Day 4

Breakfast at hotel -One group (mine) visited Go Vap Orphanage .The other group visited Phu My Orphanage/HIV Center.We both visited Tam Binh Orphanage.

Go Vap Orphanage - This orphanage houses special needs children (brain injuries, heart problems, cerebral palsy, etc.).Lots of babies with hydro-encephalitis which if they were in the United States they would have had shunts put in and would not have suffered brain damage.These children will be lucky to live until 11 to 14 years old. The orphanage does have one person that acts as a therapist who is very good but does not have the knowledge that he needs to teach staff how to position, etc.Equipment (adaptive chairs and baby walkers) had been purchased with funds raised by Ms. Butch's church..Ms. Butch explained to the therapist & direct care staff how to use this equipment to help with some of the orthopedic problems these children encounter and the students played with the children.

Some of the children have atrophied joints and there are not enough staff, although they do have a good ratio of staff to children.The staff focus on cleanliness (have to take your shoes off when you enter the rooms where the children are living) and health issues more than nurturing because of time constraints.This orphanage was very clean and the children seem to be well cared for.These children are all lying in cribs for the most part.Some can maneuver around in the walkers.

The orphanage is government run.A doctor is on duty.Children with serious illnesses are sent to the hospital.The administrator sat down with the group and thanked everyone for their assistance.She was very pleasant and much appreciative.

Tam Binh Orphanage -This orphanage also has some special needs children.We all had the opportunity to play with the children and hold the babies.

When visiting these orphanages, there is always a ceremony with the officials.They welcome the group with tea and explain a little about the orphanage.They express their thanks for the gifts and supplies that we were able to provide the children.

Day 5

Left Ho Chi Minh City today at 4:30 to Tan Son Nhat airport where we flew to DeLat.Leaving Ho Chi Minh City, there was a wonderful view from the plane. This city has expanded recently and is the largest city in Vietnam, similar to New York City in the United States.It covers a vast array of land and seemed tremendous in size from the airplance.

DeLat is located in a valley and is much cooler than Ho Chi Minh City.Greenhouses are everywhere.This area is known for growing vegetables and flowers..We took a cable car ride, visited the largest Pagoda (built in 1993) in De Lat, visited No Man's Church (this church is only for women - no men allowed) and visited Dinh Bao Dai's Palace.

This palace is very beautiful with fascinating architecture.It was used during the summer months as the king's summer home.

Note:Dinh Bao Dai's Palace is a historical monument of Nguyen's dynaty, the last feudal dynasty in Vietnam.The palace was built in 1933 and accomplished in 1938.Its architecture was designed by French architect Le Corbusier and architect Huynh TanPhat.Building materials came from France and Central Vietnam.The palace is divided into four areas, work room, reception room, entertainment and bedroom.From 1938 to 1945, King BaoDai only used this palace for his summer holidays so he named it "SummerPalace".

From 1949 to 1954, the western-highland of Vietnam was "Royal Highland", and Bao Dai was Chief of State.After 1954, King Bao Dia lived in exile in France.Ngo Dinh Diem became president and he named the palace "Nghinh Phong Lau" and when President Nguyen Van Thieu stayed here, he named it "Thanh Son".Now they call this palace "Palace III" (one of three palaces in De Lat).

Our bus driver drove us around the lake which is the center of the city.Very beautiful - nice for an evening stroll.We visited the farmer's market which sold lots of vegetables, flowers, bolts of cloth, shoes, accessories - something like a large flea market.From the top of the buildings, you could observe the streets below bustling with vendors, scooters and women toting the vegetables in the traditional baskets (basket on each side with a bar across her shoulders).

DeLat is also well known for its famous wines.We stopped at a small shop that sold, teas, coffees, wines and excellent jams.The jams are freshly made by the locals andtasted like the jam "grandma" used to make on the wood stove..

We had dinner with the children from Cam Ranh House of Love orphanage.They traveled into the city,stayed overnight and joined us the next day for an outing.This excursion for them was sponsored by the Brittany Hope Foundation.They were very shy at first, but quickly warmed up to the group.The nuns that care for them were also present.This orphanage is privately run and children from here cannot be adopted - they would have to be transferred to a government run orphanage in order to be adopted.Also, adoption is not open at this time to citizens of the United States but is open to several other countries.

Day 6

We took a bus to the Golden Valley to meet the children from Cam Ranh House of Love orphanage.We walked through beautiful gardens, over bridges and saw some of the most beautiful flowers.We all "adopted" several children to walk with us.I had a couple of young adults (13 - 15) with me.One spoke very good English so I had little language problems.One had a limp from an injured toe.They were both very nice and seemed to enjoy being with me.One of their favorite terms is "I am very happy".This day is a real treat for the children because they seldom leave the orphanage other than school and church.They rise at 4:00 a.m. to attend services, go back and do their chores and then to go school.Upon returning from school, more chores, homework, etc.They have a busy day.

We then went by jeep up one of the nearby mountains.At the top, there were pony rides for the children and a great view of the valley below.The mountain road was very curvy and everyone had a good time.It was cool on top of the mountain - Vietnamese are so used to the heat that anywhere around 80 degrees is cool for them. At the base, there was a small gift shop run by "The minority people" - an ethnic group that lives and works in the mountains.I bought the little girl a necklace -she was appreciative but seemed to be unable to wear it - was she thinking the other children would get jealous - did she think the nuns wouldn't approve - would they think she begged for it (which she didn't) or was she just shy.I don't know but she was appreciative, very respectful and very loving.

We stayed at Hung Phong Hotel which was very nice. In the late afternoon, it was raining so a group of us went to a very nice coffee shop and had drinks, ice cream, coffee, etc.Lots of fun and got a nice view of the city.

Dinner at same restaurant.This restaurant is very nice but a little unusual food.Meals have consisted of lots of rice, vegetables, noodles, and strange soup made from pureed vegetables.So far, we have had green, purple and yellow soup.I have experienced some fairly mild stomach problems due to the different cuisine.All food is usually eaten with chopsticks.Most restaurants do provide knives and forks for those of us who are "chopstick challenged".

De Lat has a French history, French architecture and has a "fake" Eiffel Tower.The town buses have their terminal outside of the city and go into the city to transport residents.Lots and lots of flower gardens - very beautiful city.

Tonight we attended a "Minority Dance".We traveled by bus to an isolated location (very muddy) and went inside a tent.This performance was done in the ancient tradition from a lost tribe of De Lat.When the French captured De Lat, this tribe migrated to the mountains and some still reside there.They are not as well thought of as the regular Vietnamese.They work in the fields, are very strong and a little darker.The ceremony was interestingThere were several different dances.One ceremony was where two men fought with a pole for a woman.The woman picked up the winner on her back, paraded him around the circle0 and then they both drank a special type of rice alcohol through a pipe.The women are very strong.We all had the opportunity to join in a group dance and the children from the orphanage (who had joined us) were delighted in the show and dancing.Note:By the way, I did taste the alcohol from the pipe - very strong - it is made from rice.