27th May Reflections: TanZhiYong

The touch screen panel at Vincom Center

The 71 year old women at An Dong

The street stall seller!

The shop owner(Pink) who had to juggle 2 jobs a day.

I learnt today that there are many differences in the types of shopping centers and stores in Vietnam. There are modern and traditional markets. Most of the time traditional stores are ran by families like in markets or street stalls

Firstly, there is a big difference in terms of the level of class of these shopping centers. In Vincom Center, the shops had air-condition,were very spacious had proper lighting and was very high class. But compared to the Wholesale market An Dong, the market was cramped, dim lighted, and very stuffy.Thus, because of these factors, there were not as many people at the Vincom Centre than An Dong Market.

Secondly, the other difference is the difference in the technology used. At An Dong, besides some fans, lights, there were not much technology used. But in Vincom Center, there were much better quality there, and even a touchscreen panel for customers to get knowledge about shops they might want to go to.

A observation I made today was the the people of Vietnam seem to be enjoying their life despite their daily life and work. They would rather live the lives happily than miserably and were very friendly. Firstly, we met a 71 year old lady whose parents were from China, but she grew up in Vietnam. She worked in An Dong since young and was very friendly and helpful to us. Then, we met some street stall sellers selling glasses. They were very grateful when we decided to buy some of their products. Lastly, after dinner, Kun Yao and me went to a clothes shop. A 36 year old wife and a mother of one was the store owner, and she had to juggle 2 jobs. One job in the wet market near our hotel in the morning and in the afternoon till very late at night, she had to take care of the clothes store. But despite that, she was friendly and had a cheerful smile.

25th May Reflections: TanZhiYong

The red area represents the forested areas.

The tree with green, yellow and red leaves.

A crab at the swamp when we went to plant the roots.

The owner of the house waving goodbye!

1. One of the things I learnt today is about Can Gio Biosphere is the timeline of the biosphere and its changes. During the war, the americans sprayed pesticides onto the forest as the vietnamese were attacking them from the forests. Thus, there were very little forested areas after the war. But as time went on, the forested area became larger as residents who were paid by the local authorities to take care of certain areas.

2. I learnt about some plants in the Can Gio Biosphere. Some were poisonous, while others had thorns at its roots. Many Birds built their nest on these plants so that their predators would not be able to climb up the tree. I also learnt how to plant the mangrove swamp roots!

3. Lastly, I learnt was that the residents living on houses on stilts were living a simple lifestyle but yet they were making full use of their life. Through the interview with the owner of the house, it was obvious that though it was hard to take care of the forests and also pay the petrol, water, and electricity bills, he was smiling during the interview and he was very happy when we went to visit him. The expressions on his face were not showing sadness but he had a cheerful character. Sometimes leading a simple life is better than city life.

24th May Reflections: TanZhiYong

1. I learnt that in the Cao Dai Temple, the four main animals are displayed in the design of the temple. They are dragon, turtle, phoenix and the unicorn, which represent highest power, longevity, beauty and prosperity respectively. The interior and exterior display these four animals and other patterns too. The lights have the four animals too, and the pillar also have dragons on them.

2. I also learnt that Cao Dai is about 3 different religions, basically Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. These religions are symbolized from colours that are around the temple. Buddhism is red, Confucianism is red and Taoism is blue. The men are thought to be on the right hand, and women on the left. Similarly, Yin is for women and Yang for men.

3. Lastly, I learnt that the Vietnamese were very intelligent in planning the Cu Chi Tunnel. They were able to plan it in such a way that there was space for everyday life such as meeting rooms, hospitals, kitchens and dining room, which were all very organised into 3 levels.. They were also smart in making air holes which were so small but yet sufficient for the 200 over kilometers tunnels.