Vietnam Spring Break 2011: Getting Ready

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Getting Ready

Saturday, March 19
I am packing and unpacking, going through my stuff, checking the list several times to make sure that I do not miss anything. There are so much stuff to bring: stuffed animals, clothes, medical supplies, school supplies, gifts for friends in Viet Nam etc...I wish I could bring 10 more boxes with me. I know everything I bring to Viet Nam will be appreciated deeply by the orphans and by the Vietnamese.
I feel excited, anxious and saddened. My first trip to my homeland without my wife.

2 comments:

AnonymousMarch 19, 2011 at 6:26 PM
I'm excited that you're coming to Vietnam.
You're coming to Vietnam without your wife this time? How is Mimi and Miranda?
Hoa
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PhoebeMarch 21, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Sounds like you're off to a great start!
Michael and I wish we could be there with you and the gang...one day this will happen.

Thinking of you and wishing you the best!
Love, Phoebe and Michael
P.S. Grosses bises pour Miranda!
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Itinerary

March 20 (Sunday morning): Leave Honolulu for Ho chi Minh city, Viet Nam

March 21: Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at night.

March 22:

*Morning: Take a short excursion to visit The Unification Hall (Old Presidential Palace), The War Museum. And Notre Dame Cathedral built in the French occupation.

*Afternoon: Mai Lien Orphanage, the orphanage founded by Catholic nuns and later visit Giac Lam Pagoda dates from 1744 and is believe to be the oldest pagoda in SaiGon.

March 23:

*Morning: Visit Ben Tre on the Mekong Delta, in the South. This island is not only amazingly beautiful but it is also the rice basket of the country with its rich agricultural soil. The area is peppered with paddies and orchards with all kinds of fruits. Visit markets, rice corn and coconut candy factories, and have some horse-drawn carriage rides.

March 24 - 26:

*Morning: Visit Vuon Xoai (Mango Garden) – ride ostrich and visit crocodile farm.

*Afternoon: Phuoc Thien Orphanage in Binh Thuan Province, the orphanage founded by Buddhist nuns.

*Late afternoon: Arrive at a resort in Mui Ne, a small fishing village in the district of Phan Thiet (about 150 km north-east of Ho Chi Minh City). We will spend 2 nights at the resort.

March 26 - 27:

Back in Ho Chi Minh city, visit Ben Thanh market (the biggest market in Viet Nam) and do some shopping. Leave for Honolulu via Korea very late in the evening of March 27 and arrive at Seoul, Korea in the morning, with a possibility of spending a day in Seoul

March 28: (Monday morning): Arrive in Honolulu in late morning.