That is the motto of the nation of Vietnam (officially known as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or SRV for short). In Vietnamese, it is written as Ðộc lập, Tự do, Hạnh phúc.
During January 2014, 25 students from Elon University will visit that storied nation, embarking on a journey of a (more…)
After experiencing the bustling chaos of Ho Chi Minh City, it was a refreshing and unique experience to be able to stay at the home stay in the Mekong Delta. We were able to see the way of life from people in a more rural area. We were also able to (more…)
Bright lights, skyscrapers, coffee shops on every corner and a youthful energetic vibe. I must be talking about New York City right? Not right. I’m actually describing Ho Chi Minh City and if not for the green taxis, and moped filled streets I might have thought I was in New York. (more…)
One thing that has become prevalent to me during our time in Vietnam is the lack of healthcare. Multiple times we witnessed a lack of hygienic regulations throughout the country.
Our group participated in a cooking class where we made our own spring rolls, which were surprisingly tasty. The only thing (more…)
Coming to Vietnam, I had little interest in the history of the war that occurred between our two countries. Mainly, this is because I have little interest in the subject of history. Additionally, I was annoyed with how much the war has impacted Americans’ views on Vietnam. The responses I got (more…)
The photo above is of a man bathing, taken in the Mekong River. Now this does not seem so special, but Americans can not swim in this water. We were told if one of us were to go swimming in that river we would get infections all over are bodies. I (more…)
It’s hard to put into words what I’ve experienced here in Vietnam. I never would have imagined that the people could be in such deep poverty yet be so nice and welcoming. As a group we’ve talked to multiple Vietnamese people about their work in Vietnam and every single person was (more…)
The several days spent in Saigon certainly came with many learning experiences. After having difficulty navigating the city, struggling with communication and even getting trapped in an elevator, I was ready to visit the less hectic Mekong Delta. The 24 hour-ish trip would go on to blow away my expectations, and (more…)
Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon by the locals, is the biggest city in Vietnam. It is easy to tell when you walk the streets by the amount of motorbikes and cars. However the city is much bigger than expected. While in Saigon I had the chance to go (more…)
The growth of Vietnam can be seen in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Big side walks, walk in stores, and a more diverse atmosphere makes Saigon very unique. Most of the buildings are extremely nice and very modern. We definitely are getting more of a business experience here rather than a (more…)
One of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals is to achieve universal primary education, and this past week we learned a couple of the reasons why this (and reaching the other goals) has been so hard in Vietnam. The class was lucky enough to meet with the esteemed researcher Christophe Robert, (more…)
Follow
