Trip Itinerary

Brisbane, Australia
Singapore
Hanoi, Vietnam
Mai Chau, Vietnam

Travel Log

Day 1

We all arrived at Brisbane airport at 7.45pm, some of us already tired thinking about the travel ahead, most of us too excited for the journey we were about to embark on. Our flight departed for Singapore at 11.35pm. Once back on the ground we roamed Singapore airport for 6 hours and experienced the butterfly enclosure (though most of them were asleep at 5am), shopping and eating.

Finally, we boarded for Hanoi, and by this time we all were in desperate need of a nap. Most of us didn’t sleep a wink, though some were lucky enough to sleep for an hour or two. After what seemed like an eternity we touched down in Hanoi and were greeted by two of our amazing translators Tung and Lap.

After a long bus ride, walking and lugging our bags across the city we arrived at the Medallion Hotel. We were surrounded by motorbikes and cars beeping, dogs walking up and down the streets and food being cooked on the side of the road. After settling in, we went on a cyclo tour around the city to our dinner destination. It’s safe to say I think we all were in a food coma after dinner and called it quits for the night.

Day 2

Early rise this morning to experience all of the culture Hanoi had to offer. We visited the Vietnamese Women’s Museum alongside our trusty tour guide Lap. We learnt about how women live and have previously lived in Vietnam across the years. We then had a quick coffee break at the Cộng Cà Phê (famous coffee chain in Vietnam) where we tried traditional Vietnamese ‘white coffee’ which was delicious. We then walked to the Temple of Literature and were in awe of its beauty and the philosophies that previously encompassed this temple. It is the oldest Confucius temple and the first university to teach the nobles, royal’s and their children.

After a morning full of learning we were all starving and sat down to lunch at KOTO restaurant nearby. We then did a little more walking and a short bus ride to the Museum of Ethnology where we learnt all about all 55 ethnic minorities that make up the Vietnamese population. We finished our day at the Lacquer Museum and got to experience how lacquer is made into art. Once we got back to the hotel, we got to experience the night life in Hanoi, the atmosphere was electric.

Day 3 

Orientation day this morning for our massive day ahead, we all experienced traditional Bánh Mì (like Vietnamese Subway kind of) and we finally tried traditional egg coffee from the shop it first originated from. We spent the rest of the day and evening exploring the city.

Day 4

Goodbye Hanoi and Hello Mai Châu! A four-hour bus ride finally found us in Mai Châu District where we cycled two kilometres to our homestay. We piled all of our excessive baggage into only one golf cart which was a site in itself. The bike ride was very eventful; between those who hadn’t ridden a bike in a hot minute, getting lost, seeing dogs, cats, chickens and buffalos on the side of the road and running over a chicken (it survived), we finally all made it to our first homestay in one piece. Here we met our other beautiful translators Emma and Dat (who made sure we actually got there it in one piece). After settling in for a little we hoped back on our bikes and cycled through the countryside to the hospital. Here we were lucky enough to experience some incredible emergency surgeries performed by the Director of Medicine. The surgeries included: a uterine fibroid cyst removal, an emergency splenectomy (due to a ruptured spleen), emergency orthopaedic surgery (lower leg) and a tonsillectomy. This was an incredible opportunity to witness, a once in a lifetime experience!