Post-trip Reflections

This TOPS trip had been a fulfilling and enriching one for me. Relating this trip back to my pre-trip projections, I am elated to see that most of my goals and expectations were met. The 7-day trip served as both a holiday and learning experience to me, of which I felt that the greatest takeaway was the friendship and bonds I forged with my sub group members throughout the entire trip. Prior to the trip, most of us will only come together during lessons and meetings, and our conversation topic usually revolves around work. It was the events from the trip that brought my group closer, allowing everyone to see a more cheerful and friendlier side of each other. Coming from different disciplines, we find our knowledge and strengths complementing each other to work on different areas during fieldwork, such that we could maximize the utility behind every opportunity we were given to conduct an interview, focus group discussion or impromptu survey with the locals. My rewarding experiences with my team branded an important message in my heart: unity is strength, only through the efforts of the many, then could a team accomplish a seemingly impossible task.

Prior to this trip, the last time I travelled so far from home (except for JB, Batam and occasionally Bintan) was 6 years ago, on an ecotourism trip to Sabah. During the entire trip, what troubles me is not being outside my comfort zone and a familiar environment, but the potential misunderstanding and problems that might arise from interacting in a foreign environment. Fortunately, the locals are kind and accommodating, and are willing to share their knowledge and expertise regarding the Vietnamese culture. As my first trip to a city in Northern Vietnam, the trip broadens my horizons with the rich culture of Hanoi city, and satisfied my hearty appetite with the marvellous delicacies of the Vietnamese cuisine. While the pho, banh mi and spring rolls were mouth-watering and the various cultural experiences were enriching to the mind, there were times whereby we may find that certain food did not match our taste and preferences, and times whereby we faced communication issues when buying items that may easily escalate into a conflict. However, my team and I were quick to adjust ourselves to the situation to be mindful and respectful of local traditions and customs. As a foreign traveller in someone else’s land, we ought to be mindful of our own actions and words always, constantly reminding ourselves to be accustomed to practices and behaviours of our visiting country.

The greatest challenge throughout the trip was to conduct interviews to gather data for our research. Despite assuring ourselves that we are well prepared and had designed the optimal interview questions to get our data, my team and I arrived in Vietnam to find the situation adverse to ourselves initially. Contrary to our expectations, we did not have our tour guide following us all the time, and this greatly increased the difficulty in trying to garner data from interviewees we did not speak fluent English. When conducting interviews with the English-speaking students from Hanoi University during the first day, we find the language and flow of our interview questions to be too colloquial for the locals to fully comprehend them, and the format of structured interview questions did not garner effective response from the interviewees. Using the experience and response from the interviews we conduct on the first day, my team and I were quick to adjust the outline of our interview questions, and modify the entire questionnaire into a semi-structured interview using the previous responses as a foundation to guide us. This prove to be the correct approach, and we could conduct more responsive interviews that are effective in meeting our research questions and objectives. With more semi-structured interviews conducted, not only did our team honed our interviewing skills, but we also learnt to be more sensitive towards local customs and traditions, as some of our interview questions were sensitive in nature and we had to portray them to the locals in an approachable manner. Gaining this set of new skills is also a big takeaway from the entire trip, which I would see them put into good use as I conduct my own research in my own discipline in the near future.

Perhaps the most impactful experience from the entire trip was the hiking and homestay at the Hmong village. While it was not my first time having a homestay in a hill tribe village, it was my virgin experience to hike during the cold season and interact with the Hmong people. As a physically inactive person who shun exercising for the past few years, it was indeed a physical and mental challenge to hike through rocks and slopes for 14 kilometres while embracing the chilly winds of the Fansipan mountain. Indeed, the entire duration of the hike was gruelling, but I manage to emerge a better person out of it with the aid of my team members and friendly local Hmong women. The nature and sights of the rural Lao Chai (not Lao Cai, the city) and Cat Cat villages held us city dwellers in awe and admiration, for many of us have not felt the marvel and might of the creation of nature, as the waterfalls, rivers, mountains and padi terraces were a huge contrast to Singapore’s urban jungles. The difficulties we encounter through the hike, and the later lack of daily accessibilities at the homestay were a good reminder for us to cherish the amenities that gave our life ease and comfort back in the city.

Looking back, the trip was fun-filled and educational, with my only regret for it was the short duration at both the rural homestay and at Hanoi city. While short, I am glad that the memories and experiences from this trip would accompany me through time, with the lessons and skills learnt placing me in an advantageous position in the time to come.