We started our day bright and early, hopping on a bus and driving an hour to our first stop: a workshop where delicate eggshell paintings were being created. After wandering through the displays and watching the artists at work, we continued on to one of the most memorable parts of the day—the Củ Chi Tunnels.

At Củ Chi, we learned about the bunkers used during the war and the traps that were set throughout the jungle. A few brave members of our group even ventured into one of the tunnels, crawling on their hands and knees for 100 meters underground. The space tightened quickly, the heat built fast, and they emerged dripping in sweat but full of adrenaline. We also learned about the kitchens hidden beneath the earth, where meals had to be cooked at dawn so the rising smoke would blend into the morning mist, keeping them hidden from aircraft.

After a short 30-minute ride, we switched buses and headed to lunch at the Bamboo Restaurant. Shared platters of local dishes filled the table and refueled us for the afternoon ahead. From there, we boarded a boat and were greeted with fresh coconuts as we cruised toward Unicorn Island.

On the island, we sampled honey, dried banana, banana crackers, and peanut treats before climbing into small canoes that carried us gently down the river. At the next stop, we tasted a colorful spread of fruits: watermelon, pineapple, and jackfruit; fresh and perfectly sweet.

Eventually, we made our way back onto the boat and sailed through a glowing sunset, soaking in the last calm moment of the day. The only thing left was the two-hour bus ride home… which we faced with significantly less enthusiasm.

A long day, a full day, and one we won’t forget anytime soon.

Finished off with some beautiful market food.

Today we spent our first night in Ho Chi Min and we got to sleep in a bit before meeting in the lobby and walking to the Independence Palace. It was full of sitting rooms, and we got to go underground to the old bunker, which was  full of long hallways and old equipment, and to the helicopter on the roof.

We then walked to the War Museum, where the effects of the Vietnam War are shown through artefacts, photographs and stories from veterans and victims. We got to spend time walking around and reading all of the information, which was really tragic but educational.

Next was lunch at the street food markets which had plenty of food, drink and ice cream options and a very cool atmosphere. The banh mi was a hit !!

Then we walked to a weapons bunker, which was a literal hole in the ground containing lots of unloaded guns, ammunition and relics from war. The space was small, so only a few people could go at a time, and the stairs leading back up to the entrance room required a bit of shuffling.

Afterwards we stopped at a seafood restaurant to look at all of the fish and crabs, and pick some up, before getting back to the hotel for free time, where groups had options such as going to the pool or shopping at the markets down the road.

Tonight went to a restaurant for dinner with a wide variety of options such as Vietnamese, western and other Asian foods, and had the option to stop at the mini mart before returning to our hotel rooms after a very hot day !

Today was our last day in Hué as well as our last day at the school. We got up nice and early set off to the school.

When we arrived we got straight to work. A couple students laid out all the glasses we brung from Perth to donate to those in the community of Hué. Others painted finishing touches on the murals as well as preparing all the toys we brung for the kids of the school.

We then had the ceremony where the kids danced and sung songs for us, thanking us for our help. The ceremony was very special and very cool to see all our work completed

We then made our way to a giant shopping centre to do some last minute spending in Hue. Following the shops we made our way to Hue airport where we caught a very quick flight back to Ho Chi Min City. Although the bus took a while to arrive, we all made it to the Jovia Hotel where some of us went out for dinner and others got meals from the mart next door.

We started and finished the main mural about Australian sports on the large wall of the kindergarten – showing rugby, cricket, soccer, AFL and others. The last few group taught the kids about Australian sports and animals, then those who weren’t working on the mural painted the inside of Vietnamese hats to turn them into lanterns with bright colours. We also used baskets to make fish lanterns. Later we are off to dinner for our last night in Hue.

Day 4 started off at 7.45, when we returned to the school to finish off the concreting of the play area and paint a section of wall that connected our school to theirs, while two groups would be working with the children, teaching them some simple English words and phrases.

The concreting group worked to mix sand and concrete powder together and move it over to the playground-to-be, where it was smoothed out by locals to form the base of the playground we would be building tomorrow.

The artistic group got to painting a mural on a wall adjacent to the playground-to-be. The group painted a stunning picture of children within the surrounding environment of Vietnam depicting trees, fields, flowers and a St Stephen’s crest above the painting.

The first group to teach the kids were some of the girls, and they were teaching the kids about body parts and the English names for them. They played a few games and sung head, shoulders, knees and toes with them, and finished up a bit before lunch. After lunch, the second group, consisting of some of the guys, were teaching the kids about colours and their English names, also playing some games and singing songs.

We managed to smash out all the work quite quickly today and finished by 3, then headed back the the hotel for some free-time to relax and go to the markets. We have dinner at 6, then we’ll be off to bed, ready for another day at the school tomorrow.

Day 3 started off with an exciting river cruise that took us to the Thien Mu Pagoda, where we explored some beautiful sacred sites that were rich in history and scenery

From there we made our way to the Imperial City Citadel, which gave us a thorough overview of Hue’s royal life, governance, and architecture

Bailey, Liam, and Daniel were rather fond of the sheer abundance of fish

After a hectic stroll in the markets the day concluded with a 4 meal cooking class that walked us through the basics of Vietnamese cuisine.

Today we woke up nice and early had some breakfast, then we took the bus to the primary school that we will be spending the next couple of days at. The teachers and principe introduced themselves to us and told us a little background information about the school and what we would be doing today. Today we filled 2 areas that needed a sand base that would allow concrete to go over. They wanted us to do this as they wanted to make a stage for the students. the trucks would unload huge amounts of sand and with everyone’s help we all dug up sand and put them into buckets and wheelbarrows to fill the area up. It wasn’t easy but we were so quick at it with everyone’s help and teamwork. Later on we took the bus back and showered as we were all so dirty and sandy! We even had to tie rubbish bags around our shoes. Then we all had choices to go shopping massage or just chill at the hotel. Then we went out for dinner at this really nice restaurant down the street from our hotel and went to bed.

We spent most of the day travelling and finally getting to Vietnam in the morning and after a few complications we arrived in Hue. After arriving at the hotel we got settled and then went for a walk to buy souvenirs after which we had dinner at a nearby restaurant. We finished with an early night ready for work in the morning.

Dear Team,

The day has finally arrived and I expect that there are some very excited students. I would like to thank you for all of your effort, team work, fundraising, and enthusiasm leading up to this tour. Your fundraising achievements have been outstanding and the money raised will have such a positive impact on some of the disadvantaged in Vietnam.

Enjoy the experience; Vietnam is a wonderful diverse country that I am sure you will fall in love with. You have an outstanding staff team who have dedicated months in preparation and are just as excited as you are. A big thank you to Sian Freeman, Adam Merrifield, Adam Dwyer, and Nyta Britza.

Bon voyage and I look forward to hearing all about your adventure.

Regards

Mrs Wilson