Day 10

 May 15, Wed

Today marks our last day in Da Nang. Our time in Da Nang, the central coast of Vietnam, was short but sweet. Thankfully after a long past day we got a little extra time in the morning for ourselves. A group of students ventured down the street to a local bakery and coffee shop called Paris Levain where students ate a variety of baked cooked goods, fresh smoothies, and coffee.

At 8:30 we packed up all our things onto the bus and set out to find farms on the outskirts of Da Nang. After a 45-minute drive and a couple stops to ask for directions, the group set out to walk through the small village. On our walk we were able to see Mango, Jack Fruit, and Tapioca trees. We were able to walk through a greenhouse to find rows upon rows of Madagascar periwinkle flowers. Our last farm for the morning was an orchid farm which contained about 300,000 plants. One interesting thing to note is that this Orchid greenhouse utilizes peanut shells as their source of a mulch system. Orchids take roughly a year to grow to full size and are started as a nursery plant transitioned to be grown to full scale. The plants are supported by pvc pipes in the ground. The farmers can harvest the flowers off the plant and retain the plant for the coming seasons. There was so much variety in the orchids they planted with colors like: yellow, purple, red, pink, and orange. They utilized an automatic irrigation system to water their plants due to workers being nervous about unsanitary hands touching the plant and causing an orchid virus. Many of the flowers in Vietnam are harvested for the Lunar New Year celebrations; however, some can be sold daily at local markets in cities.

After the farm visits, we stopped by two different marble factories. Marble is a popular and luxurious rock in Vietnam which comes from the mountains in the Da Nang area. We were able to visit the marble sculptors’ workstations. They use electric power tools to craft the stone into figures. The artists have water on hand to decrease the amount of dust. Depending on how intricate and large the statues are, determines how long it will take to make. There were many statues throughout the building and lawn with sizes ranging from 10 feet tall to 3 inches tall. The statues signify the Vietnamese religion and culture. Many of the marble sculptures made in Vietnam are shipped out of the country. Otherwise, you will see them in front of businesses and restaurants.

After spending time out in the 90-degree weather, it was a refresher to sit down at ‘Tre Viet’ for lunch. Here we enjoyed a soup containing mushrooms, chicken, and egg. It was interesting trying the different types of mushrooms in the soup which reminded many students of noodles. Next came some deep-fried bean pancakes, banana leaf, and onion rings. The onion rings dipped in the chile sauce gave us all a little slice of home. No one can ever go wrong with deep-fried foods. Our source of protein for this meal came from a chicken cabob with peppers and onion paired nicely with a vinaigrette salad topped with fresh peppers. Finally, we can’t forget the sticky rice that came out on bamboo trays. Our sweet treat at the end of the meal was a watermelon cookie dessert.

Following lunch, it was time to head to the airport for a flight to our last city in our tour of Vietnam. We will be traveling to Ho Chi Minh, the largest city located in the southern half of Vietnam. Checking in and going through security went very quickly and smoothly. During the wait, we all got to talking about our experiences in Vietnam thus far. Some things we did not expect before coming to Vietnam were the lack of toilet paper in public bathrooms as well as having to pay a small fee to use the restrooms. Another thing that surprised us is that the local women dress in long pants and sweatshirts as we wear tank tops and shorts most days. However, that’s because women don’t want a tan in Vietnam because that means you’re a common laborer. Many of us truly did not realize how long the country of Vietnam is and how many different terrains we would come across during our visit. Some of our favorite foods to eat are pork rolls wrapped in seaweed, BBQ chicken, Banh Mi which is a traditional street food sandwich made of cucumbers, pickled carrots, pork or chicken on a crisp banquette.

It is time to board our flight for our destination of the trip. It was a great day to relax and reminisce on our time in Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City is 13 million people, and is the largest city in Vietnam. Also, it’s population is greater than the entire population of Cambodia. Along with the 13 million people are 8 million motorbikes (approximately 200 cc) and it seems like they are on the road at the same time! There is an additional 12 million people in HCMC that come in for general labor and are not part of the city’s official population. Also, it is the business center for Vietnam, and it feels a lot more vibrant.