Farewell dinner and a big Thank YOU!!!

A farewell dinner was organized for SIS and hosting families to thank them for the gracious hospitality extended to us. Once again, thank you everyone for making this a fun and fruitful learning journey!!!

Dear readers, this will be the last blog entry as the pupils will be returning to Singapore tomorrow. Thank you for reading and following us in this journey!

Riverlites making new friends

Day 5: House visits to host families.

We would like to thank all parents who provided homestay for our pupils. Thank you!!!

Day 4: First day at SIS@Cau Giay

Riverlites met the pupils from SIS@Cau Giay for the first time today. They presented 3 song and dance items for the school and received rousing cheers and applause from the pupils. During break time, the pupils gathered at level 5 of the building for their meals.

Day 3: Pairing with host families

After leaving Halong Bay, we again took the long coach ride back to Hanoi for the pairing of pupils with their host families. We reached SIS @ Cau Giay at round 5pm, after short speeches by principals of both schools, Mr Yeo Ah Tee and Mr Shane Blood, Riverlites were paired with their host families. Riverlites took their trolley bags and eagerly began their homestay…

Day 3: Halong Bay

We stayed at Halong Pearl Hotel which is located at the heart of Halong city and right in front of the World Heritage site Halong Bay. It is just five minutes to the beach and about ten minutes to the wharf.

Vinh Ha Long, Halong Bay which means Bay of the Descending Dragon is often considered proudly by Vietnamese as the world's Eighth wonder. It includes some 1,600 islands and islets, forming a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Because of their precipitous nature, most of the islands are uninhabited and unaffected by human presence.

One of the main attractions of Ha long is the bay's calm water. Vietnamese are so proud of their Vinh Ha Long, so much that they want the world to vote it as one of the new 7 wonders of the world.

Our cruise started around 9.30am (Sp), our cruise ship (which was also our floating restaurant) reached one of their famous caves, Dong Thien Cung, a cave just discovered in recent years. It has high walls, vertically surrounded by many stalactites on every wall and is cavernous. According to Mr Ha, lights and steps inside the caves were completed only in 1997. We climbed up and down the steps, watched in awe at Mother Nature’s handiwork. We emerged out of the cave around mid-day.