Thinking about my experience in Vietnam brings a whirl of emotions to mind – some positive, some not so much. The trip was undeniably an eye-opening experience.

The most impactful part of the trip for me was the trek and homestay on Day 3. There is so much I would like to say about this trek, I do not know where to begin.

Group photo mid-trek

Group photo during our mid-trek break at a beautiful stream

I was pretty excited for the trek as I thought it would make for a fulfilling experience (the thought of having walked 15km in a day is already satisfying. The trek was physically challenging at times, but step by step, we finished it. My group was in high spirits as we reached our destination, the home of our guide. While we collapsed onto comfy pillows and chairs, we were all satisfied and proud that we finished our trek.

During the trek, my group gave each other physical and mental support. As we pointed out shaky rocks and useful tricks to conquer slippery segments, we encouraged each other to relieve the fear and fatigue from climbing the steep slopes.

Captivated by the scenery and the woven heart that one of the village women made for me

The best part of the trek (and the trip) was being surrounded by so much greenery. I could not help being awed by the view all around me. There was something calming and therapeutic about the view. Perhaps, it was a reminder that I am only a small being in this big, big universe and there is so much of the world that I have not explored.

It was also amusing for us to spot the same, white hotel building that marked the start as we trekked on. We were intrigued by the distance we covered as that white building grew smaller and smaller. As we focused on taking each step carefully, we unknowingly covered long distances. I thought that it was a good representation of how daunting projects can be accomplished when we break them down into simpler tasks and finish them step by step.

Overall, it was an experience so precious that brought me to consider trekking as a new hobby. I was sad to leave the village the following day.

In my previous diary entry, I mentioned being excited to embark on fieldwork. Nonetheless, I found myself (and the rest of my groupmates) sorely unprepared for it. The first place we visited in Vietnam was Hanoi University, which was a good location to do our fieldwork; we could communicate easily to the English-speaking students there. Yet, we realised that we were physically unprepared – we were scrambling around to look for questions and take notes for each interview. An even more significant problem was our lack of mental preparation. We found ourselves shy and hesitant to approach potential interviewees. At the end of the day, we took note of these problems as we talked to our Group Leaders.

Qin Fang and I interviewing a student of Hanoi University

With an urgent need to resolve these issues, my groupmates and I quickly came together and allocated specific roles to each group member. This was done based on our strengths.

I felt that my group truly became comfortable with conducting fieldwork (and enjoying it) only on Day 5 of our trip. We were back in Hanoi after our visit to Sapa, and were given a lot of free time to explore its streets. Since my group dealt with the topic of food, we had the privilege of weaving in fieldwork into our leisure activities and vice versa. As we browsed through the little shops along the streets for souvenirs to bring home, as and when we came across cafes, restaurants or even tour agencies, we would take the initiative to split up and conduct interviews. As we have assigned distinct roles to each member, we started becoming better at conducting them as well.

My groupmates interviewing the owner of a modernised Vietnamese restaurant (where we had a good lunch)

With these seven days in Vietnam, I learnt much about her heritage and culture, especially the parts related to her food. Additionally, I did feel that my own communication skills were improving as the days passed. When language barriers were more substantial, I learnt to speak more slowly, articulate more clearly and in the most desperate of times, employ the aid of Google Translate. Talking to budding photographers including Khairul and Yong Jia also got me to think about how to better produce good photos. While I did not expect fieldwork to be so tiring, I feel that I managed to improve my general knowledge and other soft skills. I also learnt to fit in with my group members and work with each of them. We took care of one another and bonded over card games in our spare time. I do hope that the friendships I formed with them over the trip will last through university and beyond. On the whole, I felt that my experiences were mostly aligned with my expectations mentioned in my previous diary entry.

One of the many food photos that we took – we had a good time trying traditional Vietnamese dishes for the first time

However, while we might have physically integrated (or rather, inserted) ourselves into Vietnam, it was clear that we did not belong. We spoke different languages from the locals. We had different food preferences. We wore different clothes. The differences were most apparent with the Sapa villagers. A young lady who was in training to be a Sapa guide followed our group during the trek. We had completely different responsibilities; she worried about how to be a good guide and the need for marriage, while I worried about my studies and fieldwork. I was astonished to find out that we were the same age. Cultural and societal disparities made us so different. Nonetheless, we shared common ideals – to improve our skills and knowledge, to eventually make money and put food on the table, to live with people we love forever.

The nineteen year old guide trainee along with Prof Justin

I thought that I would end this diary entry with a quote from John Dewey – “We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” I am thankful for my experience in Vietnam and this diary entry was a good way to consolidate my personal learnings from the trip.

Group photo in traditional Vietnamese attire at the homestay village to end off the diary entry

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