During our first week in Vietnam, we went on a cooking class. The day began with a trip to the bustling market of Hoi An where we were going to buy all of our ingredients. As we strolled into the market, pungent smells penetrated my nostrils from the stall which was selling chicken feet and eels, making me feel sick. First of all, we bought some herbs: green onion, lettuce, mint and coriander. Next, we bought some shrimp, beef and pork before going on a boat jour...

On our second day in Vietnam, we went to a silk lantern making workshop just around the corner from our homestay. When we arrived, we were served green tea which had been brewed to perfection by the Vietnamese teacher who would be teaching us how to make the lanterns. The teacher, who was called Ganta, brought out the frame of the lantern and the silk which we would stick on the frame. Once we had sat down, we got stuck in with gluing the silk onto the frame. A...