Wow!! An amazing weekend in Vietnam! On Saturday, we were able to go to go to Vung Tàu, a costal city about two hours away. When we arrived, we went to the bottom of a massive hill. Since it was a religious location, we were required to wear pants and cover out shoulders. The heat was not friendly to us! Overlooking us on top of the hill was a statue of Jesus Christ. This statue was unreal in its size, design, and location, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. After a long hike up the hill, with beautiful flowers and views, we were able to be inside the Jesus statue and climb up it to see the view. I don’t know what was better: the beautiful view or the refreshing breeze we felt! It was extremely hot and any chance for shade or wind was a blessing. After we hiked back down the hill, our bus took us to a beautiful hotel where we ate and swam in the ocean. It was so nice being in the water. There was a pool as well where we could see several cargo ships in the ocean full of containers. It was an amazing experience. An unexpected part of the day trip that I enjoyed was the bus ride home. On this bus ride we drove past many agricultural fields where we were able to see the terrain of rural Vietnam. We were also able to see houses and communities built on those fields. This perspective was so different than anything I’ve seen in the United States. After gazing out the window for the two hour ride, we arrived back home and went to bed awaiting another exciting day.

Sunday started bright and early with another long bus ride. The destination: the Chu Chi Tunnels, a highly anticipated trip for many. When we arrived at the location, there was a welcome center that played visual depictions of how the tunnels were used. This was extremely interesting to me because it was a different point of view on the Vietnam War. It was a surprise to see how the video depicted Americans, though in a historical context it made sense. After watching this video, we were able to walk through the forest and see old traps and houses that were used during the war. There were entire communities in Chu Chi where everyone worked on the tunnels. We were able to go through several tunnels which were small, tight, and dark. It is amazing to think about how people lived down there for many months at a time. Twenty seconds for me and I was ready to get out. Being able to take a different perspective on a historical event is not easy. We were able to hear the Vietnam perspective of the war in Chu Chi and it is beneficial to see both sides. We left Chu Chi in the afternoon, and on our way home we stopped at Handicapped Handicrafts, an art center where disabled Vietnamese worked on beautiful art pieces. We learned about their stories and worked with them for a bit before entering their showroom. I think everyone bought something because their pieces were beautiful. Just by interacting with these locals we learned so much about their culture. It was an amazing day and an amazing weekend. So sad to be starting our second and final week here!!