I could not contain my excitement when my teachers announced that we will be going to Vietnam! It was not only an overseas CIP trip but a choral exchange as well. Yes, the HC Choir under the guidance of our conductor, Mr. Yong Chee Foon and teachers in charge Miss Siew Yee Peng and Mr. Vincent Tan would be heading for Ho Chi Min city (HCMC) during the Term 2 Sabbatical week.
It was a one week trip and it would be first overseas trip with my school mates and teacher and the first without my family. Hence I had to ensure my parents that I can take good care of myself.
We departed Changi Airport on a budget airline flight and arrived in HCMC on a Saturday afternoon. As the plane neared the airport, the Captain of the flight announced that the temperature in Vietnam for that afternoon was 35°C! The weather in HCMC was certainly hotter and drier than Singapore. Hence the first item on our shopping list is mineral water! Cartons of them!
HCM airport was quite bare and empty, and the staffs were not very friendly. We went to the money changer to exchange our Singapore currency for Vietnam dong as the rate was better than in Singapore. The director of the ‘Son Ky’ Orphanage, Mr. Mahn, together with five of his boys were at the airport to receive us. They were very friendly and made us feel welcomed.
We settled down in our hotel which was a stone throw from the orphanage. The hotel seemed like a nice place at first glance. But it was not to be. I saw a rat in my room and the air-conditioning was not working. Others had a few cockroaches in their rooms, and some of their showers were not working. Two blackouts occurred during our stay; one on the first night and the other on the last night. What a welcome and farewell gesture!
On the first night, we walked to the orphanage, which was less than a minute’s walk. We had ‘Phó’ (beef ball noodles) for dinner. It was delicious. The boys from the orphanage welcomed us with Vietnamese songs and a performance?. We were touched by their hospitality.
It was a one week trip and it would be first overseas trip with my school mates and teacher and the first without my family. Hence I had to ensure my parents that I can take good care of myself.
We departed Changi Airport on a budget airline flight and arrived in HCMC on a Saturday afternoon. As the plane neared the airport, the Captain of the flight announced that the temperature in Vietnam for that afternoon was 35°C! The weather in HCMC was certainly hotter and drier than Singapore. Hence the first item on our shopping list is mineral water! Cartons of them!
HCM airport was quite bare and empty, and the staffs were not very friendly. We went to the money changer to exchange our Singapore currency for Vietnam dong as the rate was better than in Singapore. The director of the ‘Son Ky’ Orphanage, Mr. Mahn, together with five of his boys were at the airport to receive us. They were very friendly and made us feel welcomed.
We settled down in our hotel which was a stone throw from the orphanage. The hotel seemed like a nice place at first glance. But it was not to be. I saw a rat in my room and the air-conditioning was not working. Others had a few cockroaches in their rooms, and some of their showers were not working. Two blackouts occurred during our stay; one on the first night and the other on the last night. What a welcome and farewell gesture!
On the first night, we walked to the orphanage, which was less than a minute’s walk. We had ‘Phó’ (beef ball noodles) for dinner. It was delicious. The boys from the orphanage welcomed us with Vietnamese songs and a performance?. We were touched by their hospitality.
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