Our Trip to Vietnam

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Our Trip to Vietnam
By Luke and Nick
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Mekong River Delta
We took a flight to southern Vietnam to see the
Mekong River Delta. The Mekong River Delta is the
longest river in Asia. It is 2,600 miles long
(1,460 kilometers). The Mekong River Delta splits
into smaller rivers called the Nine Dragons. Many
people live alongside the river. We went on a
fishing trip. We caught a lot of fish! It was fun
exploring the Mekong River Delta.
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Ha Long Bay
We traveled northeast to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay
has unusual rock formations sticking out of the
water. These rock formations are actually ancient
seabed risen above sea level. It provides shelter
for fishing in the South China Sea. Sailors let
us sample their fish. The sailors also let us
have durian, a fruit in Vietnam. It smelt
horrible but, tasted great. Of course we had
fresh vegetables, French bread, clams ,and rice.
Vietnamese people eat fresh vegetables, rice and
often have French bread with every meal. We were
stuffed. We decided to leave the water and see
some cities.
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Ho Chi Minh City
We went southwest to Ho Chi Minh City. It is
Vietnams biggest city and business center. Ho
Chi Minh City has 6 million people. This city was
called Saigon until communist government changed
its name to Ho Chi Minh City in 1975. Ho Chi Minh
City was packed with people. We took a break from
all that traveling and went shopping. Before we
could go to a store we exchanged our American
money for Vietnamese money. Vietnamese money is
called dong. We bought a non la (straw hat) for
our mothers. Also we bought tunics called ao (ow
thair ) and bought wooden sandals called guoc
(gwok) . Those things cost a lot of money.
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Hanoi
We traveled north to Hanoi. Hanoi is the capital
city of Vietnam. Many communist parties are held
here. When men and women travel here they will
see French colonial buildings, ancient temples
, and the burial place of Ho Chi Minh. Coming to
Hanoi at this time is good. Its a good time to
go because its Vu Lan Day. Vu Lan Day is like
Memorial Day in the United States. You honor your
loved ones who have past away. It is not a sad
time. There are many celebrations during Vu Lan.
Vu Lan Day was exiting! We met a new friend named
Sonia. She told us about her school. Sonia is
learning reading, writing , and math. She wants
to go to secondary school. Secondary school is
where they offer to teach you history, science,
math, and music. They also have to learn English
or Russian. They learn a lot in Vietnam.
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The Animals
We went to the Cuc Phuong Forest. The Cuc Phuong
Forest has many animals inhabiting its trees and
forest floor. Its animals are tigers, deer,
crocodiles, leopards, black bears, snakes like
the king cobra, the giant muntjac, Vu Quang ox,
Javan rhinoceros, and the water buffalo. We were
scared of most of the animals. The Cuc Phuong
Forest was the most scary place weve seen.
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Danang

• We went southeast to Danang. Danang is Vietnams
  fourth largest city. When the Vietnam War was
  taking place , American troops arrived at a huge
  U.S. air base here. The soldiers relaxed at
  local beaches while off duty. Its shores welcome
  fishing boats and sunbathers. We were swimming in
  the water. When we saw Ms. Goetz wading through
  the water and having a good time. Nick and I
  darted to shore to say hi to her. We hung out
  till Ms. Goetz wanted to go back to her condo.
  Both of us were tired, too. Danang was FUN!

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Hue
We went northwest to Hue. People who visit the
city Hue will find statues, historic tombs, and
buildings. These treasures date back to the
period Vietnams last independent emperors. The
city was established in 1802. This ancient
imperial city remains cultural, religious, and
educational center today. Hue was Vietnams
capital until 1945. Hue was fascinating.
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Vietnam's Resources

• Lime
• Phosphates
• Iron ore
• Barite
• Chromium ore
• Tin
• Zinc
• Lead
• Gold
• Coal

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Vietnam War
The Vietnam War broke out between North and South
Vietnam in 1957. The United States sent thousands
of American soldiers to help South Vietnam fight
the North. This war lasted a long time. In 1973
the American soldiers signed a peace treaty than
left Vietnam. North Vietnam took over the South
two years later. During 1976 the Socialist
Republic of Vietnam was formed. The country
Vietnam became one country again. When the war
ended ,many South Vietnamese who had fought
against the Communists were scared to live in
their own country. Others found that their homes
had been destroyed during the war. It was hard to
earn a living. Close to one million people left
Vietnam after the war. Many people escaped to
other countries by hiding in small boats. These
people are called boat people. Many of these
people live in the United States today. The
Vietnam War had to be a scary time.
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Sadly, over 58,000 U.S. soldiers died in the
Vietnam War.
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THE END