Written by Nanhi Tran

On my first trip to Vietnam with the Sunflower Mission crew in May 2006, I was able to experience many things for the first time. Vietnam opened up many new doors for me. I got to have various first time experiences. For example, I had never ridden on a two wheeled vehicle other than a bike, and in Vietnam most people travel by mopeds. I loved feeling the danger and speed of riding on a moped. Every time I rode on one, I imagined that I was in a race against everyone else. I kept telling my driver to go a little faster so that I could always be the first one to arrive. One time I got to go up a tall mountain called, "Nui Cam" (Forbidden Mountain). We rode up most of the way, but when it was too steep to ride, we had to get off and walked some of the way. Going up a mountain, I got to see Vietnam's breathtaking scenery. I loved seeing the rice fields down below me and the rivers going downstream. It reminded me of a famous scenery portrait coming to life in a 3-D format. I also got to discover the taste of exotic fruits of Asia. My personal favorite was the "trai mang cut". It is a fruit with a purple outside and a white inside. It was soft and sweet. I loved feeling the fruit juice just rolling down my chin. I also got to try a type of food called, "The Great Rice Ball". It was literally a hollow ball of sticky rice. I got to see how it was made. I made a new friend there too. He was an orangutan like monkey that had really long arms and could swing around. When he made a noise, it sounded like a fire truck siren, but it always got me laughing.

You could say I learned many things during that trip in Vietnam. The most important and memorable lesson I learned, however, was that in other areas of the world, there are people that are less fortunate and that it is our duty to help and teach them in every way we can. I should appreciate what I have and never take anything for granted because in some places in the world, many people can not afford even a fraction of what I have.