In the summer of 2014, I, Sheila, went on a family trip to Vietnam. My mother has 11 siblings, where she is the third youngest. Half of her family lives in Vietnam, while the other half lives in Australia.
While in Ho Chi Minh city, I stayed at my grandpa’s house, where my family occasionally moved around to other houses like my aunts’. I also stayed in hotels that were booked by my uncle, who came with my family along with some other cousins from America.
I flew around Vietnam to many different areas of the the country. The coastal city of Da Nang is known for its beautiful sandy beaches. I went to Ba Na, which is a hill station and resort. On the streets, there were many little shops and outdoor places where people sold food or valued goods. For the many days I was in Vietnam, it rained for about half the time. The weather was still extremely humid, where the lowest temperatures at night reached 80 degrees!
In Vietnam, I held a snake, rode a jet ski, went zip lining, saw a bull, ate fresh durian, went night swimming at the beach, rode a boat through a forest, and many more!
I tried many street foods and went out shopping at a night market. I also visited many temples and went to where my grandma was buried. I met new cousins and family that I had never spoken to before, and we exchanged stories about how different life was back in America.
This one month experience is a trip that I would never forget, considering it’s the farthest away I’ve been from home. The environment is completely different, and one that I enjoyed very much. There, I felt very comfortable as I learned about my roots and my history.
Young Adventurers 