KIS Jeju Service Leading and Learning Trip 2015 to Vietnam

Xin Chao, Vietnam

We all thought that March was forever far away when we had our first team meeting for our Service Learning trip to Vietnam. Vietnam presented us great memories and reminiscence along with gratitudes to where we live, as we grew our passion to service for others further on.

KIS Jeju freshmen departed from Jeju, Incheon and arrived at Hanoi Noi Bai international airport, northern Vietnam, close to midnight at March 14th. Every team member were tired of the relatively long hour flight and the standby at the airports, but the fresh atmosphere of Vietnam woke the tired eyes up. The climate was humid, but was still very pleasant. It was drizzling a bit, but the team was all in a very positive mood.

KIS Jeju’s first official day in Vietnam started as the team departed from Hanoi to head to Ha Long city, for their one night cruise trip to Ha Long Bay, one of the most miraculous, fascinating sights of Vietnam. Tourists visit the sight throughout the whole year, and the team, was very lucky to be on a private cruise for their perfect night and trip to the bay. It was a long bus trip, but it is never boring when we have good people and music with us. Also, on the way our local tour guide, who accompanied the team the entire week for the trip, introduced the students to the fascinating culture of their country. As they go back to Jeju, students were required to finish a project about Vietnamese culture on different categories such as food, music, crime, tourism, and language.

Ha Long Bay - the land of the descending dragons

As students reached Ha Long city, they boarded on the cruise, and started another journey. The cruise took the team to a floating village, where fishers dwell for their living and home. The people of this village row their little fishing boats all over the bay to catch fish for their own food, and they even fish to sell at the fish markets in the city. The team were able to get on a little bamboo fishing boat to explore around the bay. Students learned the legends lying at the bay. The legends say, when enemies tried to invade Vietnam, dragons spit their pearls at the bay, to protect the Vietnamese territory. Along the bay, the team was able to catch the sight of a part among the 3,000 rock islands located along the bay. Afterwards, the team experienced more local activities such as swimming, kayaking, and fishing. The team discovered that there is a floating school at the village, that children kayak themselves to go. Bad weathers do not stop their passion towards education. Experiencing local culture, the night on cruise floating the miraculous bay was perfect, with good people and memories.

The Heart of Hanoi

The next day, we left Ha Long bay, and headed towards the city again. The heart of Hanoi city was very crowded, and full of motorbikes. Motorbikes should represent Vietnam cities. The team was able to visit some beautiful temples, and at night, Vietnam presented another special memory. The traditional water puppet show is one of the main tourism courses, popular in Vietnam. It is carried by a story, that when Hanoi encounters a huge flood, the local people developed a new entertainment for people to enjoy seeing the puppets floating all over the village. The water puppet show was full of traditional Vietnamese music, and it drew our attention to legends of Vietnam. The idea and concept to do a puppet show on water was very new, and sensational.

History lies on the Land.

The team departed Hanoi, and visited the Ho Chi Min mausoleum, where they serve their hero.The visit was in a very respectful and modest attitude. People show their respect and serve with honor to their historical hero Ho Chi Min at the mausoleum, where they also keep his body. The historical facts - the French invasion, Ho Chi Min’s achievements on fighting against the French, and Vietnam’s independence all lied on the land. Students learned a lot from our tour guide, and afterwards, got ready for their service, starting the next day.

Mai Chau district, the home of the Thai

After a long bus ride, the students were dropped at Mai Chau district, where the Thai tribes have settled centuries ago. The locals welcomed the team to the home stay with a delicious dinner, and their traditional performances. Three nights on the home stay was a very exciting experience. Escaping from the busy, city, new high-tech society, students could get along with new people, animals, and even get closer to their friends.

Service : Hope of education to the district

The main focus on the teams service was to provide the opportunity for education to the district. The task was to design the garden and exterior and interior of the school building. Students went back and forth to dig soil from the mountain area at the end of the village, and transported the soil back to the construction sight of the school to flatten out the soil for the garden. Another group worked on weaving the connecting the outer fence of the school garden area out of bamboo. The local construction workers and the people were surprised by the teams team work and their achievements on the school construction during their service. As the team worked together and painted and designed the inner walls of the school, they imagined the smiling children’s face, learning in the building further on. The local people thanked the team for our service and accomplishments that they have set up at the sight for the three days of service. The big soccer match between KIS Jeju and the local people became another great memory to recall on. Students enjoyed themselves during the service, and also made great memories at the home stay, as they grew their passion towards serving others for a better world.

KIS Jeju’s 2015 Service Leading and Learning trip in Vietnam, the land full of legends and fantasy, ended in success with no accidents or serious injuries.The whole team participated in the service and learning the local culture so well, with respect and their will to learn. Their passion to serve has increased throughout the service days, and are looking forward for their next trip to Nepal.

Special thanks to Mr. Ken and Mr. Hong, for their passion and hard working throughout the whole week, accompanying the team.