This is our last day in Vietnam. We had some delays in checking out of the Rex Hotel, but things were resolved and we were on our way to one of the top schools in My Tho Village. We were served water and plates of fresh fruit. I met Vo Thi Tuyet of the Tien Giang Union of Friendship Organizations. She proudly announced that her name means "snow" and admitted she had never actually seen snow. She serves as the headmistress of the school and her email address is vothituyettg@yahoo.com. The school was on vacation but the headmaster spoke to us in great detail.

About the school:

• Created in March 1879. Two additional schools were built in 1918-1919. In 1942, the name was changed to that of the founder, and in 1953, it changed names back to the poet Nguyen Bink Chieu.
  
• 74 classes, 62 high schools, 12 middle schools.
  
• 11 classes are held in French language.
  
• 3,127 students, 145 teachers and staff.
  
• Supported by the city, province, educators and businesses.
  
• It is said to be a "revolution of good teaching."
  
• Received several achievement medals.
  
• Is a model of education, but the infrastructure lags.

Requirements of the school:

• Must pass top entrance exams.
  
• Educate moral standards (awareness, rules).
  
• Organize good teachers and students (success).
  
• Work closely with parents and community (3 required parent meeting/ year).
  
• Graduation rate= 100% (94.7% excellence, 6% good/average, .03% poor).
  
• Students live in town and bike to school. Formal language teaching changed from French to English in 1953. It is a public school, but parents pay 10,000 Dong (approximately $1 US) per month.
  
• There is school daily (7am-11am) for 5 subjects. Afternoons are for sports and additional classes. There are a total of 25-28 subjects per week. Vocational training is also provided. Students finish at 4:45 pm and have 3-4 hours of homework per night.
  
• 30% students go on to pass college entrance exams.
  
• 70-80% of the teachers graduated from the school.
  
• Teacher average monthly salary: $75/month (US).
  
• Most teachers have at least 2 Masters degrees.
  
• Mekong Province has a high literacy rate, so most parents have high school diplomas.
  
• Active learning styles used.

Mekong River Delta Boat and Canoe Trip:

• Boat ride on Mekong Delta in river ferry.
  
• 6200 km. 150 km to China. 70 km to China Sea from this point.
  
• Mekong touches 6 Southeast Asian countries: China, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Vietnam and Cambodia.
  
• There are 4 islands in this area. The largest island is Unicorn Island, where we took a canoe through the canals to the main part of the island. We wore Chinese hats and drifted through the jungle palms. One could not help but think of the US soldiers fighting here where every bird whistle could be the VietCong.
  
• The Unicorn Island Tour is a family-run enterprise of products, supported by the Dept. of Tourism.
  
• First stop: honey tea and whiskey (45 proof) samples and ethnic instruments and songs by children. The whiskey was said to be good for sleeping.
  
• Tour of "authentic" farmhouse with altar, sleeping chambers, sitting area and large open kitchen area. The bed in the kitchen also served as the chopping board. Adults and babies napped.
  
• Second stop: utensils and articles made from coconut shells (scoops, forks, purses).
  
• Third stop: demonstration of how rice was popped in a heated kettle. Rice cakes, teas and coffees were available for purchase.
  
• Fourth stop: candy workshop showing batches of boiling syrups with sesame, honey, chocolate, banana and green plant candies being cut, wrapped and sold.
  
• Lunch was served in an open-air setting. No kitchen could be seen, but food was plenty and varied. Items included elephant fish, sweet rice puffed ball, volcano seafood soup, spring rolls, deep-fried chicken, shrimp and tofu.
  
• We proceeded to another open-air area for tea and fruits: rambutan, dragon fruit, papaya and pineapple.
  
• After eating, we walked through a beautifully manicured garden and took the ferry back to where we started.

We returned to Ho Chi Minh City for a farewell dinner at an elegant executive club in a local hotel before leaving Tan Son Nhat International Airport for Bangkok and the Pathumwan Princess Hotel.

This was a relaxing and rewarding day of Vietnam customs and traditions. The group was thrilled to have visited Vietnam and we were pleasantly surprised at the genuine warmth and reception we found throughout the country.