Plan for Vietnam

It is back to hot weather and hanging out outside on the 7th deck between classes! It feels so good to be outside and crazy how quickly it got so hot! we are exactly 12 hours different from est now so easy to figure out what time it is at home!

Our plan for Vietnam:

I am traveling with 5 other girls: Bridget, Ginger and Erin (who are our 2 closest friends ever since the beginning- we did everything in Japan with them but they did a sas trip in china so thats why we didnt travel with them) they are both from Atlanta but didnt know each other before sas- ginger goes to smu and erin goes to clemson. The 4th girl is Ne (pronounced "neigh"- she goes to UVa but i didnt know her- she is an international student and friends with my other friend Mariana at UVa) she is awesome! Ne has become really good friends with Florentina who is also international and we are literally the same person in that she is super organized! (planned her group's Japan and China trip as well. She is very low key and extremely friendly) Morgan and I spent our last day in Hong Kong with Ne and Florentina and we hang out alot on the boat and have gone out together in Japan and China a few times. I am really excited to be doing Ho Chi Mihn, Hanoi, and Ha Long Bay with them! A few of our guy friends also have a very similar itinerary so it will be fun to hang out with them but also good that we will be able to break off depending on how much or little people want to sight see.

Arrive to port around 11am or noon tomorrow then tour Ho Chi Mihn city with Erin's cousin who lives there- will be great to get the inside scoop. Then we are heading to Hanoi on an 8pm flight to arrive at 10pm and head to our hotel. Mom stayed at the hotel before and said it was great! Then in the mornign we are heading to ha long bay for our 2 day one night cruise! Call me crazy for wanting to go on a boat after being on this ship but google image ha long bay and you will see why! We will get back to Hanoi in the evening the next day and our plan is to go on the food on foot tour of Hanoi- several people recommended it as lots of fun and interesting. The next morning we are going to make sure we go to Hao Lo Prison which is now a museum and known to us americans as "Hanoi Hilton" where John McCain and other US airmen were held as POWs in the Vietnam War until their release in 1973 when the Paris Agreements was signed. I am really excited to see this history first hand. Late that afternoon our big group is splitting off and just Bridget and I are going to Hoi An- a beach town on the water that is supposedly very beautiful with 70 km long beach with bike riding through rice patties and exploring the cute town. We have two nights there then an 8am flight back to Ho Chi Mihn City- getting in at 9:15 am to do a bit of walking around. Ship time is 5pm so even if we are delayed 7 hours we will still make the ship! I am so excited for our trip and going to be an awesome combination of people, places, etc!

After Vietnam we only have 2 days on the ship then Singapore where my mom is meeting me! I am so excited to see her! We only have 2 days and one night in Singapore so that night i am going to invite a bunch of my friends to come to drinks with my mom and I! I am really excited for my new friends to meet her and for my mom to meet all of my frineds! I talk about my family a lot so everyone is really excited! Then after Singapore we have 3 days on the ship then 6 days in Burma with my mom and my dad!! After all of the organizing I have been doing for the ports so far, I am so excited to have my mom's awesome itinerary to follow!

Internet in Vietnam will probably be pretty minimal but ill post pictures when I can!