Hello from Vietnam
This is Vietnam's flag.
It is red because it symbolizes the fact that Vietnam is a Communist country. Communism is a different way of governing the country.
Here I am outside Ho Chi Ming's Mausoleum. Ho Chi Ming was a famous leader of Vietnam and his body is inside here. People queue for hours just to look at him. I saw him....
The people in Vietnam are lovely. Very kind and gentle.
If people do not have a shop, this is how they carry their goods to sell on the street. They often wear hats made of bamboo like this lady.
This is a lady selling tomatoes on the side of the road.
This is me in a market place where the local people do their food shopping. The food in this picture with me are dried mushrooms and dried fish.
Here I am about to have some dinner with some people. They have little seats and tables on the footpath. The cooking is also done here on the street on little burners.
Everyone gets around on little motor bikes. Often there are 3 or 4 people on a bike! Crossing the road is a real challenge as there are always 100's of bikes on the road coming at you.
Here is a family on a bike. See Dad texting!
Instead of getting a taxi you can use a Cyclo. Here I am about to go for a ride. The man has a push bike on the back and peddles you to where you want to go.
This is a typical street photo. Lots of people. The 'hustle and bustle' of Vietnam Cities is exciting.
In the city the power wires are a mess....
Everywhere you go there are little groups of men on the streets, crouching down having fun playing checkers.
In the hill country people often live in 'tall houses' like this one. They are off the ground to keep animals out and also to help keep the house cool. Can you see me on the steps?
Another type of house in a long house. When a son gets married the house is extended by adding another room for him and his family to live in. All the extended family, including Grandparents, Mum's and Dad's, children etc would live in a house like this. I am leaning on a water container.
I went for a cruise on this Junk, (that's what the Vietnamese call these boats), in Ha Long Bay.
Ha Long Bay is a World Heritage Site with beautiful scenery.
I meet a new friend on the Junk. His name is Pride. He is like me - I represent you guys in Classroom 1 St Mary's School in Rotorua (I tell everyone that). Pride is the class mascot from Frostwood Elementary School in Houston Texas USA. He has asked me to visit him, but I need to check with Mrs Smallbone. What do you think.....
Here I am looking at some huge sandstone formations in the bay. There is a little fishing village between the sandstone formations where people live in houses that are floating on the water.
Pride and I rowed out in these boats to go to a school in the fishing village.
Here is Pride and me in a classroom at the school. The classroom is floating on the water. It is in a very sheltered bay so it doesn't rock too much. But the kid's here rocked.... he he. :)
Pride and I had a lovely dinner on the Junk. The clever chef made this Junk out of food. The sails are made from carrot, the bottom part of the Junk is made from a water mellon and the deck area is made from pumpkin. How clever is that!
Here I am in my cabin getting ready for bed.
For breakfast Pride and I had a Vietnamese breakfast. No cereal - just noodles and chicken. It was very yummy.
Everywhere I went there were rice paddies like this. The growing of rice in Vietnam is a big industry.
Here I am at a War Museum. These are captured American planes and tanks from the American War 1965 - 1975. We call the war 'The Vietnam War", but they call it the 'American War'. It was a very bad time in Vietnam and is a significant part of Vietnams' recent history.
Well that's all from my Vietnam adventure. Have a great holiday. While you are on holiday I am going on another adventure.... But you will have to wait until you get back to school to read about it. Bye everyone. Miss you all!
Charles.
