the hotel and then went exploring. Cat Ba is something like a mixture of a mini Blackpool and Southsea. For the non English readers, a mixture of pure honest tackiness and cute old fashioned style.

We loved it. We had a drink on the seafront and got offered a massage....hmn......totally unsure, I was ready to say NO until the guy started and then I just relaxed and enjoyed the whole experience. Frank also got the same treatment....hmnnnnn.....

Dinner was less delicious unfortunately but never mind. It was raining heavily in the morning so we skipped the 2 hour trek into the mountains and settle for a walk and a long sit in at a lovely friendly cafe that served drinks and lunch. Back to the hotel to be collected to go to Monkey Island for a couple of hours. Apparently we had the use of a kayak in our deal so kayaking we went. It wasn't too successful at first due to having two skippers onboard with differing techniques but we finally got it together.

Back to the mainland and then back to our boat where we were staying for night 2. No old battered run down boat this time.....the pictures tell their own story. We have a great time and got back to Ha Noi the following evening well pleased with the whole thing.

And then all too soon, it was time for Frank to head back to the UK. It was a great holiday. We saw lots, had a lot of fun and met some wonderful people along the way.

August 2010

This Blog is based on my personal views only and in no way reflects any views or opinions of VSO.

I never quite know where to start with these blogs. There is always so much to say, too much really in many ways.

General overview:

I continue to love my life here in Viet Nam. I am so so lucky to work in an office with some wonderful people who have become my friends. I look forward to going to work on Monday mornings as much as I look forward to greeting the weekends on Friday afternoons. I also consider myself lucky to be in Ha Noi. Before I came here, when I would tell people where I was coming, previous visitors would smile with lighted eyes and report their own experiences and love of the city. It has to be said that is not a universal opinion..it seems that you love it or hate it but I guess that's the same anywhere in the world. People gasp in horror when I describe Egypt as definitely NOT my favourite destination and a place I am glad I went to visit but would not do a return even on a free holiday.

So what do I love about Viet Nam. The country is beautiful and varied in its terrain from the rice tiers of Sa Pa to the lowlands of the central plains. The people are very special. They make a hobby of cheating vistitors..... it is true. Their concept of service is not always the best, I have to admit. They put no value in the basic things like hand over mouth when sneezing or using toilets instead of road sides to have a pee. The guys especially can be somewhat uncouth....not the image of a sexy dreamboat. But they do (as they say) brush up well and the ones who take care of their appearance and clean up their behaviour can be very attractive.

But they have a wonderful sense of humour. They are friendly. I live in the middle of an old village in the north of Ha Noi that has a large ex pat population mixed in with the people who have lived here for generations. I have chosen to be in a street with less of the ex pats and more of the locals and it is just perfect. They don't perceive us as visitors from outer space (as happens in the more remote areas) but there are not too many of us that they tire of our presence.

I have a growing range of friends here outside of work. I go along to an English group on Sunday afternoons where young Viets get together to practice their English. I go along to help occasionally with pronunciations and vocabulary but mainly to have fun with everyone and to talk English to them in a relaxed way that they don't get from lessons and the internet.

Work I have mentioned. I love everyone at my office but a couple of people in particular are becoming good friends.

I do spent some time with some of the other volunteers but it is minimal. My best buddy over here is Sarah. She and I arrived on the same day and have remained friends ever since. We holiday together and get together as much as possible on weekends given the fact that she lives so far away in the central district. David works in the same office as me as so Kiran and Mike. And I currently share a house with two other VSO volunteers. Other than that, I rarely see other people. They do arrange a regular Friday night get together at a Bia Hoi (a local 'bar' with cheap beer and food) but I rarely go to that. Friday's I just want to chill out with a bit of TV and a good book usually.

My latest involvement is with a group of people called the Three Trees. Three ladies (2 Vietnamese and one NZ) came across a centre for disabled children and elders on the outer edge of the Ha Noi boundary. This was about 3 years ago. The place touched the hearts of these wonderful women and they started to collect funds and to take presents out to the centre. I got involved about 5 months ago when they were wanting to get someone to help who had some experience in Disability and could advice them as to what to do to maximise their input to the centre.

Needless to say, I got hooked. I went on a couple of visits then offered to go one afternoon a week to work alongside the staff to help and to get a better idea of what they need to make things better for the children. With the support of my project manager, that is what I now do. I go with two young Vietnamese people every week in a private car to the centre. It takes us 2 hours to get there and around 2.5 hours to get back (ughy traffic) so we get about 3 hours. The first hour, we do something with the more able, more mobile children and young people. I guess our overall aim here is FUN. We do dancing, exercises, arts and craft.....each week we try and do something slightly different. They are such fun to be with. Some are quite intelligent but have a physical disability, others have learning disabilities. The pictures posted are of this group. They can be quite a handful at times but the more they get to know us, the more they are calming down and just enjoying what we have to offer.

We then go down to the 'cot rooms'. These are the babies and the more disabled children and here, it is a whole different world. Everyone is at the centre because they were abandoned by their families. This can be through stigma (shame at having a non perfect child) or poverty (just simply not being able to cope) or a mixture of both. Whatever reason, the children end up here.

Some of the cot children do not respond at all. Some cry, some just lay inert. And then there are the ones who follow your every move and the ones who reach out. Some of the children recognise us now and associate us with toys and play and maybe getting out of their cots for a while. When I say 'cots' you can draw up an imagine of what that is. But strip your imagined cot of any frills or soft furnishings, these are metal frames with metal slats on the bottom.....no soft furnishings at all. The larger cots are the same format but large enough to hold 6 to 9 children lying down. Again, no soft furnishings. Some lie on a ratten mat but nothing more. The children live the majority of their little lives in these cots. They are fed while lying on their backs and have little to no stimulation. They wear old rags as diapers which get changed when necessary.

I am writing this very factually and as it is. I have been going there for the two months to work alongside the staff. Could more be done for the children in the current situation? Of course. there is always more that we can do. But I also understand the huge pressures that the staff are under. Some of the staff do offer attention to the children and will engage with them during feeding time. (and it is like 'feeding time' with up to 6 children being fed at the same time with the same spoon from the same bowl). But there are too few staff....two staff working with 16 profoundly handicapped babies and children. Resources are appalling. There are no toys for the children, no playground. Most of them never see the outside world at all.

I love my Thursday afternoon with the children. It takes me back to my roots, back to what I love so much to do and have denied myself for so long.......to work directly with children with disabilities. I love that I can contribute- however minutely- some love and attention to these mites who have drawn such a short straw in life. Maybe another time I will share some photos but not until I have permission to do so from the director of the center.

So that is about me up to date in general terms. I will post this and then will shortly post a follow up with LOTS of photos of a recent holiday in Viet Nam that I took with Frank.