da nang, vietnam

 

 

 

 

For many years, we have wanted to visit Da Nang, Vietnam to see the great work that Deb and Paul Hilton are doing and to meet Hien's family. Da Nang is a small city on the coast of Central Vietnam. It has beautiful beaches and mountains to offer. We were physically and mentally exhausted when we got to Da Nang and were a little apprehensive about how much we can do there. However, we learnt the most about community development projects during our time with AOG World Relief Vietnam. The tireless effort of Paul and Deb to improve the lives of the poor in Vietnam has truly inspired us. We enjoyed all the trips out to the villages. Whether it was for providing clean water to villages and school, or to give wheelchairs to CP kids, or to provide pigs to the poor, we had a great time meeting the locals and witnessing the impact of these great projects on the lives of the poor. We could clearly see hope, joy and happiness in the eyes of the people benefiting from the projects. It was also marvelous to finally meet Hien's family and be able to put faces to names. We were very touched by the hospitality of her and her family.

What we love

LL: Visiting a variety of community projects out in the villages and seeing how they have impacted on the lives of many.

AT: Vietnamese Coffee!!! Had quite a few cups daily!!!

What we dislike

LL: Vietnamese love to use their honks.

AT: The noise from the horns of motorcycles and cars!

What we miss

LL: Very yummy vietnamese food at very cheap price.

AT: The friendly staff of Pacific Hotel in Da Nang. There are not many hotels in the world where the staff will go all out to make your stay as comfortable as possible (without spending lots of $$$).

What we don't miss

LL: Traffic traffic traffic

AT: THE BEEPING OF HORNS!!! Glad that I am no longer hearing any of it now!

What we have accomplished

LL: Our time there was just so different from the others. I felt that I got a lot more out from the time I spent with the Hilton than what they got out of me. They gave me a real insight into community development projects and ways to break poverty cycle and to improve the lives of the poor.

AT: We managed to teach the kids some crafts and make a difference in their lives, even for those few short days. The smiles on their faces makes everything that we have done so worthwhile.

What we learnt

The community development projects did not just directly improve the lives of the people in short term, but aims at improving the community as a whole to make a lasting difference. Many other organisations are doing the 'band-aid' approach but AOG WR Vietnam is truly making a lasting impact.