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Photo Essay: CET Vietnam
Photos by Tina Chiem, (Clark University) Student Correspondent CET Vietnam, Spring 2019
(Hồ Con Rùa) A lot of people have different beliefs about the meaning of this little manmade lake in the middle of Saigon. People tell stories of what the structures of the lake mean, some describing dragons lurking under the city and some call it a symbol of peace, with meanings changing before and after the fall of Saigon. Anyways, this lake is now often occupied by hungry students who grab yummy street food snacks to eat in the evening. It’s quite lively on the weekends and fun to visit.(Vũng Tàu) A bunch of us in the guesthouse took a short lil weekend trip to Vũng Tàu! About 10 of us went total — we went for the beach, had good food, and visited a roommate’s family for dinner!Vũng Tàu pt. 2(Cần Thơ Fruit Farms) While on our way to visit some farms in the Cần Thơ area, we came across this small bridge, Anh Vũ explaining that this is how many bridges are set up in the Mekong Delta because of how many creeks there are. Him and Anh Lộc dared a few of us to get across, only telling us afterwards that we didn’t actually have to use that bridge to get to our farm destination. Pictured from left to right: Nick, Phụng, and Phoebe.(On the Banks of the Hau River) Us pictured with the organization we partnered with for the couple days we were in Cần Thơ! We’re about to get on a boat, which is how we got around from place to place for that afternoon and the next morning. There are gorgeous views of the sunrise and sunset that we were able to witness because we were on these boats – a main mode of transport for many many people in the Mekong Delta!On the Banks of the Hau River pt. 2(On the Hau River) Our group on our way to see a noodle making factory after visiting Chợ Lớn, the very famous floating market in Cần Thơ. It’s a place for many farmers to sell their crops of the season, as well as a huge tourist attraction. That morning, we woke up at 4:30am in time to catch the floating market and the sunrise. Disclaimer: Not my picture.We’re at the noodle making factory! We witness part of the process, and some of us got to place the just-steamed rice paper onto weaved mats to allow them to dry! This family wakes up very early every morning so that they can finish placing rice paper before the sun’s heat becomes most intense. They use the midday heat to dry the rice paper, leaving a few hours for it to dry.Noodle making factory pt. 2Noodle making factory pt. 3(Us on Another Boat) Our group taking a smaller boat to ride back to our pickup spot after visiting an organic farm in the Cần Thơ area. We were very low on the water and it was incredibly relaxing to ride back that way!Us on a boat pt. 2(Khởi Minh / EcoLotus startup) We visited a local startup in the Đồng Tháp province of the Mekong Delta. Their goal is to bring the lotus flower to the world as a way to represent Vietnam globally. They produce products using real lotuses that would be able to serve as beautiful reminders of the country, whether it be for Vietnamese people living outside the country, or others who simply admire its beauty. This picture shows EcoLotus’s staff demonstrating how lotus tea is traditionally prepared. This way they show us is meant to capture the lotus’ essence within the tea.(Phong Le Vent Farmstay) Me and Anh Vũ rowing us around the little moat around our farmstay in Sa Đéc! It was a beautiful area to visit and super fun!! Anh Vũ is really strong and I did my best not to make trouble as he rowed us forward haha.(Sa Đéc) We climbed up a big tower thing surrounded by farms and a playground of statues! The views of the sunset were amazing!!!
