Leaving Vietnam

Last iPhone photo from Ho Chi Minh City - Open cafe
on the 23rd floor of the hotel.

We are at the airport ready to board the plane on our first part of the journey home. It is 8:05 am Saturday and because of the time change we will arrive home at 6:15 pm, even though our flight is almost 24 hours.

This trip has been amazing. The Vietnamese people are warm and inviting. Yesterday, we had lunch at a restaurant where you picked your fresh seafood. It was amazing! No butter needed. We have great photos that show the diversity of the seafood here. I can't wait to share them. Stay tuned.

Faye

Last morning in Soc Trang

The boys on the bridge. They were so happy to have their
photo taken even thought they knew they would never
see the result. The experience was what mattered.  

It is 7:30 am on Friday. Sunny skies as we prepare for our last meeting and leaving Soc Trang. We have so many wonderful images and a much clearer understanding of the needs of Vietnamese shrimp farmers. The people here have been very open and welcoming and I will be sorry to leave them.

Yesterday as we headed back to Soc Trang we stopped to take photos from a bridge over the river. The boats have a special propeller that can be lifted and turned to miss the vegetation that populates the river and Michael wanted photos. We noticed a bunch of children gathering and realized they wanted their picture taken. I have many of the group and other children that appeared. We all laughed and had a wonderful interaction without words. I will post the photos when we return.

Photo taken by Michael Chambers

Michael also noticed a woman with an interesting basket for catching small fish on the bank of the river. She was watching the interaction with the children and enjoying it. Michael asked her if he could take pictures of her with her basket. She was happy to help. He got some lovely images.

Mother and child.

 Her daughter (possibly daughter-in-law) was there with her baby and I was lucky she let me take their photo as well. They didn't understand English nor we Vietnamese, but it was a lovely interaction that left us all with smiles on our faces. The children all cheered and waived after a few last pictures and we departed. A lovely memory for me.

After the meeting this morning, we will be returning for a final evening in Ho Chi Minh city. I will send another post tonight.

Faye

From Soc Trang

Hi this Michael Chambers traveling with Faye in Vietnam. We have been interviewing a number of private facilities focused on the production, distribution and processing of shrimp.  We have gathered  a tremendous amount of  information that will aid us in developing education modules on early mortality syndrome. Its been an adventure so far with little sleep. Our host, Mrs. Binh, has made all this possible so we are very grateful to her.  More to follow tomorrow......time to eat.

Waking to screaming geckos

We arrived last night in Soc Trang (city and province), in the Mekong delta after an eight hour car ride from Ba Ria Vung Tau province, which was a two hour ride from Ho Chi Minh City. In Ba Ria Vung Tau we went to Minh Phu farm to view their operation. We had a lovely lunch outside sitting under a pineapple roof during a thunder storm. 

The hotel was very different than the Saigon Towers, but very charming. As I walked down the hallway to my room, I noticed several geckos on the ceiling. They are very common here and as Michael pointed out very necessary to mosquito control. I also had a small one in my rooms. As I was unpacking, I heard a strange sound coming from around the curtains. It sounded like a big animal, bit it was the gecko. It made a few more noises, but then subsided until about 5 am as a wake up call. I've woken to many strange sounds, but none quite like this one. 

After a cold shower, I went out on the deck (7th floor) to take a look at the view. Even there, with a breeze, the air is thick with humidity.  Breakfast was out on a deck and consisted of strong Vietnamese coffee on ice with a a bit of milk. I also had an egg and a baguette. I normally do not drink iced coffee, but it was good and strong, with no sweetener, so I enjoyed it more than I expected. 

I realize that you may be thinking that I talk a lot about food, but it is a very big part of the Vietnamese day, regardless of the situation. The Vietnamese people are proud of their fresh seafood and enjoy sharing it. I have tried it all, much to my surprise, even squid yesterday and lotus root. 

We left Soc Trang at 8 am to visit a large seafood processor and exporter, Stapimex. After speaking with company representatives, we drove to one of their farms an hour away.

It is interesting to see the differences in production and options from small to large farms and processing facilities. I have been surprised at how willing they all are to share, including their texting processes, issues and How they deal with them. 

I think the level of cooperation on both sides will be very helpful for the quality and production of shrimp in Vietnam in the future.

In my next post I will tell you about the children we met on a bridge. cho đến sau này

Faye

Walking and driving in Ho Chi Minh City

It is 5:30 am on Wednesday. While I sit in my room drinking very strong, Vietnamese coffee, I wanted to comment about the traffic in Vietnam. Everyone is rushing and driving wherever there is an opening. Mopeds, trucks, buses and the occasional car are competing for the roadway, yet no one seems to worry about accidents. I have seen buses within inches of a moped with multiple family members, including babies and yet no one is worried. A gentle tap on the horn warms the moped that they are near and not to move into their space. No one responds with angry gestures or words.

Within the city itself, there is a bit more aggression, but nothing compared to the US. A more prolonged beep is about as strong a response as you will get. You can walk in the street with hundreds of vehicles coming at you, but no one will hit you. They move around you like a flock of birds and then retake the space after they are past. It is truly a site to see.

Today we will be going out to view shrimp farms, large and small to observe production and issues farmers are experiencing. I will share images when I return.

P.S. I did not take the photo. Michael has my camera, so I am using a stock photo.

Day Two in Vietnam

Today was a busy, productive day. We met with a member of the university, Dr. Loc, who studied at the university of Arizona. He is considered a leading expert in the shrimp disease we are working with, Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS). He showed us his lab facilities and talked with us about shrimp diseases and the work he is doing. We also met his lab staff. In the afternoon, we met with a representative from Grobest, Mr. Hoang. He is the Vice General. Grobest is one of the largest producers of shrimp feed. It was very interesting to listen to the different perspectives on the disease and what the farmers need to deal with it.

So far we have worked with the producers of shrimp food and hatchery brood stock.  Tomorrow morning, we leave for another province to see some farms and adult shrimp. Lots of images I will be sharing tomorrow. Today was our first rainy day, and it did not start until after 1:30, we have been very lucky. Hoping for sun for the next few days for photo ops.

When we returned, we went to a large market where the number of booths and vendors was overwhelming. I was called madame, by so many people, I think it is now my name. We are going back Friday night, since it is our last night here. Who wants a bottle with a Cobra, a scorpion and some other creature floating inside it? Speak up now or someone else is going to get it!

I will be back tomorrow after we reach Soc Trang province and visit the farms.Can you say chuyến đi đường?

Faye

Day one Vietnam

This morning we met with Mrs. Binh, our Vietnam translator and colleague to take a taxi back to the airport, but this time for a domestic flight in Nha trang. At the airport, we met Mr. Anh, general manager and CEO of the Minh Phu hatchery. We took a one hour flight and then a two hour taxi ride to the hatchery in Ninh Thuan Province.

On the way, we stopped for lunch and I had snails for the first time. They were pretty good, but the blue crab was even better. It was so good it didn't need any condiments, although we had several sauces to choose from. I also had some Mackerel and another kind of fish I have never had before who's name completely escapes me at the moment. I will find out tomorrow and let you know. We also had rice and several different sauces that varied in degrees of hotness. After the lovely meal provided by Mr. Anh, we completed the trip to the hatchery and had a tour.

The hatchery is very big and every area we entered required boots and a lab coat as well as dipping the boots (and vehicle as we entered) in bleach to remove any possible contaminants. Before and after the tour we met with Mr. Anh and  Mr. Ha, the production manager, so Dr. Chambers and Mrs. Binh could discuss the issues they were facing and how we could work together.

The weather in Nha trang was hot and humid, but with no rain. Apparently it does not have the same climate as Ho Chi Minh City, which is experiencing monsoon season. Although it was uncomfortably hot, it was good to have the sun for taking photos, and take them I did! I wanted to stop every few minutes and take a photo of something that I found interesting, but we had a long day,

so it was impossible. We did stop a few times but not nearly as many as I would have liked.

I will go into the trip more tomorrow, because it is after one am, Vietnam time and we have another long day tomorrow. I am adding a few photos to this post as well.

chơ.

Faye