The educational exchange programme in Vietnam spans over a period of 10 days from 25th November 2008 and 4th December 2008.  We visited Hue, DaNang and Ho Chi Minh City.  In this trip, we immersed in the daily school life in two of the Vietnam’s top three high schools.  It also allowed us to have a snippet of the Vietnamese history by visiting several significant sights, such as Khai Dinh Tomb, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Reunification Palace which reveal the rich heritage and tradition of the Vietnamese. 

Our programme started off with a four-day exchange with Quoc Hoc Hue School, in Hue. The main purpose is to share the different experiences in teaching and learning between Singapore and Vietnam. We had the opportunity to conduct Science and English workshops, which are unique to the locals. The Science workshop consists of three activities: the egg drop, bridge construction and rocket construction.  At the end of these workshops, a friendly Science competition was conducted for the host students.  These activities sparked fervent interests amongst the students.

We also attended various classroom lessons which were taught in either English or Vietnamese.  The interaction between us and Vietnamese counterparts was heighten though the participation of a sports exchange programme where various sports that we have in Singapore, such as Ultimate Frisbee, were played.

 Some of the students who are involved in the Rocket Workshop

After a lesson observation

We were fortunate to be hosted by the families of Quoc Hoc Hue School students.  They welcomed us to their homes and treated us to Vietnamese-style dinners.  It was an enjoyable experience and it taught us much about being hospitable hosts.  Our exchange with Quoc Hoc Hue School ended with a spectacular concert jointly organized by both schools.  The host school students participated in this concert with much enthusiasm and we felt appreciated of being able to be invited.

Some of the Vietnamese and Singaporean performers during the farewell concert

The next segment of the program was a visit to an orphanage where we taught the children the fundamentals of English and played several games with them. The visit ended with a tree planting activity, which was a new experience to most of us. It was indeed a joyful and exciting experience for both the facilitators and the participants.

The whole group at Le Hong Phong School

During our visit to Khai Dinh Tomb, our guide shared with us that that the ruler, Khai Dinh, one of the Emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty, actually raised taxes to 40% so as to fund the building of his tomb and his rule was likely to be one of the precursors to the independence movement in Vietnam.

Hoi An Ancient Town, an important Harbour town during the 16th and 17th century. This town allowed different nationalities such as the Japanese and Dutch to settle in it.  In 1999, Hoi An was named a UNESCO World Heritage site and it was recently featured in an article in Straits Times’ Life section.   This place provided an insight to how the past looked like.

The whole group in front of the City Hall

The Cu Chi Tunnel amazed us by the tenacity which the Vietnamese demonstrated.  Our guide shared with us that the locals used their bare hands and simple tools to dig through hard clay to construct a tunnel which spans over 200 kilometers. This tunnel was used during the Vietnam War.  It was a small and narrow tunnel and our tenacity, mental strength and physicial ability were put to the test as we duck-walked through a section of the tunnel, which left us panting yet thoroughly sastified.

One of the highlights of our visit is the Reunification Palace. This palace is symbolic to the Vietnamese Independence movement and the granduer of the palace is certainly magnificent. We were also invited to a video room, where we watched a video about the history of the palace and the significance of its name.

The whole group in front of the Reunification Palace

This educational trip has deepened our understanding of the Vietnamese.  Besides learning more about another culture, it was an excellent opportunity to make new friends and a chance to learn more about oneself.  We have definitely brought home more than fond memories.

Written By: Ngai Jia Sheng
Edited by: Lynette Teo