Citadel-Nunery-Ophanage

Today was a special day. We were very busy, & had experiences that only OAT could provide. We started by visiting the Hue Citadel, which is a historically significant site. It housed the king & his family for many generations & was the site of significant fighting in Vietnam’s tumultuous past. After we toured the site, on the way back to our bus, we stopped along the side of the roadway & Dahn introduced us to a man selling lottery tickets. He was in fact a war veteran who had been protecting the Citadel during the bloodiest battles in the Vietnam war. He pointed out a spot on the stone wall surrounding the fort which had been damaged by cannon/bomb blasts. The vet had scars on his head & arm & he had to pretend he was “mentally” damaged in order to not be silenced by the government after the war. Communism on display there for sure. Our group had some poignant questions for the vet who answered through Dahn. It was an interesting exchange. Following the Citadel visit we enjoyed a vegetarian lunch at the Dieu Thành Buddhist Nunnery. Once again Dahn acted as an interpreter as our hosts only spoke Vietnamese. Our group learned a lot about the Buddhist religion & about one of the nuns in particular. We returned to the hotel to rest for our visit to the Minh Tu Orphanage, run by nuns. We were impressed how happy & healthy these kids were. The orphanage is supported by Grand Circle Foundation, part of OAT. They ranged in age from new borns to around age 18, although the nun who spoke to us said they don’t kick them out until they can make it on their own. Many of the kids left the orphanage to attend school, daily. The day we were there was a “birthday” celebration. Since many of the kids don’t know when their bdays are they all celebrate together . Each child got new shoes & a wrapped gift. We helped serve birthday cake to all of the kids. We returned to our hotel tuckered out but awed by the hardworking nuns, & resilient vets, & other Vietnamese people.Read more