Vietnam Day 10 – Down by the Mekong Delta
Vinh Long is located right along the Mekong Delta. Almost everything in Southern Vietnam evolves and revolves around the river system – not only for transportation but for commerce. I went down to the rivers and also around Vinh Long today.
Beautiful sunset along the Mekong Delta in Vietnam
Boats travel up this river to Vinh Long’s biggest market.
Check out this scooter which is fully loaded.
These kids were so much fun, They were jumping and full of life.
They were curious but a little timid of me and my camera.
The river is their playground.
Synchronized jumping. Pretty good kids!
The more the water splashes, the cooler it gets.
This little boy had a cute kitten. They kitten followed him everywhere!
Tu’s family has 11 huge barges that carry merchandise up and down the river.
Sleeping on the way home after a long day.
Day 9 Vietnam – Cambodian Temples.
Tu’s dad said, “lets get in the car and go see some temples” so we did. And it was a long drive from Vinh Long in the South of Vietnam. The region was Tra Vinh and little did I know at the time but the place (which has virtually no tourism) turned out to have some of the most beautiful and interesting temples I have ever seen.
The area of Tra Vinh is about 50% Khmer and 50% Vietnamese. When you come here you are virtually alone with no other tourist free to explore some of the most beautiful and awe inspiring temples in the world. It is a true hidden secret. There are 300 temples approximately in the area but we only had a chance to visit about 4 of them.
The most beautiful of all the temples we visited this day. We were there at dusk and there were thousands of White Cranes flying around the temple getting ready to roost in the trees.
A picture window. Out through one temple window and looking on to another.
Khmer monks are expert craftsman and they carve intricate animal statues from wood. The work they do is extraordinary and beautiful.
Khmer live very poorly. What little money they do save they send to the temples. The temples are among the most beautiful in the world because they give so much money to keep them up.
The first temple we visited and the most popular in the region. The temple was so intricately designed and beautiful, and peaceful.
Most Khmer Temples are protected by warriors like this. The warriors must ward off the evil spirits and protect the temple.
This picture makes the building look deceptively small. But it is very large and the golden monk asleep on top of it is very big. This was an extraordinary site to behold.
The golden pagoda’s look even more beautiful as the sunset glows on them. Giant white cranes were circling this pagoda which was very remote. Now this was an amazing place.
Dinh Thu is owned by the richest man in Vietnam. This is his house which looks like a palace.His name is reportedly Tran Be and he made his money by monopolizing the Dragon Fruit industry in Vietnam and other investment such as banks, real estate and hospitals.
Tu and I in front of this massive and beautiful palace. It is surrounded by thousands of imported Banzai trees each reported worth $100,000 USD.
Right outside this massive palace a farm girl rides her simple bike to pick up food at the market.
Inside the pagoda’s the beauty of the temples is almost unbelievable. What is even more extraordinary is that there was no one in any of the temples. Anywhere else in the world these places would be packed with tourist.
Khmer girls using an old ancient clothes washing machine I presume.
Monks exited this temple, one by one carrying candles. I watched them as they came out. They gave me stern looks so maybe I was not supposed to be photographing them.
Toiling Away
The people here in Vietnam work very hard. Carrying large loads by hand in the heat of the day and sweating. I can’t imagine doing it but they do it everyday.
Day 8 Vietnam – Merry Christmas!
We headed back on Sunday to the very poor government orphanage located just south of Vinh Long. Our goal was to throw an epic Christmas party for the kids and babies there complete with all the things that they probably never get on Christmas – Santa, Gifts, Food and clothes. Most of all we just wanted to give them a fun day. Actually it was Tu’s idea and the whole family helped to bring the day together. It took quite a bit of organization to bring everything together and Tu did it all – so proud of her for doing something so worthwhile for these poor kids.
When we arrived in the dormitory the kids were screaming when they saw us. They were so happy since they remembered us from the last time. It was great to hear their happy greetings as we walked through those doors.
Tu brought these cute Christmas outfits for some of the girls. This girl was the designated Santa’s elf.
And here she is all ready to help pass out the presents to the rest of the children.
Hey, who is that? Why it’s one of the kids with a Santa’s mask.
This boy is Cambodian. He was so nice. He was one of the first people to greet us as we came through the door.
More peace signs. The kids loved doing the peace signs for the camera.
I think he was happy to see us. Look at that cute smile.
Santa’s little helper II sits under the Christmas tree with her gifts.
How adorable are these kids? Particularly Santa’s little helper in the front.
Vinh, Tu’s brother, did a great job playing Santa. This little boy was really funny. He kept looking sideways at Santa with a look of both fear and wonder. It was probably his first experience with a Santa. He was just adopted so he will have many good Christmas’s to come for many years.
All lined up and waiting for gifts. Where are the gifts? They kept looking at the gifts under the tree the whole time, They were so excited.
And there they are, waiting under the tree. Waiting to open the gifts!
Jump.
Jump higher!
Try to reach the sky!
Jump high Santa’s Little Helper!
Jump for Christmas Joy!
Jump with the biggest smile you can!
Jump with a giggle!
This baby boy is happy and always smiling. This is Tu’s favorite little baby. She always holds him when we are there.
Here he is again. He will be adopted soon, I am sure.
Everyone got gifts, even the babies.
This poor little guy has a hard time breathing. I was trying to help him walk to the presents and it sounded like he was gasping for air.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to you!
Merry Christmas to the big brother of the group that takes care of everyone, including his sisters and brothers.
And the big sister, pictured here holding Santa’s Little Helper.
Merry Christmas everyone! Now open your gifts!
Day 7 Vietnam – The Teacher
I was standing outside taking pictures last week when an elderly man carrying a briefcase approached me. He said to me in very good English, “How are you?”. I was surprised because not many people approach me because they are shy and also because he spoke English very well. It turns out he was a school teacher for many years. I guess that stopped in about 1975 – the same time the war ended here in Vietnam. He told me that back when he was teaching he taught two languages – French and English and at the time they paid very well. He was very well off, but said he wasn’t doing very well lately.
Hi name is Qui. His story was sad actually. 3 years ago he went jogging with his wife at night. The roads here are dark and the motorcycle drivers are not that cautious. It was late and his wife got hit and the motorcyclist sped away without stopping. His wife died. That was 3 years ago and it impacted his life very deeply. People in the neighborhood say that he has never been the same since it happened. The horror of seeing your wife hit and killed and then the pain of living without the person you love. Every time he drinks he puts two straws in the glass and say’s the second straw is for his wife. He still thinks of her all the time.
Qui is interesting because every morning he wakes up and gets ready to go to work as a teacher. He puts on his best clothes, gets his briefcase and then heads out to go to teach. The only thing is that he doesn’t have anywhere to go to. He stopped teaching 30 years ago but still wants to return to it so he dresses up and heads to go to work even though he does not have anywhere to go. Qui seemed like a very nice man and was no doubt a very good teacher. It’s interesting the people that you will meet when you go out and take pictures. You can hear some interesting stories, get to know interesting people and learn a lot about life.
Qui pictured below with suit, tie and the briefcase that he carries out with him each morning.
Day 6 – Saigon. Saigon?, Saigon!
Saigon is not Saigon, it is Ho Chi Minh City. Then why does everyone here still call it Saigon? The reason is because there is still a lot of animosity towards the North Vietnamese for taking over the South of Vietnam in the mid-1970’s. Many people in the South lost all they had worked for when the North took over the South and they felt that the government needed to take over the south because that is where all the money and the wealth is. That is still the case today actually. The government is in the north, but all of the commerce and money is located in the south. Saigon is booming. The city is growing everyday and it is massive.
Today I was lucky enough to have a friend of Tu’s be able to take me around the city of Saigon by scooter. It was pretty awesome. He is a photographer himself so he knew exactly where to take me to get some great pictures and not only that but he gave me a lot of great advice and tips on how to take pictures in the city. His name is Hai Tran and Tu is good friends with his brother Heiu. This is a picture of him I took in the Presidential Palace in the center of Saigon. This was taken in tunnels underneath the palace where people used make getaways when things were dangerous.
Here he is again in a famous old temple in Saigon. It was one of the oldest temples and is Chinese. There was a beam of light coming down through a window and the light beam was highlighted by all of the incense smoke that was blowing upward.
This is the Presidential Palace and one of the places in Saigon with the most interesting architecture. The palace was most recently renovated in the 1970’s by the Americans. It was actually built in 1844 if you can believe it. Saigon was so bloody hot and humid today. I mean we were drenched in sweat because it was almost raining the whole time. The sun would come out and heat things up and then it would make the clouds full of rain. When it rained it would cool things down but we had to duck into a food court to get a coffee to let it pass by when it got bad.
I took this picture at a place that not many people know about it. It is at a place called Thu Thiem Park which is a new park that was built off the first underground tunnel in Vietnam. The tunnel was just built two years ago. There was a lady fishing off the end of the pier. She didn’t seem to mind that I included her in the picture.
This is Nha Tho Duc Va Church which is the most famous church in all of Saigon. This place is overrun by tourist taking pictures and also by people taking their engagement photos. This appears to be the place that everyone goes to take pictures. I decided to take pictures of the steeples of the Church since it was hard to find a picture that was not crowded with people.
It was Friday afternoon. The kids just got out of school and they seemed really happy to be able to enjoy the weekend. They all said, Hey! and Hello! when I passed by them so I took this picture.
I got the VIP treatment when Hieu took me to the top floor of his building. He works from the tallest building in Saigon and this is the view from his office. Pretty sweet huh? Must be nice to look out and see this everyday. On top of the world and a beautiful view of Saigon.
Beautiful temples. Incense smoke going upwards are sacrifices that people make for their loved ones.
The temples are so ornate, so old. So many people come to these places to visit but also to pray for things they need in their life.
This is a beautiful church in Saigon. Can you see the french influence in the Vietnamese buildings and architecture?
This bike is parked outside the local grocer. It looks like they have been shopping for oranges, fruits and vegetables. Healthy eating is the way the Vietnamese eat which is why they all live to be over 90 years old.
Vietnam Day 5 – Visiting a remote and very poor orphanage
We started at 5 in the morning, piling in the car to take a long drive up to Saigon and then on to a very remote orphanage in the middle of a very small town north of Saigon. We expected that it would take us about 4 hours to get there but it actually ended up taking us about 7 hours to get up there. The traffic was very slow and the roads were not great the last 35 kilometers or so. The drive was beautiful though and we saw some very small villages along the way and I got to see what many Vietnamese in the remotest parts of Vietnam live.
The orphanage that we went to was run by Monks unlike the last orphanage that we visited which was run by the government. Because it is run by the monks basically everything that they had for the kids had to be donated since they didn’t really receive any government assistance. Before arriving we stopped at a very large grocery store and bought milk sausages candy and other treats to give each of the kids and adults that lived in the orphanage. We formed an assembly line and made a special Happy Bag for each person. We are getting pretty good at this now actually.
Ma Bay packs Happy Bags for the kids. This trip was her idea and she organized it.
This orphanage seemed particularly poor and they took in all kids even those kids with illnesses or problems. The people that take care of the kids there are very good to the kids and take care of them well.
This little boy was so curious about my camera. He didn’t want to see the pictures he wanted to have my camera. He didn’t actually say that but I could tell he really wanted it.
This is a cute little girl. She was giggling away when they tickled her feet. It was pretty funny. The babies seemed the most happy there.
There were 5 large dormitories in the orphanage and they basically were lined with bamboo beds. The beds did not have mattresses they were just flat and lined with bamboo. The first dorm was for handicapped boys, the second for babies, the third for handicapped girls, the 4th for handicapped men and the 5th for handicapped woman. This little boy was in the first dorm. He followed me around everywhere explaining everything to me – which I didn’t understand a word he was saying since it was all Vietnamese – but that didn’t stop his enthusiasm.
This is a little boy and girl in the baby dorm. They were laughing and giggling the whole time. They will probably get adopted soon. I hope they do.
These little guys were pooped out tired and just fell asleep right next to each other.
I believe it is the traditional buddhist style to shave the back of the head and leave the hair on top longer. Most of the babies in the orphanage had this traditional buddhist haircut.
He was reading a comic book when I came up. I went to take a picture of him and he gave this happiest laugh face of all time.
Another cute little boy, he would love to be adopted I am sure.
This poor little girl. The orphanage takes in all kids that need help. Kids like this will need extra care and attention. This was a good orphanage that needs lots of financial help but more importantly people to come and visit the kids and make their days brighter. Since it is so remote they often can feel abandoned here. Even sadder is the older handicapped men and woman who just spend all of their days in bed. They do not seem to have anything to do.
Vietnam Day 4 – Cooking for the nuns
Today we went out for a fun trip to a very old convent. The Convent called Camion (well I am not sure of the spelling of the name of the convent actually since that is what it sounds like in Vietnamese. This is my second trip to the convent and boy have they done a wonderful job in restoring the church, the classrooms and the nuns sleeping quarters in the last year since I have been here. The convent was originally built back in 1844 (over 150 years ago) and you can imagine at that time Vietnam was a very different place – probably very influenced by the french. Well if you look at the architecture and the grounds it is easy to tell that it does in fact look like something right out of France – even the French streetlights that adorn the walkway to the church. It is just a beautiful place. The sky was nice and blue this day, which was not the case when I was here before. I came during the rainy season and it was pouring rain when we visited last time.
The grounds of the convent are kept immaculate.
The reason why we came to the convent this particular time was to visit the elderly retired nuns and Tu and her family cooked for all of the nuns. What they cooked was a traditional Vietnamese soup called Gao (Jow) which is basically a very boiled and tasty rice soup that has bits of pork and chicken. It is very tender on the stomach but very tasty too and it was perfect for the elderly nuns who had special diets which means that they cannot eat anything to harsh. The soup was so good and all of the nuns said it tasted excellent.
This is a picture of one of the very kind nuns. She was in her room when she noticed that we were taking pictures and she came out and wanted a picture of herself too. She is over 90 years old but you would not know it because she was so energetic and happy. Well in fact all of the nuns here were so happy and so positive. They live a very good life.
These two nuns are sisters. One of them was very sick and could not get up to go to dinner, but her sisters sits by her bed all the time and takes care of her. How nice to have a sister that would always be there for you. She was sick but she was full of smiles when the camera came out.
This nun had the kindest eyes and nicest smile. You could see how happy she was in her eyes. She was giggling when we said to take some pictures of her and she said to me after she saw the picture, “I am very pretty but I do not have anyone to take pictures of me”. Well she certainly had a warm heart and a kind disposition. She was 94 years old but was many years younger in her heart and how she looked. She was walking around with us everywhere and always telling us things about the convent.
Another sweet nun. She was the one that was taking care of her sister. Another warm smile.
Before we left we got all of them together and took a group shot. Look at how funny and great they were. I told them to raise up their arms and cheer. When they did, I snapped the picture. It came out great and shows just how happy and full of life they are. Another great day in Vietnam.
