Xin chao (Hello in Vietnamese)
Today, day seven of the trip, we dove deep into Vietnamese culture. We began with visiting a local rice field and we met a few lovely Vietnamese ladies who are expert rice farmers. We were instructed to put on some gum boots and helped to plant a winter crop rice field. The mud was so sticky, it made which walking nearly impossible.
When we finished, we cleaned the mud off and made the five minute walk to the village of Na Chao, where we were taught to embroider a piece of fabric. Using many different coloured threads, each of us a pattern that was inspired by the pillars of the community house where we were working.
After that, we made the short walk back to the homestays for another delicious lunch cooked by our local hosts.
In the afternoon, our group was assigned to work on the dam. We formed a human chain to pass rocks down the hill to the dam location. Some students transported dry concrete mixture, whilst others were involved with mixing concrete at the base of the dam and applying this to the gaps between the blocks.
After another long day, four o’clock was soon upon us and it was time to return home for a well earned ‘bucket shower’ and an amazing fried chicken and rice paper roll dinner!
From Vietnam with love ❤️!
Ayda, Flora, Harriet, Layla, Matea, Nellie, Thomas, Thornton and William
