Vietnam Update - March 11, 2011 (PM)

1st Day in Vietnam



We arrived in Hanoi around 12 noon after 34 hours of travel (includes layovers in airports). The weather is hazy and 61 degrees Fahrenheit.



Our team is comprised of 18 team members from the United States (UT, CO, WI, ID, and TX), all arriving with one footlocker full of medical supplies. You can imagine the scene at baggage claim. To our delight and surprise, binh was waiting for us at baggage claim. She and Shannon (her daughter-in-law and local COPI Coordinator) prepared the way with the government officials so that we were promptly whisked through passport control and declarations.



Loading all the medical supplies on a truck was an artform in packing. It looked like a giant Tetris game. Once aboard the rented coach bus, we traveled to our hotel in Viet Tri. The hotel reminds me of Soviet-era hotels in Moscow -- pre-rennovation. The bathroom is all inclusive. You shower in the same space as your toilet.



While on the bus, I noticed that all land, if not used for building, is converted into farm land. The primary agricultural use is for rice, with each family being alloted a parcel or plot for rice farming. Along the way we saw several joint international ventures with German, Japanese, and American companies. We saw several water buffalo and people tending their rice crops, though the first harvest had already occured and most plots had already been planted with seedlings for the second harvest.



Pastor Jim pointed out the buildings, which are narrow and high. Families are taxed according to "foot-print" of the building; therefore, most buildings occupy little land space but are built to three to four stories high.



The cities or towns are built along the roadways, so they tend to be only be 2-3 blocks wide on either side and very long. Most businesses are family-owned and small. It reminded me of some scenes I have experienced in rural Mexico or Russia. If a business is larger, the government is more involved.



We had one hour to rest before we visited the School for the Deaf in Viet Tri. This is a project that Good Shepherd has helped to sponsor in making rennovations the past 15 years. It is exciting to be part of a ministry to the disabled community, who are often neglected in any country. The kids were happy to see us. In the playground they were playing badmitton (one of my wife's personal favorites) and they were quite good.



After the team meeting and introduction of U.S. and Vietnamese team members, we are preparing for early bed before we begin a long day tomorrow of sorting our medical bins .



I was able to catch up on some reading while on the plane. One of the documents I read was the Capetown Commitment from the Lausanne Conference. It is a good read, and I highly recommend it.



Well, we are all exhausted so off to bed. Binh promised in her introductory speech tonight that the days would be long and tiring, but that the children would make it all worth while.

-- Pastor Jeff