Post Mortem & Reflection - 16th Jun (Thursday)

LETTER FROM U.N (Unbiased - Non aligned) OBSERVER

By

Mdm Lim Fook Chiew

Dear Yusoffians of the Study Tour to Vietnam,

I want to tell you how proud I was of you during the trip:

§ I was proud of you as you immersed yourselves in group discussions, preparing for the blog entries you have been assigned to do.  You did research before the trip, you planned out the mode of presentation you would be adopting, and when you were at the site, you executed with little hiccups.

§   I was proud of you as I heard you eagerly offered answers to the questions posed by your teachers.  You were not afraid of giving the wrong answers.  You spoke your mind and you also helped each other to polish up the answers.

§   I was proud of you as I observed you playing simple games with the local primary kids and learning to communicate using body as well as sign language with enthusiasm and warmth trying to connect with them.  I was proud of you that although you could not teach with language how to do a mind map, using pictures, you produced mind maps with them, sharing each other’s culture.

§   I was proud of you as you braved the mud in your boots, balancing yourselves as you walked into the open area in the forests to plant the mangrove seedlings.  You did your part, albeit a small part, for the environment.

§   I was proud of you as you sat through all the nightly debriefing sessions, completing the worksheets, writing your reflections and publishing beautiful entries for the blog.

§   I was proud of you because you have achieved the learning goal that was set for you: deepening your learning in the themes and concepts learnt in core history / core geography as you experienced first-hand knowledge by being there at Vietnam.

Three cheers also to Mr Adam, Ms Mages, Mrs Goh and Ms Salina for their commitment and dedication to helping you achieve the best that you can be!

Keep it up!  I look forward to hearing good news as you translate your learning experience into outstanding results in the coming N and O level examination!

Mdm Lim Fook Chiew

Head of Mathematics Department

16 June 2011

Day 5 - 14th Jun (LASTday)

END NOTES 
by 

Souriyasack Sinnie Julie Anne (4E2)

Best Student Participant Award for Humanities Vietnam Study Tour 2011)

History Channel Award

(Best History Student - Humanities Vietnam Study Tour 2011)

Kerthana Subramaniyam (4E3)

Nat Geo Award 

(Best Geography Student - Humanities Vietnam Study Tour 2011)

Muhammad Sulaiman (5N1)

Goodbye Vietnam!!!

1880s - FRENCH COLONIALISM, 1970s - AMERICAN DOMINATION 2000s - TOURISTS 'STAMPEDE' 

 Write up and photos by Yellow Star (Mardiana, Murni, Ivy and Claire)

 

 GOODBYE VIETNAM!

 
The Group in front of the City Hall

 The Girls                                                       The Boys

The Teachers and Guides

War Remants Museum and the Post Office - (The American and French Legacies)

The War Remnant Museum

The Museum displays war weapons that the Americans used against the Viet Cong Army during the Cold War period. It is built by the Vietnamese government after the war to show the advanced weaponry due to which the Vietnamese suffered. In our view, it was used to somewhat make the Americans feel guilty about the powerful weapons they used against the Vietnamese that the name of the museum was changed several times to make it “appropriate”. Generally, it intends to call on the public to say “NO!” to war and call for world peace.

In the museum itself, we found pictorial evidence on the effect of the Agent Orange used by the Americans on the people; both the Vietnamese and the Americans suffered. The pictures were so heart-felt and quite depressing. Not only did the Agent Orange affect the soldiers and civilians but also their younger generation. They were born deformed, had damages to vital organs and were even born as conjoint twins. Despite the difficulties they faced in their daily life, they are still happy to live their lifes with their loved ones. Moreover, the Prisoners Of War (POW) were tortured in so many horrible ways. One example was that the Americans electrocuted the female prisoners by connecting phone wires to their sensitive areas to torture them.

 What can you infer about the effect of American attack on the Vietnamese?

Why do you think that the prison condition experienced by the North Vietnam War prisoners was recreated in the Museum?

How are the sources different in telling us about the conditions of the North Vietnam Communist and American soldiers during the war?

The Notre Dame Cathedral

It was built by the French and has a unique architecture to it. The French built many colonial buildings so that they are able to spread their culture and religion throughout Vietnam.

Colonial Buildings

Colonial buildings were built to gain and spread French control all over Vietnam. The French not only wanted economic and political control Vietnam but also wanted to spread their culture in Vietnam . The French built opera houses and post office for the Vietnamese to make use and learn the lifestyle and culture of the French. The colonial buildings were also set up for the locals to speak up about problems that they were facing .

General Post Office built by the French

Post Office in French Architecture

The Opera House was also build by the French

What do these colonial buildings tell you about the reasons for French colonization of Vietnam?

They wanted to spread their culture and religion to the people of Vietnam. They wanted to civilize the Vietnamese as they thought that the Vietnamese were barbarians and it was their duty to teach these people. They set up free schools to let locals sent their children to gain knowledge and improve their lives. They wanted to make use of the natural resources that the Vietnam had so that they can compete with the dutch for territories & also to repair their economy after World War I.

What do these buildings tell you about the type of French rule in Vietnam?

It tells us about the direct rule that the French had over Vietnam. The French set up a government and colonial building all over Vietnam and they sent representative to control the smaller districts in Vietnam. These representative changed the lifestyles of the local people .

 

Vietnam had a violent nationalist struggle against the French. Why do you think these buildings are still preserved?

We think that these buildings are still being preserved to use them as evidences & to teach the younger generation about the importance of nationalistic feeling towards their nation. They are also to remind the Vietnamese about the war that they had gone through .

Inside the French Style Architectural Building

Skecth by Jazli (4E4)

A Church and A Mosque in Ho Chi Minh City

Christians and Muslims Influence

                         Notre Dame Cathedral                                      Saigon Mosque

 

Day 4 - 13th Jun - (Monday)

MAGNIFICENT MEKONG

Photos and Write-up by Delta Group (Sasi, Amirul, Asyidiq, Wafi and Afiz)

On the boat ride across the Mekong Delta, we observed that it is a very wide and huge river. The flow of the Mekong River is of an average speed and the water volume is high. The Delta is situated at the lower part of the river course. The length of the river is 4,880km and the area is 810,000km². The river runs through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam and is the largest river in Asia.

The view of the Mekong Delta River

The Mekong River is used for transportation of food and people from one side to the other side of the river.

One of the uses of the river is to transport people.

We made use of the river to transport us to Thoi Son Island

The river also serves as a source of food for the fishing community.

We had this freshwater fish for lunch. It is known as the ‘standing’ Elephant-Ear Fish.

We were taught how to make a fish wrap using rice paper... Delicious...

UNIQUELY  UNICORN ISLAND (THOI SON ISLET)

Photos and Write-up by Mangrove group (Sulaiman, Narahj Andy)

 

Upon arrival on the Thoi Son Islet, Sulaiman, Andy and me(Narahj) visited a shop that sells honey. The people rear bees to extract honey and it is one of the primary industries on the island. There, we got to taste natural honey mixed with pollen made by the Vietnamese. It was mentioned that the pollen was good for the liver. We also got to take some photos with a python. This actually attracted a lot of tourists who wanted to take a picture.

Director's Cut

Next, we visited the coconut candy factory and this was another primary industry at the Thoi Son Islet. This shop produced candies that are made from coconut milk. There are 4 steps to make these coconut candies. The first step was to peel the coconut shell so that we could obtain the fruit itself. The second step is to cut the fruit into half and we have to use a machine to grind the fruit so that it is easier to extract the juice. The third step was to cook the coconut juice with sugar and stir until it thickens. This took them around 30 min. After that we pour it in a rectangular container and let it cool and harden. The last step was to cut it into small squares shape and then they wrap them with rice paper.

We also visited the eco-tourism village which covered an area of 77.5 hectares with 7 functional areas. They are used for reception, aquatic sports area, open-air area for camping, convalescence area, eco garden area, craft village and Nam Bo  (South Vietnam) village area

There are some shops that sell keychains, Vietnamese costumes and some tropical fruits such as dragon fruits, pineapple, bananas, jackfruits and papaya. We were given the opportunity to see and  listen to the cultural music of Vietnamese performed by the natives. The music was relaxing and calmed the mind.

Last but not least, we rode on a sampan back to our ferry. The sampan ride is one of the tourist attractions in THOI SON ISLET. The sampan trip took us around 20 min. When we reached our ferry, the ferry  took us back to My Tho.

Q: Suggest some ways that we can attract more tourists to visit Thoi Son Islet?

ANS:

Firstly, we can have set up water puppet show on the island. This is because the water puppet originated from the farmers who played with the water puppet in the river during their free time. This will help to attract the tourists because the water puppet shows the cultural aspect of Vietnam. Secondly, they can set up Phoenix Museum. This museum can showcase the history of the island and possible the fossil of a phoenix. This will attract the tourists because the tourists will want to learn more about the history of THOI SON ISLET.

I DOUBT YOU KNOW.... THE RICE BASKET OF VIETNAM

Photos and Write-up by SOYA BEAN group (Jeremy, Eunice , Alvin , Mark And Yu Quan)

Fun Facts about Vietnam’s Rice Cultivation

What is the process of rice cultivation in Vietnam?

1. The land is to be softened, by using buffalos to plough the land or using machine such as tractor to plough the land.

2. The seedling is to be kept in a nursery
3. When the seedling is about 10cm, it is transplanted to the main field. It will grow up to 20cm in 4 weeks.
5. The seedling is pumped with water once a week. Fertilisers are added to the plant to give nutrients for the plant.
6. This is done till the rice plant grows to a height of 40-50cm
7. The farmers will then harvest the rice field using sickles or combine harvestor.

I Doubt You Know!What are the difficulties faced by the farmers?

1. Fear of irregular climate

2. Pests and weeds attack on the rice fields

3. Natural Disasters

I Doubt You Know!

Green Revolution is practiced in Vietnam’s Farming System?

1. Green Revolution is practiced in Vietnam as the farmers to produce more crops.
2. The farmers used special seeds to grow rice. The seeds have a shorter growing periods.   The farmers can harvest 3 yields per year.
3. The farmers uses chemical fertilisers to give nutrients to the rice plant. 

3. The farmers use tractors rented from the Rice Cooperatives to help them to plough the rice fields, thus it helps to save time and labours.
4.  The farmers also use water pumps to get water from the river to irrigate the land.
5.  The farmers use combine harvestor where they rent from the Rice Cooperatives to help them to harvest the rice.

VIETNAM COLLECTIVISATION POLICY
BINH TAY RICE COOPERATIVE 

Photos and Write-up by Tuk Tuk Group (Khairi, Mustaqim, Jazli and Amirudy)

  

As the years went by, Vietnam’s farming policies saw gradual changes. From 1975 to 1982, to 1982 to 1998, and finally to the present, Vietnam is now following the current policy of agriculture, in which each farmer can buy any amount of land, if they are able to afford to, and cultivate their own produce and output. Back in the past, Communist Vietnam was similar or on par with the USSR (Russia) in terms of their agricultural practices. Communist Russia had followed the Collectivisation policy. Following the policy, each farmer was given equal amount of land. Regardless of how much effort they put in, be it more or less than other farmers, each farmer will still receive the same amount of income like their neighbours. However, Vietnam has changed the policy to make its own. With that, the agricultural growth of Vietnam has been successful. One example is the Binh Tay Rice Cooperative group, consisting of around 1020 farmers. The cooperation had taken measures to increase the rate of rice production. This has allowed them to grow up to three crops in a year. Rice is no doubt a beneficial staple food for Vietnam and its people.

Yusoffians Stars in Vietnamese Soil

NIGHT WALK, NIGHT DISCUSSION, NIGHT STUDY...

Night Walk (soaking the street of Saigon)

 Night Discussion (our daily night class)

 Night Study at Yo's Hut not Yo Hub 

Day 3 - 12 Jun (Sunday)

THOUSAND YEAR OLD TRADITION -The Water Puppet Show

Photos and Write-up by Coffee Group (Melvin, Kai Zhi, Kerthana, Lexsana, Sinnie and Wei Zhen)

Tradition is a beautiful virtue in our life. No matter what race or heritage you may come from you definitely have your very own traditional culture that exhibits a timeless charm. And such is the charm of Vietnam’s water puppetry that amazes audiences all over the world. This traditional performing art was performed by the farmers thousand of years ago and this performing art has survived the test of time to be hailed as one of Vietnam’s heritage. Traditionally the show was held at a bank of a river, with a screen as the background. And from behind that screen, the puppeteers will control the puppets gliding gracefully on the bank of water accompanied by traditional Vietnamese music. These puppets perform tricks that will take your breath away. This perfect combination of movements, skills and music was originally performed as traditionally source of entertainment for the Vietnamese farmers. The Water Puppet shows were anecdotes of the farmers’ daily life. It is possible that the impact of colonial rule and the Vietnam War, which were significant historical events, were also reflected through the Water Puppet shows.

 

FAQ - Part 1

FAQ - Part II

 EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW 

(A session with the puppeteers)

Question : How long does it take for the members to master this art? And do you think this art will last in Vietnam?

Puppeteers: It all depends on the level of interest and passion you have in this art. The more interest there is, the faster you can master the art. Both the older generation and the younger generation generally takes 5 years to master the skills….. Yes! Of course! It would (last) because the art has been going for a 1000 years already and I still believe that art will last as the younger generation have the ‘interest’ in the art.

Question: What makes this art so interesting?

Puppeteers : The art is unique, in the sense that nobody really knows the method and the tactics used to make the puppet show comes alive and the water puppet show is only show of its kind in the world.

CYCLE OF LIFE – Of a Mangrove Tree

Photos and Write-up by Bamboo group (Mahirah , Hanis , Huda, Liping , Dayang)

It was a fascinating journey for us, exploring Can Gio district mangrove forest. The weather was perfect for us with ample sunshine for us to take a boat ride to and discover further about the mangrove forest. Can Gio mangrove forest is situated in the tropical region of Southern Vietnam. The weather is hot and humid all year round with lots of sunshine and rain. The mangrove area is a mixture of freshwater and saltwater from the sea. The soil is muddy and  waterlogged and it is known as the Green of Saigon. 

Pencil-like roots, which also known as AERIAL roots. It enables the mangrove tree to take in oxygen during high tide. The tree which has this type of root type is Avicennia.

Another roots that I spotted when I was there was the Knobby roots which also known as KNEED roots. The roots will help to support the tree. The tree is Bruguiera

Giant arching roots which is also known as PROP roots. The roots will help to support the trees and prevent it from falling down. These roots will help to reduce coastal erosion as the prop roots will act as buffers to reduce the wave energy. E.g. The Rhizophora

 

Our journey to the mangrove was one of the most enjoyable experiences we ever had. It was a new experience for us to enter the mangrove forest and we found out that the mangrove area in Can Gio covers a huge area. We learnt how important the mangrove forest is in protecting the coastal area from erosion as well as being the ‘Green Lungs’ of Southern Vietnam.

At the end of the Reforestation Program, we are recieved a Certificates of Participation...

  5 STEPS FOR DUMMIES

on How to plant Mangrove tree  - A Reforestation Project

Photos and Write-up by Mangrove group (Sulaiman, Narahj and Andy)

STEP 1

Our group volunteered to show the stages of mangrove reforestation. The

members are me(Sulaiman), Andy and Narahj. We met with the Can Gio people to teach us how to plant mangroves. We collected our boots first and each

person was given a plastic packet containing 20 seedlings.

STEP 2

Next, when we were entered the plantation area, we had to struggle through the

swampy mud. Some of our boots were stuck deep under the mud and we had to

use our strength to get our boots out of the mud. Although it was a tough for us to

walk through it, but with our determination and strong mindset to keep going, we

managed to go to the plantation area.

  STEP 3

Upon reaching the plantation area, we had to line up in a straight line as in the photo above. All of us had to plant the mangroves in a straight row so that the mangroves will grow in a straight line. And the distance between one seedling to another seedling is around 60cm. when we plant the seedlings it must be 3cm deep.

 STEP 4

When we plant the next seedling we have to move backward so that we know that we are planting in a straight line.

STEP 5

This is how the plantation area looked like before we planted. Beside it, is the aftermath photo of the plantation area! Cool right? We feel blessed that we’ve done something good for the environment. Below is a reflection that we would like to share. 

"Man Vs Wild" mangrove

Is forest management successful in Can Gio?

Yes it is successful as the people are willing to look after the mangrove forest. More than 150 families volunteered to look after the mangrove forest. Each family will take care of 1 to 15 hectares of the forest. They are given incentives too. Each family is given 35 US dollar a year. Although the amount of money is not much but they do it with their heart as it is for the GREEN LUNG of SAIGON. 
KHAM ON (thank you):D

HARD TALK - WITH A WAR VETERAN at Rung Sac Guerilla Base

Photos and Write-up by Yellow Star group (Murni, Mardiana, Claire and Ivy)

Interview with the Vietnam War Veteran, Mr Duc - AUDIO Only 

To the Guerilla Base Camp 

Question: What was the living standard of the marine soldiers during the war?

 
Mr Duc (War Veteran): The living standard of the marine soldiers was extremely difficult because it is totally isolated and far from the city and according to one of the south resident in Vietnam, anyone in the city or from anywhere provides the soldiers with even one kilo of rice will be killed by the law of the south government. With the patience or love of the people (for the country), because we have to fight the enemy, some of the people take even 12 tonnes of rice from the Mekong delta to this place for the soldiers living here. By doing that, by carrying 12 tonnes of rice by boat they have to camouflage very well. In some of the checkpoints, they had to bribe to go through, they have to give rice or any local product. The people living here have to deal with the mosquito and diarrhea because the water here is not very clean and have to suffer a lot of disease.

Question: How did the marine soldiers get water during the war?

 

Mr Duc (War Veteran):  So basically, they have 3 ways to collect the water. First of all, they collect the water directly from the rain.  Another way is they can collect the brackish water from the river. Then they will boil the water. By that way, it’s like making alcohol, water is collect through the steams. And the steam is fresh water and the bottom of the cooker is the salt so that water can be use for drinking and the salt for cooking. But it takes very long to do it that way. By cooking this way, we will only get 30litres of fresh water in 24 hours.

  

Question: How did the guerilla tactics work?

Mr Duc (War Veteran): Tthe determination of the marine soldiers led them to victory. and managed to deflect the Americans' offensive and so the Americans concentrated their attacks on this base. Thousand of American soldiers with advanced weapons killed many marine soldiers living in this base. The soldiers hide among the mangrove to carry out guerilla tactics against the Americans. Sometimes the marine soldiers suffered from shortage of food, so they had to eat young plants in the mangrove and catch the fresh crabs to exchange for rice. But the law made by the president of the south Vietnam government demanded the killing of anyone who gave rice to the marine soldiers but the people living right here they had to fight till the last man standing.

Yellow Star Group Reflection :D

Why do we prefer oral history to the written sources?

For oral history we can know the real feelings of the person, the struggle that the person have been through and also can say that its “first hand information” because when the person was interviewed there is no form of restriction to what the person can speak out  or what he shared about his feelings, which he shared without any hesitation. Thus, the oral source would be more reliable and trustable because written sources might have higher chances of being vetted by someone and also be changed for propaganda purpose.