Day One and Two in Hanoi

After months of preparation and anticipation the big day was here. With everything I will need for the next month packed into an 85 liter bag I made my way to YVR airport to meet up with my fellow student, Marina, and instructor Henry. For all of us it was our first time to Vietnam, and after a 24-hour travel day Chris was waiting for us at the airport ready to guide us into Hanoi for our CBT Vietnam adventure!

How the Vietnamese do.
Fixing the power lines in the middle of the street.

Day One – In the morning I woke up to the sound of motorbikes, people eating on the street, and more horns than New York City. Chris led us to a favorite breakfast spot where we got to enjoy street food amongst the locals, before heading to enjoy some Vietnamese coffee. Traditionally prepared with condensed milk and strong coffee, we were awake and ready to explore Hanoi.  

In Hanoi, there is a traffic light once in a blue moon, and crosswalks are merely painted lines on the ground that are readily ignored. For crossing the street there are two main rules to follow. First, don’t make eye contact with the motor bikers. They won’t run into you unless you acknowledge their presence. Secondly, don’t ignore the cars, and especially the busses. They are the bullies of the road, and will hit you.

Before we knew it our exploration day in Hanoi was coming to an end, and we found ourselves on our way to meet with Hanoi Open University to get an update on how the villages in the Sapa region were doing over dinner. With more food than we could ever eat put in the middle of the table, the feast began concluding our night.

Yum!

Day 2 – Jetlag hit us strong this morning, as we were up at 5:00 am basically ready to start the day. Meeting time for the group wasn’t for a few hours so this was the time to do some last minute planning complete and rest before hitting the street to pickup anything we may need for Sapa and Lao Chai.

We had a plan of action for the day. Chris made the executive decision to send Emily off on her own to head to “Stationary Street” as its called, as she is familiar with Hanoi from her previous trip. Henry, Marina and I went in the other direction doing our best not to get lost in the bustling and winding streets of Hanoi. While Chris, a ninja that he is, took off on a Xeom (motorbike taxi) to complete his tasks at lightening speeds. 

With us all being such a great team we all completed ahead of time and were able to have some leisure time to enjoy one of the best meals we have had so far. The restaurant had tables on the sidewalk of one of the busiest backpackers street in the Old Quarter of Hanoi, great for some entertaining people watching. After the meal, we headed back to our hostel in Hanoi to grab our things and head to the train station to get ourselves to Sapa.

More to come shortly on our CBT Vietnam adventure!

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Tết Nguyên Đán!

The CBT Vietnam team would like to wish everyone a happy new year!

Tết Nguyên Đán (or Tết for short), translates to “the first morning of the first day” in Vietnamese. This celebration is one of the biggest and most important for our friends in Vietnam. I’ve heard that there is some debate over whether or not this Lunar New Year is the Year of the Goat or the Year of the Sheep. In Vietnam, it is considered to be the Year of the Goat. In an article I read, goats are much more common in Vietnam due to the heat, which is one of the reasons why it is not referred to as the Year of the Sheep.

Thank you Sam for contributing these awesome photos from your time in Vietnam!
Much like the festivities that I go to for New Year’s Eve, this time of year for the Vietnamese is all about celebrating with friends and family and eating lots of great food. I’ve always found it interesting when you are able to draw parallels between different customs in various countries. Even though it is so far away from Canada, Vietnam may not be so different after all! However, unlike the New Years that I grew up celebrating every year, on December 31^st, Lunar New Year has a different day each year. This year, it fell on February 19, and in 2016 it will be celebrated on February 8.

I was born in the Year of the Rooster. After doing some research, I learned that Roosters are generally considered to be hardworking, courageous, talented, attractive and beautiful… I swear I’m not making this up!

I found the whole research really interesting and looked into other information about my other 2015 CBT Vietnam teammates as well.

Marina was born in the Year of the Horse. Horses are considered to be extremely animated, active and energetic. Knowing what I do about Marina’s personality, I would definitely say this is an accurate description of her.  Mia was born in the Year of the Monkey. Monkeys are typically known for their mischievousness, curiosity, and cleverness. Monkeys are also thought to be the “masters of practical jokes”. We may need to keep an eye on Mia, (just kidding!). Kyle was born in the Year of the Pig. Pigs are believed to be diligent, compassionate, and generous. Pigs also have great concentration: once they become focused on a goal, they will be completely dedicated to reaching it. Hopefully Kyle can apply that focus to the training manual he is currently working on to guide us when we are over in Vietnam.

On February 8, 2016 Vietnam will bring in the year of the monkey – but until then, bring on the Year of the Goat!

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