As planned, on September 17, we, the CIEE students, Vietnamese buddies and VLS teachers, got on the trip together heading for Cu Chi. We were welcomed in by drums and shouting of little pupils at the yard of Phu Hoa Dong school. After a few games, the CIEE students started to perform the plays. The plays included some short dialogues, so it was hard to pronounce the sounds for those who had just studied Vietnamese for three weeks. Nonetheless, the American students successfully acted the play of the legend "Mr Cuội and Đa tree on the moon", which very much entertained the children on the occasion of Mid-Autumn festival. The play "Tooth Fairy" really amused the kids by fun characters, especially the ones of "Vi Khuẩn" (bacteria) and "Tiên răng (tooth fairy).  It reminded the kids of careful and right dental care. In return, the pupils presented two nice songs for us “Khúc hát chim Sơn Ca” and “Ngày đầu tiên đi học”. The last show was the song "Đếm sao" (Counting starts) though sung still in clumsiness by the American students, given big hands by the kids. Lastly, we gave lanterns and gifts which included school stationary and snacks to 80 disavantaged pupils recommended by the principle of Phu Hoa Dong school.The perfomances of Vietnamese culture acted by the American students, who had just come in Vietnam for three weeks, expressed their heart and their effort in learning Vietnamese language and understanding Vietnamese culture.

(CIEE students sang for the pupils)

(Ms. Bình, VLS Director, and CIEE students were giving gifts for the pupils)

Saying goodbye to Phú Hòa Dông School, we stopped by Nguyễn Ngọc Uyên’s house, one of the pupils of Phú Hòa Đông school. Uyên was a 5th grade distinguished pupil and lived in a dilapidated, small house with her sister and grandparents. On this occasion, Ms. Võ Thị Thanh Bình, the VLS Director, handed a scholarship to Uyên. We could not visit another disavantaged pupil so we sent the same scholarship to her via the school' s principal.

(We and Uyen's family)

We left Uyên’s house with many emotional feelings. The final stop of the day were the Cu Chi Tunnels. We were welcomed by a nice afternoon with weather that wasn't too bright, sunny, and hot. The CIEE students were incredibly excited when creeping around the dark tunnels but touched when they heard about the history and the losses of the Cu Chi people.

(Excited when explording the tunnel)

"It was truely a significant day for us" said the CIEE students.