Yusof Ishak Secondary School

Humanities Study Tour

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
10th Jun to 14th Jun 2011

Journal

Name _______________________________

Group _______________________________

For Core History and Elective Geography Students

Knowledge is the Light of Life

GENERAL INFORMATION
STA Travel YISS Teachers
In case of emergency In case of emergency
Dan Yeo :97283344, Office Tel : 67377188 Ms Mages: 98530651, Mr Adam: 90612747
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Singapore Embassy in Ho Chi Minh,
One Call Centre toll-free: General Consulate of Singapore in Ho Chi
Minh, Vietnam, The Saigon Centre, Level 8
Call from Singapore at 1800-476-8870 65 Le Loi Boulevard, District 1 Ho Chi Minh
Call from overseas at (65) 6379-8000 City, Vietnam, Phone: (84-8) 8225174
Fax: (84-8) 9142938
Itinerary
Day 1 – 10th Jun Day 2 – 11th Jun Day 3 – 12th Jun Day 4 – 13th Jun Day 5 – 14th Jun
(Fri) (Sat) (Sun) (Mon) (Tue)
Hồ Chí Minh City Singapore Cần Giờ Mỹ Tho – War Remnant
Vietnam reforestation Mekong Delta Museum
Củ Chi Tunnel Industrial Park project Notre Dame
Bình Tây Rice Cathedral
Long Thành Mangrove Co-operative Central Post
School ecosystem office
Thời Sơn islet –
Rung Sac Boat Cruise Bến Thành
Guerrila Base Market

Water Puppet Singapore

Show
FLIGHT SCHEDULE ACCOMMODATION ACCOMMODATION
Ho Chi Minh City – New Can Gio District – Can Gio
Pacific Hotel Resort

10 Jun
SQ 172 SIN/SGN - 0950/1055Hrs
14 Jun
SQ 185 SGN/SIN - 1945/2240Hrs
Assemble: T2 Row 7 @ 0730 Hr
Meet in School @ 0645 Hr
Address: 9-11 Ky Dong Street,
Ward 9, District 3, HCM City
Tel: +84 4 39 27 41 20
Fax: +84 4 39 27 41 18
Hotline: +84 1234 68 69 96
Address: THanh Thoi Str, Long Hoa
Ward, Can Gio Dist
Tel:(84-8) 874 33 33 - 874 33 37
Fax:(84-8) 874 33 34

http://yissvietnam2011.blogspot.com OR school website: http://www.yiss.moe.edu.sg –

Programmes – Internalisation Programme
Currency : A cheaper call-back service is available when you are
Name :Vietnamese Dong (VND) overseas with auto-roaming facilities. You may dial :
1 SGD = 11105 VND (Subjected to changes) Singtel : *121*65_______#
1 USD = 16795VND (Subjected to changes) Starhub : *108*65_______#
M1 : *138*65_______#

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 GROUPINGS

NAT GEO TEAM HISTORY CHANNEL TEAM

DELTA SOYA BAMBOO MANGROVE TUK TUK COFFEE YELLOW
BEAN STAR
TL Sasikumar Eunice Siti Muhammad Muhamad Melvin Tan Claire Ang
Tan Mahirah Sulaiman Nur Khairi

MD Muhd Jeremy Peh Lay Gabriel Yip Muhammad Lexsana Siti

Afiz Koh Ping Mustaqim Mardiana

IT Muhd Alvin Nurul Mohamed Amirudy Wong Kai Murni

Asyidiq Khoo Huda Narahj Chen Zhi

Abdul Chiam Yu Dayang Andy Alfian Muhammad Ho Wei Sun Shin

Wafi Quan Sari Jazli Zhen /
Kerthana
Muhd Mark Sng Nur Hanis Souriyasack
Amirul Sinnie Julie
Anne

BLOGGING DUTIES

Day 1 – 10th Jun Day 2 – 11th Jun Day 3 – 12th Jun Day 4 – 13th Jun Day 5 – 14th Jun
(Fri) (Sat) (Sun) (Mon) (Tue)
Củ Chi Tunnel Singapore Cần Giờ Mỹ Tho – War Remnant
Vietnam Mangrove Mekong Delta Museum
Industrial Park ecosystem Notre Dame
COFFEE SOYA BEAN MANGROVE DELTA Cathedral
TUK TUK Central Post
Long Thành Cần Giờ Bình Tây Rice office
School reforestation Co-operative
project
BAMBOO BAMBOO TUK TUK YELLOW STAR
DELTA SOYA BEAN
Rung Sac Thời Sơn islet –
Guerrila Base Boat Cruise
Camp by Canoe
YELLOW STAR MANGROVE

Water Puppet
Show
COFFEE

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 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 To create a deeper understanding of the various themes and concepts in their core
history / core Geography curriculum through an experiential learning experience as
they explore and appreciate the various learning sites at Ho Chi Minh city and Mekong
Delta.

 A Study Tour which is map out of the Core Hist and Core Geo syllabuses which cover
the reasons and impact of colonialism in Vietnam and the coastal and river features
situated at the Mekong River.

MY COMMITMENT

1. I choose to participate in this study tour because:

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2. My expectations (s) of this programme:

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3. How I can contribute to make this trip a wonderful experience for everyone:

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 ABOUT VIETNAM

The Viet Nam flag : The five points of the star stand for the farmers, workers, intellectuals,
youth and soldiers. Adopted 1955

Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is the easternmost country on the
Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the
northwest, and Cambodia to the southwest. On the country's east coast lies the South China
Sea. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the
world. The country is listed among the "Next Eleven" economies; according to government
figures, GDP growth was 8.17% in 2006, the second fastest growth rate among countries in
East Asia and the fastest in Southeast Asia. Late 2007, the ministry of finance said the GDP
growth was estimated to hit a ten-year high record at 8.44% in 2007.

Etymology

Through the centuries, Vietnam has been called by many different names: Văn Lang during
the Hùng Vương Dynasty, Âu Lạc during the An Dương Vương dynasty, Van Xuan during the
Anterior Lý Dynasty, Đại Cồ Việt during the Đinh dynasty and Anterior Lê Dynasty. Starting in
1054, Vietnam was called Đại Việt (Great Viet). During the Hồ Dynasty, Vietnam was called
Đại Ngu. Then, in 1804, King Gia Long planned to use the name of Nam Việt for Vietnam but
the Qing dynasty of China disagreed and changed it to Việt Nam. In English, the two syllables
were written into one: Vietnam. From 1839 to 1945, Emperor Minh Mạng renamed Việt Nam
to Đại Nam.

The name Việt Nam had been used for this country before it became the official name in "Dư
địa chí" of Nguyễn Trãi written in 1435 and perhaps even before. "Việt" is the name of the
largest ethnic group in Vietnam: the Kinh (người Kinh) and "Nam" means "the South",
affirming Vietnam's sovereignty from China (usually called "North country" to Vietnamese
people).

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6
 HISTORY

Western Colonial era

Vietnam's independence ended in the mid-1800s, when the country was colonized by the
French. The French administration imposed significant political and cultural changes on
Vietnamese society. A Western-style system of modern education was developed, and
Christianity was introduced into Vietnamese society. Developing a plantation economy to
promote the exports of tobacco, indigo, tea and coffee, the French largely ignored increasing
calls for self-government and civil rights. A nationalist political movement soon emerged, with
leaders such as Phan Boi Chau, Phan Chu Trinh, Emperor Ham Nghi and Ho Chi Minh calling
for independence. However, the French maintained control of their colonies until World War II,
when the Japanese war in the Pacific triggered the invasion of French Indochina in 1941. This
event was preceded by the establishment of the Vichy French administration, a puppet state
of Nazi Germany then ally of the Japanese Empire. The natural resources of Vietnam were
exploited for the purposes of the Japanese Empire's military campaigns into the British
Indochinese colonies of Burma, the Malay Peninsula and India.

First Indochina War

In 1941, Viet Minh - a communist and nationalist liberation movement emerged under Ho Chi
Minh, to seek independence for Vietnam from France as well as to oppose the Japanese
occupation. Following the military defeat of Japan and the fall of its Vietnamese colony in
August 1945, Viet Minh occupied Hanoi and proclaimed a provisional government, which
asserted independence on September 2. In the same year the Provisional French Republic
sent the French Far East Expeditionary Corps, which was originally created to fight the
Japanese occupation forces, in order to pacify the liberation movement and to restore French
rule. On November 20 1946, triggered by the Haiphong Incident the First Indochina War
between Viet Minh and the French forces ensued, lasting until July 20 1954.
Despite fewer losses—Expeditionary Corps suffered 1/3 the casualties of the China and
Soviet-backed Viet Minh—during the course of the war, the U.S.-backed French and
Vietnamese loyalists eventually suffered a major strategic setback at the Siege of Dien Bien
Phu, which allowed Ho Chi Minh to negotiate a ceasefire with a favorable position at the
ongoing Geneva conference of 1954. Colonial administration ended as French Indochina was
dissolved, and the contested State of Vietnam ceased to exist. According to the Geneva
Agreements the country was divided at the 17th parallel into Ho Chi Minh's North Vietnam
and Ngo Dinh Diem's South Vietnam after the example of Korea. This was intended to be
temporary, pending an election in 1956, which never took place.
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 VIETNAM WAR

The Communist-held Democratic Republic of Vietnam was opposed by the US-supported

Republic of Vietnam. Disagreements soon emerged over the organizing of elections and
reunification, and the U.S. began increasing its contribution of military advisers. U.S. forces
were soon embroiled in a guerrilla war with the National Front for the Liberation of South
Vietnam (NLF), the insurgents who were indigenous to South Vietnam. North Vietnamese
forces unsuccessfully attempted to overrun the South during the 1968 Tet Offensive and the
war soon spread into neighboring Laos and Cambodia, in both of which the United States
bombed Communist forces supplying the North Vietnamese Army.
With its own casualties mounting, the U.S. began transferring combat roles to the South
Vietnamese military in a process the U.S. called Vietnamization. The effort had mixed results.
The Paris Peace Accords of January 27, 1973, formally recognized the sovereignty of both
sides. Under the terms of the accords all American combat troops were withdrawn by March
29, 1973. Limited fighting continued, but all major fighting ended until the North once again
sent troops to the South during the Spring of 1975, culminating in the Fall of Saigon on April
30, 1975. South Vietnam briefly became the Republic of South Vietnam, under military
occupation by North Vietnam, before being officially integrated with the North under
communist rule as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on July 2, 1976.

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 GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

Vietnam is approximately 331,688 km² (128,066 sq mi) in area (not including Hoang Sa and

Truong Sa islands), larger than Italy almost the size of Germany. The perimeter of the country
running along its international boundaries is 4,639 km (2,883 mi). The topography consists of
hills and densely forested mountains, with level land covering no more than 20%. Mountains
account for 40% of the area, with smaller hills accounting for 40% and tropical forests 42%.
The northern part of the country consists mostly of highlands and the Red River Delta. Phan
Xi Păng, located in Lào Cai province, is the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 m
(10,312 ft). The south is divided into coastal lowlands, Annamite Chain peaks, extensive
forests, and poor soil. Comprising five relatively flat plateaus of basalt soil, the highlands
account for 16% of the country's arable land and 22% of its total forested land.

The delta of the Red River (also known as the Sông Hồng), a flat, triangular region of 15,000
square kilometers, is smaller but more intensely developed and more densely populated than
the Mekong River Delta. Once an inlet of the Gulf of Tonkin, it has been filled in by the
enormous alluvial deposits of the rivers over a period of millennia, and it advances one
hundred meters into the Gulf annually. The Mekong delta, covering about
40,000 square kilometers, is a low-level plain not more than three meters above sea level at
any point and criss-crossed by a maze of canals and rivers. So much sediment is carried by
the Mekong's various branches and tributaries that the delta advances sixty to eighty meters
into the sea every year.

Because of differences in latitude and the marked variety of topographical relief, the climate
tends to vary considerably from place to place. During the winter or dry season, extending
roughly from November to April, the monsoon winds usually blow from the northeast along the
China coast and across the Gulf of Tonkin, picking up considerable moisture; consequently
the winter season in most parts of the country is dry only by comparison with the rainy or
summer season. The average annual temperature is generally higher in the plains than in the
mountains and plateaus and in the south than in the north. Temperatures in the southern
plains (Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta) varies less, going between 21 and 28 degree
Celsius over the course of a year.

The seasons in the mountains and plateaus and in the north are much more dramatic, and
temperatures may vary from 5 degree Celsius in December and January to 37 degree Celsius
in July and August.

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 THE MEKONG

The Mekong is one of the world’s major rivers. It is the 11th-longest river in the world, and the
12th-largest by volume (discharging 475 km³/114 cu mi of water annually). Its estimated
length is 4,880 km (3,032 mi), and it drains an area of 810,000 km² (313,000 sq mi). From the
Tibetan Plateau it runs through China's Yunnan province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia
and Vietnam. All except China and Burma belong to the Mekong River Commission. A south
Asian regional association, Mekong-Ganga Cooperation is named after this river. The
extreme seasonal variations in flow and the presence of rapids and waterfalls have made
navigation extremely difficult.
The river was originally named by the local Tai peoples as Mae Nam Khong, Mae Khong for
short, meaning Kong River or "Mother of all rivers". This was picked up and phoneticized in
the Chinese as Méigōng Hé ( 湄 公 河 ) for the external part, without realizing it became the
"River Kong River", the same redundancy as in English. In China for most of its length it is
known as the "Lancang River" ( 澜 沧 江 , Láncāng Jiāng). In Burmese, it is called the Mae
Khaung, while in Thai it is Mae Nam Khong (แม่น้ำโขง), in Laotian (ແມ່ນ້ຳຂອງ) Mènam Khong, in
Cambodian Mékôngk or Tonle Thom and in Vietnamese Sông Cửu Long. In Thai, Kong (Thai:
โขง) is a species of crocodile; some believe this is tone-shifted from (Thai: คค) Kod, or (Thai:
โค้ง) kong, both adjectives to describe curves or meanders of a river or road.
The river's source, and therefore its exact length, is uncertain, due to the existence of several
tributaries in an inaccessible environment. According to the China Science Exploration
Association survey, the source is the Lasagongma spring, at an altitude of 5,224  metres
(17,139 ft). This spring is located on Mount Guozongmucha, and forms the Zayaqu, which
has been identified by the Chinese Academy of Sciences as the headwaters of the Mekong,
within northwestern China's Qinghai Province. An earlier expedition by Michel Piessel had
identified the Zanaqu as the headwaters, at the Rupsa-La pass (further west, at an altitude of
4,975 m/16,322 ft).As a consequence of the difficulty in determining the location of the
headwaters, figures for the Mekong's total length vary from 4,350 km (2,703 mi) to 4,909 km
(3,050 mi).
Approximately half the river's length is in China, where it is called the Dza Chu in Tibetan in its
upper course in Tibet (Chinese: 扎 曲 ; pinyin: Zá Qū), and more generally the Lancang in
Chinese (simplified Chinese: 澜沧江; traditional Chinese: 瀾滄江; pinyin:
Láncāng Jiāng), meaning the "turbulent river". Much of this stretch consists of deep gorges,
and the river leaves China at an altitude of only 500 metres (1,640 ft). The entire river is
known as the Meigong in Chinese (Chinese: 湄公河; pinyin: Méigōng Hé).The river next forms
the border between Burma and Laos for 200 kilometres (120 mi), at the end of which it meets
the tributary Ruak River at the Golden Triangle. This point also marks the division between
the Upper and Lower Mekong.

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 THE MEKONG NEAR THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

The river then divides Laos and Thailand, before a stretch passing through Laos alone. It is
known as Maè Nam Khong (Mother of all rivers) in both Lao and Thai (แม่น้ำโขง). The Lao
stretch is characterised by gorges, rapids and depths of as little as half a meter in the dry
season. It widens south of Luang Prabang, where it has been known to flood to 4 km (2 mi) in
width and reach 100 metres (300 ft) in depth, although its course remains extremely
inconsistent. The endangered Giant Mekong Catfish was traditionally caught in this region
once yearly, following auspicious rites officiated by the quondam royal family.
The river again marks the Lao-Thai border in the stretch which passes Vientiane, followed by
a short stretch through Laos alone. This includes the Si Phan Don (four thousand islands)
region above the Khone Falls near the Cambodian border, where endangered dolphins can
be viewed. The falls are all but impassable to river traffic.
In Cambodia, the river is called the Mékôngk or Tonle Thom (great river). The Sambor rapids
above Kratie are the last to impede navigation. Just above Phnom Penh is the confluence
with the Tonle Sap, the main Cambodian tributary. Below Phnom Penh, it divides into the
Bassac and the Mekong proper, which both flow into the Mekong Delta in Vietnam.
In Vietnamese, the river as a whole is known as Mê Kông. The part flowing through Vietnam,
known as Sông Cửu Long (river of nine dragons), divides into two major branches, the Tiền
Giang (Front River) and Hậu Giang (Back River). These in turn enter the sea through nine
estuaries, thus the Vietnamese name.
About 90 million people rely on the river. The area they live in, known as the Greater Mekong
Subregion (GMS), comprises Yunnan and Guangxi Provinces in China, Burma, Lao PDR,
Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The main livelihood of the people of the GMS is rice
production. Approximately 140,000 km² (54,000 sq mi) of rice are grown in the GMS. A huge
number of rice varieties are grown along the Mekong. Of approximately 100,000 rice
accessions in the Rice Gene Bank of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), about
40,000 come from the GMS.

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 PROVINCES

Vietnam is divided into 59 provinces (known in Vietnamese as tỉnh, from the Chinese 省,
shěng). There are also 5 centrally-controlled municipalities existing at the same level as
provinces (thành phố trực thuộc trung ương). The provinces are further subdivided into
provincial municipalities (thành phố trực thuộc tỉnh), townships (thị xã) and counties (huyện),
and then, subdivided into towns (thị trấn) or communes (xã).

The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into districts (quận) and counties, and
then, subdivided into wards (phường).

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 ECONOMY

The Vietnam War destroyed much of the economy of Vietnam. Upon taking power, the
Government created a planned economy for the nation. Collectivization of farms, factories
and economic capital was implemented, and millions of people were put to work in
government programs. For many decades, Vietnam's economy was plagued with inefficiency
and corruption in state programs, poor quality and underproduction and restrictions on
economic activities and trade. It also suffered from the trade embargo from the United States
and most of Europe after the Vietnam War. Subsequently, the trade partners of the
Communist blocs began to erode. In 1986, the Sixth Party Congress introduced significant
economic reforms with market economy elements as part of a broad economic reform
package called "đổi mới" (Renovation). Private ownership was encouraged in industries,
commerce and agriculture. Vietnam achieved around 8% annual GDP growth from 1990 to
1997 and continued at around 7% from 2000 to 2005, making it the world's second-fastest
growing economy. Simultaneously, foreign investment grew threefold and domestic savings
quintupled.

Manufacturing, information technology and high-tech industries form a large and fast-growing
part of the national economy. Vietnam is a relative new-comer to the oil business, but today it
is the third-largest oil producer in Southeast Asia with output of 400,000 barrels per day.
Vietnam is one of Asia's most open economies: two-way trade is around 160% of GDP, more
than twice the ratio for China and over four times India's.

Vietnam is still a relatively poor country with an annual GDP of US$280.2 billion at purchasing
power parity (2006 estimate). This translates to a purchasing power of about US$3,300 per
capita (or US$726 per capita at the market exchange rate). Inflation rate was estimated at
7.5% per year in 2006. Deep poverty, defined as a percent of the population living under $1
per day, has declined significantly and is now smaller than that of China, India, and the
Philippines. As a result of several land reform measures, Vietnam is now the largest producer
of cashew nuts with a one-third global share and second largest rice exporter in the world
after Thailand. Vietnam has the highest percent of land use for permanent crops, 6.93%, of
any nation in the Greater Mekong Subregion. Besides rice, key exports are coffee, tea,
rubber, and fishery products.

However, agriculture's share of economic output has declined, falling as a share of GDP from
42% in 1989 to 20% in 2006, as production in other sectors of the economy has risen.
According to the CIA World Fact Book, the unemployment rate in Vietnam is one of the lowest
in the world at 2%, trailing behind only Azerbaijan, Cuba, Iceland, Andorra and Liechtenstein.
Among other steps taken in the process of transitioning to a market economy, Vietnam in July
2006 updated its intellectual property legislation to comply with TRIPS. Vietnam was accepted
into the WTO on November 7, 2006. Vietnam's chief trading partners include Japan, Australia,
ASEAN countries, the U.S. and Western European countries.

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 SITES: THE NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL AND THE GENERAL POST
OFFICE

(A) Draw or Sketch out the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post Office in the space
provided (Take a photograph of the places to add on the details to your drawings at a later
time)

(B) Identify and Mark on your diagrams features of these buildings that make you aware that
these are colonial buildings

The Notre Dame Cathedral

The General Post Office

:

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(C) Based on your observations about the Notre Dame Cathedral and the General Post
office, the French colonial buildings, answer the following questions:

i. Why were these building built during the French colonial rule of Vietnam? State and explain
2 reasons

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Vietnam had a violent nationalist struggle to free the country from French rule. Why do you
iii.
think that these colonial buildings are still preserved in Vietnam? State and explain 2 reasons

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 SITE: THE CHU CHI TUNNELS

(A) Either as you move through the Chu Chi Tunnels or once you have completed the trail,
recall and trace the route you took in the tunnels. Add other details that you observed
during your trail along the Chu Chi Tunnel and outside.

(B) Take photographs of the various sites and details inside and outside the Tunnel for later
reference

(C) Based on your observations about the Chu Chi Tunnel, why do you think this tunnel
was built by the Vietnamese? State and explain 2 reasons.

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 SITE: WAR REMNANTS MUSEUM

(A) Explore the museum and answer the following questions.

(B) The War Remnants Museum has a specific Tone and Purpose.

(i) Identify evidences and artifacts in the Museum that stir certain emotions, feelings and
thoughts in you about the tone and purpose of the Museum.

(ii) Sketch, Label and Describe these selected evidences/artifacts in the spaces provided

(iii) Take photographs of these artifacts

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(C) Study all the evidences that you have gathered above from the museum

(i) Why was the War Remnants Museum built? State and explain 2 reasons.

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(ii) How does the Vietnamese view the War with the Americans? To the Vietnamese was the
war with America part of an ideological war or a nationalistic war? Explain your answer with
evidences from the Museum.

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 BLOGGING ACTIVITIES FOR HISTORY CHANNEL TEAMS

(A) Imagine that you were one of the Vietnamese nationalist leaders, Ho Chi Minh, who had
struggled to achieve independence of Vietnam from French colonial rule. Would you have
preserved or destroyed these colonial buildings? Why? Explain your answer.

I, Ho Chi Minh, …

(B) Now that your have experienced the Chu Chi Tunnel yourself and have found out more
about these tunnels………

Imagine that you were one of the Vietcong members who is hiding and living in the
Chu Chi Tunnel to fight a war against the French colonial masters and, later, the Americans.

Write a letter to your family describing your experience living in the Tunnel and fighting
against the European powers

(i) Describe the living conditions in Chu Chi Tunnels

(ii) Describe how you carry out your daily activities in the underground tunnels

(iii) Explain about the challenges and dangers you face living in the tunnel and fighting a war
against the Western powers. Share your feelings/emotions.

(iv) Explain why you are willing to go through all these experiences and conditions

(C) Interview with a War/Vietcong Veteran

(i) Write down a three questions you would want to ask the war veteran regarding the Vietnam
war with the Americans.
(ii) Which aspects/information that the war veteran shared was the most interesting/shocking
to you? Why?
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