December 9, 2004 - On the Way.
Today before we left for vacation, I got my report card and I got a lot of A+. When everyone was home, Mom called a taxi. On the way to the airport, Dad asked the driver some rude questions such as “Why are most taxi drivers Indian?”
When we got to the airport, we boarded a fancy airplane called Air France which would fly us to Paris. On the airplane, we had a personal TV in front of us. I watched just one movie and it was called “Garfield The Movie.” The airplane also had games quiz, etc. I did not get a wink of sleep.
Day 1 – December 10, 2004 – Paris
Once we landed early in the morning, we picked up our luggage and took a bus to the subway station. Once Mom bought our tickets, we rode the subway to Luxembourg, the station near our hotel.
From the subway, we walked to our 2* hotel called Hotel des Mines. The elevator was so small we had to make two trips. The room was also very small for 4 of us – just like Alex’s room. We were so tired, we all took a nap.
As soon as we woke up, we went out for lunch. We ate a crepe. Then we walked to Notre Dame – a famous church in Paris. It was beautiful inside, but Mom did not let us climb up to the top.
Later on, we waited for our open tour bus for a tour of the city. We could not go on the top because it was too cold. Alex and I were so tired
, we slept during the untalkative tour – the audio guides were not working properly. The bus took us to Champs Elysee Avenue where we got off to look around. The street was decorated with Christmas lights. Then we got on another bus to go to Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. It was so cold that we did not get out of the bus to take a picture of the famous Eiffel Tower. When we got back, Mom bought us pizzas and we went to bed.Day 2 – December 11, 2004 - Paris
The next day, we ate left over pizzas before
heading out. Mom also bought some delicious panini from a street vendo
r. We headed to Le Louvre but it was so cold so we took shelter at a jail that used to keep Marie Antoinette. It looked spooky. We saw Marie Antoinette’s cell.After that we continued to look for the Musee du Louvre. Along the way, my Mom bought me a Tintin book at a sta
ll along the river Seine. The book was called “The Calculus Affair”. Once we found the Louvre, we had to go through security at the pyramid looking entrance. We gave our coats to the museum and headed straig
ht to the “Mona Lisa” – a very famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. We saw a lot of statues, especially naked ones, including “Venus de Milo”. After we saw Mon
a Lisa, we headed to the mummy. It turned out that the mummy sucked. We ate lunch at a café at the museum.After the Louvre, we went on a bus tour to see Paris by Night. However, the traffic was so bad that we did not really enjoy the tour. After that we had dinner at a small restaurant and took the subway back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 3 – December 12, 2004 - Versailles
Today Dad wanted to visit his old friend who lived in Paris. We took the subway to meet with her at the subway station near her apartment. While we were waiting for her we ate the most delicious croissants i
n the world that Mom bought at the subway. When Dad’s friend arrived, we walked to her place where she gave us a good lunch with rice and pork chops. Alex and I went to sleep for about half an hour while the 
adults were talking.After the visit, we headed back to the subway to go to the Palace of Versailles which was the residence of King Louis XIV and Queen Marie Antoinette. The subway was very crowded and Dad could not get on with us and got left behind. So we had to go back and get him, wasting a lot of time. Then we got on the wrong subway line and had to wait for another one. When we finally arrived to
Versailles, it was huge. There was a lot of gold furniture. The place was also packed with tour groups.After that we went back to District 13 to have dinner at
a Vietnamese restaurant. We still had time so we went up the Tour de Montparnasse which was the tallest tower in Europe. It is 59 story high, but unfortunately, it was foggy that night so we did not have a good view of Paris. We could still see the Eiffel Tower lighting up the night though. For some reason Mom lost her hat here. We then took the subway back and went to sleep.Day 4- December 13, 2004- Luxembourg Garden
We would be leaving Paris today. So we woke up early and walked to the nearly Luxembourg garden. I wanted to buy a
panini for breakfast but the place was not yet open. It was winter and cold so the Luxembourg garden was deserted. There were many nice statues and some people jogging. We returned to the hotel to have breakfast there and it was not good.We finished our packing and took the subway back to the airport. There was no escalator at the subway so we had a hard time lugging our luggage. Unfortunately, our plane was delayed for 4 hours because of heavy fog. This time we boarded a Viet Nam Airlines airplane to go to Hanoi Viet Nam. I watched more movies. Viet Name Airlines was just like Air France, except that it had better movies and games. Again, I didn’t get any sleep.
Day 5 – December 14, 2004 – Hanoi
When we arrived
in Viet Nam, we were picked up by a private driver who took us to our little hotel called “Phan Thai”. When we got to our room, we found that the beds were rock solid. Dad got a separate room. We then headed out to eat breakfast at a café. We took a taxi to a travel agent to pick up our tour tickets and flight tickets for later. I collapsed in the taxi from jet lag.After we got back to the hotel, we slept for a long time in the rock solid beds. When we woke up, it was night time, we went to a restaurant by 2 cyclos. The cyclo ride was good transportation and a lot of fun. There was a cat with a cut tail at the restaurant. After the very late dinner, we walked to a lake called “Hoan Kiem” and Dad threw rocks in the lake. When we returned to the hotel, we went to bed.
Day 6 – December 15, 2004 – Hanoi
This morning, w
e ate breakfast at the hotel and Dad went off chit chatting w
ith everyone! We then took a private mini bus that Mom booked to visit Dad’s cousin who lived in Hanoi. They gave us coke, chips and lots of touches. They had a dog and I pet it.After that we went to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. We visited his old office, house and a museum dedicated to him and had a golden statue of him. We then visited many other old temples in Hanoi and the first Vietnamese University. We gave a beggar with no leg 2 dollars. The bus driver took us to his family’s restaurant for lunch and it was OK.
Next we went to the Mus
eum of Ethnology where we saw models of traditional houses and learned about hill tribes people. Lastly we visited a pottery village called Bat Trang. However, it was getting late and the pottery shop that would show us how pottery was made was closed. So we drove back to the hotel.Later on we went to a water puppet show and it was good but Mom slept through it. After the show we hailed a cyclo to go to a restaurant. However, the cyclo drivers fought over us making it very scary. After we ate we went back to the hotel and went to bed.
Day 7 – December 16, 2004 – Halong Bay
Today we ate breakfast at the hotel a
gain and then checked out, but we left our luggage at the hotel because we will return later. We went to a coffee shop to wait for a tour bus which would take us on a tour at Halong Bay. At the coffee shop, Alex and I wanted to get a sundae but we could not get one because it was time to leave. Mom almost missed the bus because she was in the washroom. We drove for over 3 hours and we had one pit stop. At the stop there was snake wine sold there.
When we got to Halong Bay, we boarded a small
boat which took us to “Dragon’s Pearl”, our junk boat w
here we would spend the night. We went to our rooms and then on the deck. The view was spectacular and it felt very peaceful.
Day 7 – December 16, 2004 – Halong Bay
Today we ate breakfast at the hotel a
gain and then checked out, but we left our luggage at the hotel because we will return later. We went to a coffee shop to wait for a tour bus which would take us on a tour at Halong Bay. At the coffee shop, Alex and I wanted to get a sundae but we could not get one because it was time to leave. Mom almost missed the bus because she was in the washroom. We drove for over 3 hours and we had one pit stop. At the stop there was snake wine sold there.When we got to Halong Bay, we boarded a small
boat which took us to “Dragon’s Pearl”, our junk boat w
here we would spend the night. We went to our rooms and then on the deck. The view was spectacular and it felt very peaceful. We sailed to caves and on the way we saw a lot of houses floating on the water. We then took a motor boat to shore and explored the cave. There were many stalagmites and stalactites in the cave. After that we went back to the boat to relax and enjoy the wonderful scenery of Halong Bay. Dinner was delicious but I was very sleepy and went to bed right after dinner. I could not take a shower because I couldn’t reach the lock inside the bathroom.
Day 8 – December 17, 2004 – Victoria Sapa Train
The next day, we woke up early. Alex and I walked on deck, but there were people sleeping at the top of the boat. After relaxing we had brunch and then we sailed to shore. The bus took us back to Hanoi where we rented a room at the hotel to rest until it was time to take the sleeper train to Sapa. We collected our luggage and went to our room where Dad and I slept. Alex and Mom went out for dinner and brought back pizza for me. At night, we took a taxi to the train station and boarded a private car on the train, reserved for guests of the Victoria Sapa Hotel. The train bunks were very comfortable. I read a bit of Tintin and went to sleep easily.
Day 9 – December 18, 2004- Sapa
We got to Lao Cai in the early morning. We were picked up by a mini van to the Victoria Sapa hotel. It had a nice fireplace and magnificent rooms. We had breakfast and Dad and I played pool. We napped a little then took a tour to a scenic hill tribe village. We trekked with hill tribe people through the village. I stayed ahead of the group. There were many pigs and boars, not to mention poop. Dad showed off and I almost took a wrong turn. We went to one of the people’s house, where Mom got attached by salespeople. We then took the bus back and we relaxed.
We went swimming in a freezing cold pool. Dad was chicken to go in. We had a sucky dinner, the dessert was OK and I fell asleep. I went back to our room early to sleep.
Day 10 – December 19, 2004 – Fan Si Pan
We had a good breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast had delicious croissants, and eggs but not as good as Mom’s. We played pool after breakfast. Then we walked to a park and climbed countless steps. We stopped half way and went back down. At the hotel we had a private jeep that took us to “Silver Falls”. We climbed more stairs and after that we had beautiful tasting roasted wild boar with rice cooked in a bamboo stick.
We then went back and were driven back to the train station. I was very sleepy but Dad forced me to get out of bed and eat dinner on the train. After dinner I went to bed.
Day 11 – December 20, 2004- Saigon.
In the morning we got back to Hanoi. Alex wanted to sleep more on the train, but we were forced to get up because we would’ve been locked in. We took a taxi to a stinky restaurant where I had to eat Pho.
We returned to our little hotel to collect our luggage and took another taxi to the airport where we would fly to Saigon, my parents’ hometown. In Saigon – aka Ho Chi Minh city – we went to our 5* hotel called “New World”. It was beautiful. We put our luggage away in our room and went swimming.
Then we took a taxi to get food. After dinner we went to Dad’s sister’s house. We saw anh Hieu there and I played computer games with him. At night we went to bac Nam’s house too. I fell to sleep there. Later we took a taxi back to our hotel and we got some nice figurines on the beds.
Day 12- December 21, 2004- Saigon
We ate breakfast at our hotel. I drank delicious yogurt drink. Then we went shopping. We bought movies and games. The games were not that cheap as we thought. We stopped by a jewelry shop to cool down. Then we ate lunch, it was OK. Dad and I took a taxi back to the hotel while Mom and Alex continued with their shopping. I tested the games and one did not work!!! When the girls came back, we returned the game to the shop. We went back and changed quickly to go to dinner with Dad’s family at a buffet restaurant. It was OK, but co Cuc pinched my butt, making me mad. I was exhausted after dinner and collapsed at the hotel. We got more figurines from the hotel on our beds.
Day 13, 14, 15 – December 22, 23, 24, 2004 – Mui Ne Resort
Today, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Mui Ne. We checked in a beautiful beach resort called “Phu Hai”. We were taken by a golf cart to our beach front bungalow. We played catch on the beach while Mom and Dad just relaxed on their beach chairs. We ate dinner and went to bed.
The next day, Mom and I took an early morning stroll on the beach and watch the sunrise. Later on we ate breakfast. Then we went swimming on the beach and in the pool. After a pizza lunch we took a tour to a fishing village and to see sand dunes. We went sledding on the sand dunes and it was very steep. Then we walked through a shallow spring.
When we went back to the hotel, Dad rented a motorcycle to drive us to a sea food restaurant for dinner. Dad took me and Alex first and went back to get Mom. After dinner Dad took me for a ride around the place for a while. Then I went to bed.
On the last day at the resort, we ate breakfast and had a last minute swim. Alex and I played soccer table while we waited. We also swam in the swimming pool. A bus then picked us up and took us back to Saigon. Traffic was very bad so it was really late when we get back into town.
We ate dinner at Pho and could not see Elvis Phuong perform. Mom and I looked at a hotel and it sucked. We went back to New World to get our luggage. It was Christmas' eve and the hotel was very lively with music bands in the lobby. We asked Dad to let us stay at New World but he refused and we had to go to Bac Nam’s house. We stayed up until midnight and then we went to bed.
Day 16 – December 25, 2004 – Dog Farm
Bac Nam took us to a restaurant which served only com tam. We passed by Mom’s old house which has been turned into a store. Mom went shopping by herself while the rest of us went to Bac Nam’s dog farm. When we got there, we went into the dog farm area. There was a very mean dog called Bi and when I got near him, he barked really loud. There were also Chihuahuas. Their names were Lucky and Bo. There were also many big dogs there.
Then Dad made me take a nap. We ate lunch and I only ate meat. My “nephew” Paul would not stop playing my Game Boy. There were so many mosquitoes. We ate dinner and I made Bo play the piano. I told the big dog’s puppies to shut up as they were so noisy and they did.
At night we took an uncomfortable ride by motorcycle back to the city and then went to bed. Mom was already back. Too bad we could not keep Bo.
Day 17 – December 26, 2004 – Mekong River
Today we would go on a tour to the Mekong River. We took a taxi to the a tour bus that would take us to the Mekong Delta. While we waited for the bus, we ate banh mi`a nd I saw a cockroach. We bought some pirated music CDs and when the bus came we boarded.
The tour guide talked too much and made jokes that were not funny. We took a boat on the Mekong River that took us to lunch. After lunch we went to a honey bee farm. I tasted honey from a hive. We also took a picture with a big snake. Then we went to a coconut candy factory. It was good but sticky.
When we returned to the city we went to Bac Nam’s house. I played a computer game called Lucky Luke before going to bed.
Day 18 – December 27, 2004- Wedding Day.
Today was my cousin Xu Roc’s wedding day. We woke up early and called a taxi to Co Cuc’s house where the wedding ceremony would take place. We ate breakfast there and I played some computer games with anh Hieu. Then we drove a VIP van to the bride’s house. They gave out presents to the bride, said a few words and it was boring. We took the bride back to the groom’s house. I played Lucky Luke and did not watch the ceremonies. Then we had lunch.
Later on, Alex and Mom went home to change and I played games. In the afternoon, we went to the wedding party at a fancy restaurant. They had tricks, music and dances. The food was okay. When it was done, we went to Bac Nam’s house and went to bed.
Day 19 – December 28, 2004
We went out to buy more pirated movies and games. We bought Tintin movies and game boy games. We ate lunch at a restaurant and returned to Co Cuc’ house. I watched the Tintin movies. Co Cuc took Alex out to buy her some souvenir. Mom took me to a haircut. After that we went for dinner with the family at a “Banh Xeo” place and cousins of cousins also tagged along. I only ate a little. Then we went back to Bac Nam’s and went to bed.
Day 20 – December 29, 2004- Last day in Viet Nam
Today we visited my grandparents’ ashes at a temple. Then we took a taxi to a war museum. At the museum we saw guns, planes, tanks, deformed babies and more pictures of the Viet Nam war. We then walked to find lunch. Dad bought sugar can juice and I threw up. After a family dinner at Co Cuc’s house, we went to the airport and I slept on the plane.
When I woke up I watched movies and played games. In Paris, our flight was delayed because there was a bomb scare at the airport. Mom bought me two more Tintin books. Back on the plane we had a stinky breakfast and watched more movies.
When we reached Toronto, we took a taxi back to our lovely home.
Conclusion
I loved our trip to Viet Nam and Paris, but I missed Brampton. I got to learn the history and saw the famous buildings in Paris and I saw my parents’ culture. It was very very fun but I was happy when I went home. However, I could not wait until our next vacation.
Day 8 – December 17, 2004 – Victoria Sapa Train
The next day, we woke up early. Alex and I walked on deck, but there were people sleeping at the top of the boat. After relaxing we had brunch and then we sailed to shore. The bus took us back to Hanoi where we rented a room at the hotel to rest until it was time to take the sleeper train to Sapa. We collected our luggage and went to our room where Dad and I slept. Alex and Mom went out for dinner and brought back pizza for me. At night, we took a taxi to the train station and boarded a private car on the train, reserved for guests of the Victoria Sapa Hotel. The train bunks were very comfortable. I read a bit of Tintin and went to sleep easily.
Day 9 – December 18, 2004- Sapa
We got to Lao Cai in the early morning. We were picked up by a mini van to the Victoria Sapa hotel. It had a nice fireplace and magnificent rooms. We had breakfast and Dad and I played pool. We napped a little then took a tour to a scenic hill tribe village. We trekked with hill tribe people through the village. I stayed ahead of the group. There were many pigs and boars, not to mention poop. Dad showed off and I almost took a wrong turn. We went to one of the people’s house, where Mom got attached by salespeople. We then took the bus back and we relaxed.
We went swimming in a freezing cold pool. Dad was chicken to go in. We had a sucky dinner, the dessert was OK and I fell asleep. I went back to our room early to sleep.
Day 10 – December 19, 2004 – Fan Si Pan
We had a good breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast had delicious croissants, and eggs but not as good as Mom’s. We played pool after breakfast. Then we walked to a park and climbed countless steps. We stopped half way and went back down. At the hotel we had a private jeep that took us to “Silver Falls”. We climbed more stairs and after that we had beautiful tasting roasted wild boar with rice cooked in a bamboo stick.
We then went back and were driven back to the train station. I was very sleepy but Dad forced me to get out of bed and eat dinner on the train. After dinner I went to bed.
Day 11 – December 20, 2004- Saigon.
In the morning we got back to Hanoi. Alex wanted to sleep more on the train, but we were forced to get up because we would’ve been locked in. We took a taxi to a stinky restaurant where I had to eat Pho.
We returned to our little hotel to collect our luggage and took another taxi to the airport where we would fly to Saigon, my parents’ hometown. In Saigon – aka Ho Chi Minh city – we went to our 5* hotel called “New World”. It was beautiful. We put our luggage away in our room and went swimming.
Then we took a taxi to get food. After dinner we went to Dad’s sister’s house. We saw anh Hieu there and I played computer games with him. At night we went to bac Nam’s house too. I fell to sleep there. Later we took a taxi back to our hotel and we got some nice figurines on the beds.
Day 12- December 21, 2004- Saigon
We ate breakfast at our hotel. I drank delicious yogurt drink. Then we went shopping. We bought movies and games. The games were not that cheap as we thought. We stopped by a jewelry shop to cool down. Then we ate lunch, it was OK. Dad and I took a taxi back to the hotel while Mom and Alex continued with their shopping. I tested the games and one did not work!!! When the girls came back, we returned the game to the shop. We went back and changed quickly to go to dinner with Dad’s family at a buffet restaurant. It was OK, but co Cuc pinched my butt, making me mad. I was exhausted after dinner and collapsed at the hotel. We got more figurines from the hotel on our beds.
Day 13, 14, 15 – December 22, 23, 24, 2004 – Mui Ne Resort
Today, we took a 3 hour bus ride to Mui Ne. We checked in a beautiful beach resort called “Phu Hai”. We were taken by a golf cart to our beach front bungalow. We played catch on the beach while Mom and Dad just relaxed on their beach chairs. We ate dinner and went to bed.
The next day, Mom and I took an early morning stroll on the beach and watch the sunrise. Later on we ate breakfast. Then we went swimming on the beach and in the pool. After a pizza lunch we took a tour to a fishing village and to see sand dunes. We went sledding on the sand dunes and it was very steep. Then we walked through a shallow spring.
When we went back to the hotel, Dad rented a motorcycle to drive us to a sea food restaurant for dinner. Dad took me and Alex first and went back to get Mom. After dinner Dad took me for a ride around the place for a while. Then I went to bed.
On the last day at the resort, we ate breakfast and had a last minute swim. Alex and I played soccer table while we waited. We also swam in the swimming pool. A bus then picked us up and took us back to Saigon. Traffic was very bad so it was really late when we get back into town.
We ate dinner at Pho and could not see Elvis Phuong perform. Mom and I looked at a hotel and it sucked. We went back to New World to get our luggage. It was Christmas' eve and the hotel was very lively with music bands in the lobby. We asked Dad to let us stay at New World but he refused and we had to go to Bac Nam’s house. We stayed up until midnight and then we went to bed.
Day 16 – December 25, 2004 – Dog Farm
Bac Nam took us to a restaurant which served only com tam. We passed by Mom’s old house which has been turned into a store. Mom went shopping by herself while the rest of us went to Bac Nam’s dog farm. When we got there, we went into the dog farm area. There was a very mean dog called Bi and when I got near him, he barked really loud. There were also Chihuahuas. Their names were Lucky and Bo. There were also many big dogs there.
Then Dad made me take a nap. We ate lunch and I only ate meat. My “nephew” Paul would not stop playing my Game Boy. There were so many mosquitoes. We ate dinner and I made Bo play the piano. I told the big dog’s puppies to shut up as they were so noisy and they did.
At night we took an uncomfortable ride by motorcycle back to the city and then went to bed. Mom was already back. Too bad we could not keep Bo.
Day 17 – December 26, 2004 – Mekong River
Today we would go on a tour to the Mekong River. We took a taxi to the a tour bus that would take us to the Mekong Delta. While we waited for the bus, we ate banh mi`a nd I saw a cockroach. We bought some pirated music CDs and when the bus came we boarded.
The tour guide talked too much and made jokes that were not funny. We took a boat on the Mekong River that took us to lunch. After lunch we went to a honey bee farm. I tasted honey from a hive. We also took a picture with a big snake. Then we went to a coconut candy factory. It was good but sticky.
When we returned to the city we went to Bac Nam’s house. I played a computer game called Lucky Luke before going to bed.
Day 18 – December 27, 2004- Wedding Day.
Today was my cousin Xu Roc’s wedding day. We woke up early and called a taxi to Co Cuc’s house where the wedding ceremony would take place. We ate breakfast there and I played some computer games with anh Hieu. Then we drove a VIP van to the bride’s house. They gave out presents to the bride, said a few words and it was boring. We took the bride back to the groom’s house. I played Lucky Luke and did not watch the ceremonies. Then we had lunch.
Later on, Alex and Mom went home to change and I played games. In the afternoon, we went to the wedding party at a fancy restaurant. They had tricks, music and dances. The food was okay. When it was done, we went to Bac Nam’s house and went to bed.
Day 19 – December 28, 2004
We went out to buy more pirated movies and games. We bought Tintin movies and game boy games. We ate lunch at a restaurant and returned to Co Cuc’ house. I watched the Tintin movies. Co Cuc took Alex out to buy her some souvenir. Mom took me to a haircut. After that we went for dinner with the family at a “Banh Xeo” place and cousins of cousins also tagged along. I only ate a little. Then we went back to Bac Nam’s and went to bed.
Day 20 – December 29, 2004- Last day in Viet Nam
Today we visited my grandparents’ ashes at a temple. Then we took a taxi to a war museum. At the museum we saw guns, planes, tanks, deformed babies and more pictures of the Viet Nam war. We then walked to find lunch. Dad bought sugar can juice and I threw up. After a family dinner at Co Cuc’s house, we went to the airport and I slept on the plane.
When I woke up I watched movies and played games. In Paris, our flight was delayed because there was a bomb scare at the airport. Mom bought me two more Tintin books. Back on the plane we had a stinky breakfast and watched more movies.
When we reached Toronto, we took a taxi back to our lovely home.
Conclusion
I loved our trip to Viet Nam and Paris, but I missed Brampton. I got to learn the history and saw the famous buildings in Paris and I saw my parents’ culture. It was very very fun but I was happy when I went home. However, I could not wait until our next vacation.
