(Post originally started on 6/5)
I made the last minute decision to consolidate bags in the Bangkok airport, and consequently, I don’t have my laptop with me here in Hanoi, so I am dictating this blog post on my phone. I didn’t want to wait to get my thoughts down on [digital] paper because today was so energizing.
I use the word “energizing” deliberately because it feels important to acknowledge that after 28 days of travel through Thailand with my head on a swivel trying to support students and help them stay safe and well (as much as one can), I am very, very, VERY tired. The 3:30 AM alarm followed by the 4 AM cab ride to the airport didn’t help, either.
Nevertheless, after one day in Hanoi, I am feeling really excited. This is my first time in Vietnam, and I am here with my co-instructor, Han, meeting with a variety of partners who provide service learning opportunities to young adults (and not-as-young-adults) from all over the world.
I made the last minute decision to consolidate bags in the Bangkok airport, and consequently, I don’t have my laptop with me here in Hanoi, so I am dictating this blog post on my phone. I didn’t want to wait to get my thoughts down on [digital] paper because today was so energizing.
I use the word “energizing” deliberately because it feels important to acknowledge that after 28 days of travel through Thailand with my head on a swivel trying to support students and help them stay safe and well (as much as one can), I am very, very, VERY tired. The 3:30 AM alarm followed by the 4 AM cab ride to the airport didn’t help, either.
Nevertheless, after one day in Hanoi, I am feeling really excited. This is my first time in Vietnam, and I am here with my co-instructor, Han, meeting with a variety of partners who provide service learning opportunities to young adults (and not-as-young-adults) from all over the world.
We got into the old city at around 11:00. Our first minor flub up was that we learned upon check-in that we had booked reservations at the wrong Pearl Hotel. Turns out, there are two hotels in Hanoi that have the name Pearl in their title. The Pearl that we originally booked at was a few miles out of the old city, and the Pearl Hanoi, the hotel that we intended to book at (and also where our hosts are staying) is in a delightful section of the old city, and so Han and I agreed to eat the cost of the old reservations to make transport/coordination easier for the next few days. Sorry, Twila. We will fix it!!
We met our hosts, Thomas & Steve, and walked to RuNam for refreshments/intro conversations while waiting for our rooms to be ready. Right off the bat, I was immediately drawn to the positive energy that Thomas and Steve both exude, and as we started digging in to our personal and program philosophies related to service learning and relationship building, I could tell that these next two days would be time and energy well spent.
After getting settled in, we took cabs over to the Center for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS), where the primary on-site coordinator, Phuong, oversees the process by which volunteers are matched with community development projects based on their areas of interest and expertise. The conversations with Phuong, Thomas, and Steve were so encouraging. I took many things away from our conversation:
- At the core of all service learning is genuine relationships. And relationships take time and energy to foster. It’s really difficult to throw together a meaningful and sustainable service learning project without first laying the groundwork of relationships to truly understand a community and its assets and its needs.
- Phuong stressed quality over quantity. If he and his team can’t guarantee a project that has the appropriate amount of guidance and support and resources, they will not pursue the project. They really want to set the community and the volunteers up for success, so matching the expectations of the volunteer with that of the supervising organization is paramount.
- Phuong really articulated the importance of understanding needs and assets, both on the part of the organization being served, and of the volunteers who are interested in serving. There needs to be alignment between those foundational pieces in order for a service learning project to truly be mutually beneficial.
Center for Sustainable Development Studies
After our time at CSDS, we got into cabs to visit Hanoi University of Public Health. There, we met with one of the faculty members who teaches a course on Global Health. A big takeaway was how impactful it is for students to study global health issues—through field trips—in regions of the world that experience direct impacts of a given issue, and how interconnected issues of public health are with things like housing, water access, diet, cultural traditions, etc.
View of the city from Hanoi University of Public Health
Walking around campus
We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant (name unknown...) that Phuong recommended (and he ordered all of the food for us 10/10 job) before wrapping up our first day.
Dinner on Night 1
Dinner on Night 1
Day 2
What a truly fulfilling day. After finishing breakfast at the hotel, our plan for the day was to visit various sites and community partners that serve as hosts for students pursuing service learning opportunities in Hanoi. First, we met Phuong at Khanh Tam Special Education Research and Consultation (SERC). We spent the first portion of the morning meeting with the staff, during which they gave a presentation on the services provided by the school, which focuses on early intervention, pre-primary school preparation, and training for the parents.
Meeting with Phuong and staff from the Khanh Tam SERC
One of the rooms at the school designed to for mindfulness and visual stimulation (depending on the need)
Next, we visited the Center for Educational Development, and local NGO that fills a variety of functions in the area, ranging from providing scholarships to high school and college students with a particular focus on women in STEM, running community education projects, developing educational policy and curriculum, and partnering with local businesses. We learned through our conversation with Ms. To Kim Lien (Director) that NGOs in Vietnam are essentially all privately funded (no grants/financial support from government). IF government support (in the form of a grant) reaches an NGO, it is likely a research grant and the NGO and its project needs to be connected to/sponsored by a research university.
Our group at CED
Let's see...from there, we visited another university, Hanoi University, to meet with two faculty members who teach a class on sustainable tourism. The model for the class was super comprehensive and experiential. I wish I could post the syllabus! The class explores tourism through multiple lenses (society, industry, government) and examines sustainable practices and approaches in the tourism industry, new forms of sustainable tourism, social responsibility, and much more. I learned a TON through our conversation but I don't think I can give a play-by-play that would do the course or the instructors justice, so take my word for it--it's a cool course.
Meeting with sustainable tourism faculty at Hanoi University
Our group with the sustainable tourism faculty at Hanoi University
Walking around campus
Last stop of the day was to the Friendship Village. From the website:
What a powerful experience. I didn't realize that Agent Orange impacts one's genetic structure, so the impairments and disabilities caused by Agent Orange can and are passed down through generations. I'm sorry that a place like the Friendship Village has to exist, but I'm really glad it does. This Village provides a place for volunteers and staff to interact and show love to the folks staying on site, as well as providing valuable vocational training for those afflicted by Agent Orange. These residents were being trained in embroidery, weaving, and flower arranging. They may be trained in other skills, but those were the rooms we visited, and their work was stunning.
Before leaving the Village, we had a rare and incredible opportunity to meet about 20 Vietnamese war veterans. The Village hosts groups of veterans for monthlong (or 3-weeks depending on government funding) stays at the Village to focus on relationship building, remembrance, and healing. What an absolute honor and privilege to meet these men. They were so kind and gracious and friendly. I don't know how to put into words what the experience was like. Incredibly special. I feel so lucky to have had that opportunity and I'll carry it with me forever.
A movement class with residents and volunteers
Example of the embroidery work created by residents of Friendship Village
We were able to purchase some of the craftwork made my residents at the Village
One of the classrooms where residents can practice weaving and embroidery
Our group got to meet with a group of Vietnamese veterans
After wrapping up at the Village, we capped off the evening with a beverage on the roof of the hotel and said goodbye to Steve and Thomas, who were flying out that evening. So, so, so grateful for the time with Steve and Thomas and excited to further develop these friendships.
Our farewell evening with Thomas, Steve, and an IPSL alum, Greg
View from our hotel
Lunch was Bún chả, my new favorite Vietnamese dish
Go here the next time you're in Hanoi -- it's delicious!
Han and I got to spend a little bit of evening time wandering the streets of Hanoi, checking out Bia Hoi Corner, and calling it an early evening before reconnecting with Phoung for our last day.
Hanoi night life
My dinner was what I'm calling a "Deconstructed Banh Mi." It was good, but I feel the same about Banh Mi as I do Pad Thai...
Day 3
Phuong had one more site visit for us planned in the morning, and what an amazing finale! We visited SWorld Vietnam (check out the website, seriously) and these are definitely my people!! SWorld was founded by a CSDS alum, Vinh, and has been in operation since 2016 (I think). This organization's slogan is "Explore Yourself - Discover the World" and they are all about experiential education. They host a variety of educational and cultural programs for youth and young adults, including very impressive summer camp. Check out this video!
They recruit volunteers from all over the world to serve as counselors for the camp--I can't wait to encourage Westminster students to apply to serve with this camp!!
I'm gonna list their mission, vision, values here because everyone needs to know about SWorld:
- Learning through experience
- Creative activities
- Form of non-formal education training
- Model according to European Format
- To become the leading cultural and educational organization in Vietnam in the field of English and skills development training for young people who are ready to participate in international exchange programs.
- English skills
- Global citizenship skills
- Cognitive development
- International cultural exchange
- Accompanying youth 10-25 years old to develop skills, confidently become global citizens
- Create an environment for learning, practical experience and international cultural exchange for Vietnamese youth
- Arousing interest in culture and history of Vietnamese youth
After getting super hyped about SWorld, it was time to say goodbye to Vinh, his staff, and to Phuong! The 2.5 days we spend with Phuong/CSDS went by far too quickly. Han and I are so, so appreciative of Phuong and his leadership. His effort and attention to building and fostering relationships between organizations and volunteers is something that I will strive to emulate in my own work. Such a wonderful experience!
Our group at SWorld
Core values of SWorld
After we said our goodbyes, Han and I went to Hỏa Lò prison, sometimes referred to in the U.S. as the Hanoi Hilton, where American POW were housed during the Vietnam War, but its history extends far earlier than 1964.
Hỏa Lò was built by French colonialists from 1886-1901, and it was used to detain Vietnamese nationalists during the French occupation of Vietnam.
From Wikipedia:
The French called the prison Maison Centrale,[1] 'Central House', which is still the designation of prisons for dangerous or long sentence detainees in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter.[2] It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution.[3] A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600.[2] It was nevertheless often overcrowded, holding some 730 prisoners on a given day in 1916, a figure which rose to 895 in 1922 and 1,430 in 1933.[2] By 1954 it held more than 2000 people;[1] with its inmates held in subhuman conditions,[3] it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French.[1]
Hỏa Lò was built by French colonialists from 1886-1901, and it was used to detain Vietnamese nationalists during the French occupation of Vietnam.
From Wikipedia:
The French called the prison Maison Centrale,[1] 'Central House', which is still the designation of prisons for dangerous or long sentence detainees in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter.[2] It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution.[3] A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600.[2] It was nevertheless often overcrowded, holding some 730 prisoners on a given day in 1916, a figure which rose to 895 in 1922 and 1,430 in 1933.[2] By 1954 it held more than 2000 people;[1] with its inmates held in subhuman conditions,[3] it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French.[1]
This mention of "subhuman conditions" doesn't even begin to marginally describe the experience of political prisoners during the French occupation. Overcrowding, disease, designed psychological torture, public executions--it was bone chilling to explore the physical space. Things were definitely better by the time the French abandoned the prison and operations were taken over by the Vietnamese to house American POWs, but it was still not good (to say the least).
The prison museum had really interesting relics from various points throughout the prison's history, and they also had an exhibition speaking to the process of Vietnamese-US reconciliation after the war. If you find yourself in Hanoi, visiting Hỏa Lò is definitely worth a stop.
Entry to Hỏa Lò
Example of a Cell Block
Memorial built to the Vietnamese political prisoners who suffered in Hỏa Lò
After the museum, it was time to return to the hotel, check-out, grab a quick bite to eat, and wrap up our visit with a Vietnamese massage :) before heading to the airport. The next 35+ hours were spent traveling from Hanoi --> Bangkok --> Taipei --> San Fransisco (where we did leave the airport to get some clam chowder near the bay) --> Salt Lake City. Needless to say, we were pretty wiped by the time we got home.
And with that, the blog is officially retired until the next international trip. There's a chance I may do some personal international travel on my Spring 2024 radical sabbatical, so until then, cheers!
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