• Medium size roller suitcase - This will be your main suitcase for the trip.
• Day pack Small, light, nylon bag with straps - a school book-bag is fine. This is what you’ll take with you on day excursions. It should be big enough to hold a water bottle, camera, some food, a raincoat, and a book or journal. This will also be what you use as carry-on for the flights.
CLOTHING
We strive to be model visitors, and therefore ask that participants bring clothing that is light-weight and durable, but that also covers the body well, and looks respectable. Tie-dyed t-shirts, cut-off jeans, torn or grungy clothes, tight fitting leggings and tank-tops are inappropriate, as they show disrespect for local cultures, which place a high value on modesty. This is not to deny your cultural norms, but to respect the cultures that you are visiting. Girls most often wear skirts with t-shirts that cover the shoulders, or light-weight sun dresses or pants with t-shirts. Boys wear long pants with t-shirts. Clothing that does not show dirt, is lightweight, and dries easily is ideal, but remember that whatever you bring will get a lot of use, so pack things you don’t mind beating up. Bear in mind that summer time in Vietnam is hot and humid.
• Socks 3-4 pair
• Underwear 4 pair
• T-shirts 3-4. Please avoid tank tops and tie-dye.
• Collared shirt Bring at least one short or long-sleeved shirt with collar.
• Pants 1-2 pair for girls (plus a skirt), 2-3 pair for boys. Your pants should be durable and light-weight.
• Modest swimsuit
• Sandals Tevas or Chaco style work better than flip-flops.
• Walking/running shoes 1 pair, broken in before program starts.
• Hat for sun protection Along with your sunglasses and sunscreen, this is essential protection from the intense Southeast Asian sun.
• Raincoat/poncho Best if lightweight and breathable. Gore-tex is great, but there are other materials that are more economical. A simple plastic poncho is fine.
PERSONAL ITEMS
• Passport You must have a passport that is valid for at least six months from the time your program ends.
• Money belt You’ll want to keep your passport, traveler’s checks and other valuables in a secure travel wallet or belt that’s well attached to your body.
• Spending money $20-30 per week, though you may not spend this much unless you plan on buying a lot of gifts. There are plenty of ATM’s in Vietnam if you need to visit one.
• Photocopies of important documents Always a good idea to travel with a photocopy of your passport’s first page and the visas for countries you will be visiting.
• Journal/notebook Bring something that you can write and/or sketch in.
• Glasses If you wear glasses or contacts, please bring extras.
• Sunglasses Not a bad idea to bring an extra pair if you have a tendency to lose things.
• Toiletries Bring the basics you need for grooming yourself. Women, bring enough feminine hygiene products for the entire trip. We recommend bringing your own supply of Advil and/or Tylenol, Band Aids, and Tums, Alka Seltzer, Pepto Bismol or similar product for mild upset stomachs.
• Sunscreen SPF 30+ (water/sweat proof)
• Insect repellent
• Purell anti-bacterial hand gel (a small bottle), or anti-bacterial hand-wipes.
• Medications Any prescription medications that you regularly take (and printed information on dosage, side effects and contraindications). Keep this in original containers to avoid difficulty at customs.
• Ziploc bags These can be invaluable for organizing and keeping things dry.
• Small towel
• Camera Southeast Asia is a paradise for photography.
• Alarm clock Small travel clock with an alarm, or a watch with an alarm.
• A few pictures of your home, family, friends Your new friends in Southeast Asia will appreciate seeing these.
OPTIONAL
• Shorts 1 pair, at least mid-thigh length (shorts are generally not worn by adults in Vietnam and are inappropriate in pagodas and many other places).
• Bandana Can serve multiple purposes while traveling.
• Ear plugs/neck pillow Helps you sleep on transpacific flights.
• Good books – Bring one or two to share/trade!
• Extra passport photos Not a bad idea to have a couple extra with you.
• Extra film/memory card/camera battery These are all available in Vietnam, but tends to be more expensive than in the US.
My name is Tran Dinh Song. I am living in Danang, Central Vietnam. I have been a tour guide for eighteen years now. I am a Veteran of the Vietnam War. I was in the Air Forces of South Vietnam from 1967 to 1975, spent two and a half years in a re-educational camp, and then became a teacher of History and English in a high school until 1990. Recently I returned to university in Hanoi and I now have a Masters Degree in Linguistics.
I love History, and I would like to share my love with you. My philosophy is that a tour guide can be considered as a Good Will Ambassador who can help foreign visitors understand the History, Culture, Habits, Customs and Daily life of his/her country/people.
I am very excited for our program to begin and I look forward to welcoming you to my country very soon!
Tran Dinh Song
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July 7: Upon arrival at Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport at 10:05pm, group will be met by guide Tran Dinh Song and transfer to hotel.
July 8: After waking up in Vietnam’s charming French influenced capital city, we’ll wander the narrow maze of streets within the bustling Old Quarter, visit Ho Chi Minh’s Soviet-style mausoleum in Ba Dinh Square, and explore the grounds of the exquisite Confucian Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, founded in 1070.
After lunch, we will head to Hanoi’s West Lake and visit Tran Quoc Pagoda, the city’s oldest pagoda.
In the evening we will enjoy a performance of traditional Water Puppet Theater.
July 9: Today we will visit Hoa Lo Prison, the famous “Hanoi Hilton,” where American fighter pilots, including Senator John McCain, were held as POW’s during the war.
After lunch we’ll explore the “36 Streets” of Hanoi’s Ancient Quarter and learn about the history of the guilds that are still active here.
Ha Long Bay
July 10: This morning we check out of our hotel and head to spectacular Ha Long Bay, where we board a boat and cruise out among the thousands of steep karst formations.
July 11: Swimming and kayaking in the beautiful waters of Ha Long this morning, before we return to Hanoi to catch an overnight train south, to Hue.
Hue
July 12: Arriving in Hue, on the banks of the Perfume River, we’ll check into our hotel, have lunch, and then head out to explore the Imperial Citadel. The Citadel was modeled on Beijing’s Forbidden City and was home to the Nguyen Dynasty Emperors.
July 13: This morning we board a boat and head up the Perfume River to explore Thien Mu Pagoda and then the magnificent Minh Mang Tomb. After lunch we will have time to visit the teeming Dong Ba Market.
July 14: All day excursion as we will explore by private coach the legendary DMZ, the so-called demilitarized zone that saw many key battles and firefights during the Vietnam War.
July 15: Full day community service project at Duc Son Pagoda and Orphanage.
July 16: Full day community service project at Duc Son Pagoda and Orphanage.
July 17: Free morning to explore Hue and/or shop for gifts/souvenirs. After lunch, we will take a flight up to Hanoi and connect to our return flight home to the USA, departing at 11:35pm
July 18: Arrive JFK, 11:40am
We flew from NY to Seoul which took us 14.5 hours and another 4.5 from Seoul to Hanoi. Ms. Lob read about 500 pages of her book while the rest of us watched a ton of movies. After eating so much food on the plane, we finally arrived at 11pm to meet our tour guide Song. He was waiting for us at the airport with a smile. We know he will take great care of us while we're here.
Today we are heading into the city to see Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum and some pagodas. We can't wait to see Vietnam!
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It's very interesting learning so many things its not like people say that Vietnam is all about the war and they are not interested in Americans. As I learned about the prison called the "Hanoi Hilton" I learned about how Vietnamese were imprisoned by the French in this place and how McCain was treated. Then we went to the Pagoda were I learned so much; after all the hard work it was time to try new food. Try this food it was really hard for me but I tried to try it.
Dayana
After that, we went to see his home from the outside. When Ho Chi Minh came to power, the government gave him a big mansion to live in. But he didn't like to live all alone in that big house, so he moved to the garage and even that was too big for him, so he built a really small house on stilts to live in. It didn't have any electricity, running water or air conditioning! We couldn't believe that he turned down a mansion to live in a tiny 2 room house. After that we went to relax and drink some water because we were really thirsty. It was cool because we also met a Vietnamese lady who's name was Hong. She spoke English and wanted to get to know us. She was an English teacher and she was really nice. She asked us if we could sing a Celion Dion song but none of us could sing =D
I learned to count to 6 and say kiss and hug. By the end of the day, I also knew how to say baby turtle- umbe rua because we visited the embalmed turtle and the turtle pond. We saw 2 umbe ruas- that meant we were very lucky!
Over all, today was a great day and we can't wait for tomorrow when we go swimming!!!
Kiara
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Well today we boarded the Baitho and it is a beautiful boat. It has two decks the sleeping rooms and the tanning and laying down area at the top. In this boat we cruised around Halong Bay and did many different things. Like go in a cave where we saw different types of rocks and also Ms. Lob, Dayana and Kiara kayaked around to go to the beach. We also went to a grotto and was told there were monkeys flying through the trees. I can say for sure the food was the best we ate like kings and queens. We had crab, squid, fish, clams, rice, fruits, shrimp and a few more things. Dayana had a big smile on her face because she finally liked the food. Tyler, Kiara and Ms. Lob all jumped into the water since they can swim while Clarissa and I (Karina) took pictures. We saw a few jelly fish but nothing dangerous.
Halong Bay is an amazing part to visit in Vietnam.
Karina
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Today we went to an orphanage where the entire group decided to go before coming to Vietnam. Getting over there was a little exciting, when we got there i was so excited seeing all these little and small kids just running to you. I felt sad just seeing how much love all this kids need in their life. Knowing how I am with my mom made me feel that each and one of them will need one too. As one of the monks was explaning how most of this kids ended up in this orphanage it could be by the war and parents died, or parents were dead already, or they were left in front of the orphanage, or parents were too poor to take care of them. As we were looking around the entire orphanage I saw were they slept, ate as a family and did their chores. I was really happy being able to play, and enjoy myself with these kids. It was so amazing how all 200 kids from all different ages had so much energy,
and how I get tired so easily. This part of the trip is my favorite if i could do it every day I will. This kids are so amazing and great. At one point I wish I could take them all with me but I cant. This day I would never forget, that I was able to give some of my love to someone that doesn't get it everyday.
Dayana
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