IB Vietnamese Literature Trip

Last weekend, Year 12 and Year 13 IB Vietnamese students joined forces for a 2-day trip to the beautiful city of Quy Nhon in Central Vietnam. The trip combined the study of Literature and History with some community service.  Upon arriving in Quy Nhon we were whisked off to visit the memorial house of Xuan Dieu - one of the most renowned Vietnamese poets of the Twentieth Century.

We then had the opportunity to interact and discuss poetry with Mr HO TUAN NGHIEM MINH – MA in Literature and Ms Ho Thi Xuan Huong – a famous actress who specialises in the poems of Xuan Dieu. These sessions enabled us to gain some interesting key ideas which will surely help us with our IOCs.

On behalf of BIS students, Le Scarlet (year 13)and Anh Nguyen (Year 12) shared their deep thoughts about poems “ Xuan Khong Mua” and “ Tho Duyen” written by Xuan Dieu . They did this brilliantly and received high praise.

After that, we went to visit the memorial house of Han Mac Tu - another celebrated Vietnamese poet - where he spent the remaining days of his life before passing away at the tender age of 28 due to leprosy.

The evening was devoted to service-related activities, which started with a visit to the Nguyen Nga Centre for people with disabilities. After purchasing crafts and goods handmade by those people, we watched a splendid musical performance by some of the blind members of the Centre. We then expended much energy at the SOS village, engaging in fun-filled activities with the beautiful children there and distributing gifts and sweets along the way.

The following morning, we began the day with a hearty buffet breakfast. En route to the Tay Son museum, we stopped briefly to walk, run up (and in some cases, tumble down) the scenic sand dunes. At the museum, we learnt about the short-lived but glorious career of Quang Trung Nguyen Hue, a national hero of Vietnam who was undefeated on the battlefield and about the Tay Son dynasty, a turbulent period in Vietnamese history. While we were there, we watched traditional Binh Dinh martial arts, performed with great athleticism and flexibility.

Being Vietnamese, naturally we took some time to eat delicious food, notably the Quy Nhon specialities, such as Banh Xeo Tom Nhay (hopping shrimp pancakes) and Chim Mia (the tiniest of birds cooked and eaten whole). It was an exhilarating trip with beautiful memories, made possible by the planning and energy of our Vietnamese teacher Mrs Mai Le.

Mai Nghia (Year 13)