Vietnam: Culture and History

Kat Weiss

6/13/16

Vietnam: Culture and History

Reflection Paper

Because my trip to Thailand was cut short, I have had a lot of time to reflect on my trip to Vietnam on the long journey home. What I have learned about the country and its history is astonishing, but learning about the culture and current issues, like the government and its voting situation, is what was most interesting to me. My favorite parts of the trip were when we were out of the hustle and bustle of the city life of Saigon and Hanoi, but in the more remote and rural areas. Places like the Mekong River and Sa Pa are where I felt most connected to the Vietnamese culture. Vietnam is a beautiful country with even better people, and being able to communicate and ask questions to the regular people was a great learning experience. Since two of my classes in past semesters involved studying the Hmong people, being able to spend time with them and talk to them really brought my studies to life. Although there is still much of Vietnam we did not get a chance to explore, I felt that we covered so much ground in a short amount of time.

One part of the class I really did enjoy, regardless of the extra time it required, was the beginning topic papers and the presentations. I felt that it really allowed us to focus on one place or area, so that when we arrived at that topic on the trip, it was more special. The locations that we did the presentations in also really helped, from the listener’s point of view, to engage in the topic. It was different than a normal lecture or presentation; we were actually at the site they were talking about and it just helped bring the topic to life.

My paper and presentation covered the Mekong River, something I had never learned anything about before doing the research. The information about the Mekong River was very interesting, as I learned just how important it is to the Vietnamese people, as it serves as their main source of income and livelihood. Physically being on the Mekong River, on a small river boat, really made my research worthwhile, as I finally got to experience the place I had invested time into studying. Not only was this one of my favorite parts of the trip, I felt like I learned a lot more than just what my paper enabled me to learn. While I learned how much the Vietnamese people relied on the Mekong River while writing my topic paper, actually seeing the effects of the river does not even compare. The importance of the river was extremely apparent after living on it for two days as fish is literally the only thing we ate. Walking through the Mekong markets and seeing the floating markets, it was apparent, as I have stated before, how most of their diet is fish. We also saw people bathing in the river as well as children playing in it, regardless of how dirty and polluted it may seem. The cleanliness of the water is something that shocked me, as it seemed extremely unsanitary and not well preserved. Trash was constantly floating down the river, something I was not expecting from a river that was so vital to the lives of many people. Visiting the villages on the Mekong, such as the flower village, was my favorite part of the Mekong excursion as it allowed us to really immerse ourselves in the lives of the Mekong people. We were exploring through the jungles of the Mekong, and I felt as if I were in a movie. It was absolutely beautiful and seeing all the plants and fruits, such as the jack fruit which is one of my favorite fruits now, was amazing.

My paper mainly focused on how the recent construction of dams could be detrimental to the Mekong society since it is of such importance, however that was rarely talked about during our trip. Our tour guide, Loy, briefly mentioned the dams, but there was no real discussion about it. Looking back on the trip, something I regret is not talking to Loy or any of the other boat staff about their stances on the building of the dams, since they were raised on the Mekong. It would have been very interesting to hear what they have to say, although I am sure they would have been against it. I think my research really did help in my understanding of the Mekong and I am very happy this was my topic since this part of the trip was one of my favorites. My research did not prepare me for the beauty I would find on the Mekong. Sitting on the top floor of the boat and eating with the windows completely open is an experience that I can never forget. I also felt adventurous and branched out by eating fish and squid, something I do not normally eat in the States. I also enjoyed how this adventure was towards the beginning of the trip, as it allowed for our group to bond and form closer friendships.

Now that I have had time to reflect on this trip, I realize just how much our class did in the two weeks we were there. We were non-stop doing activities and not once did I feel like what we were doing was boring or pointless. Although I was not in the stressful and difficult Vietnam War class, I really feel like I benefited from all the Vietnam War museums and activities and I found it extremely interesting. As I mentioned before, I really enjoyed everyone’s presentations because I felt like I has some background information about the places we were at, and the locations of the presentations made them all the more special. There is nothing about this trip that I would have changed, and we have Mr. Binh to thank for that! This class has made me want to learn even more about the Vietnam War and to return to Vietnam in the future as I feel there are so many other places here to explore. I got to experience a little part of Central Vietnam in Phong Nha, and it was absolutely beautiful, but I know there is so much more to see. Overall, this trip was absolutely wonderful, and although there was an assignment to do beforehand, I think that really benefited us and helped us learn a lot more than we would have without them.