The best way to spend your summer :)

Applying via IVHQ to the medical placement in Ho Chi Minh City is one of the best choices I have ever made in my life. I'm super impressed by how prompt the replies from the organisation are, making me felt so safe and ready before the program started. Not only is the pre-trip online support very useful, but they also send you emails during and after the trip asking how are you doing. In addition, the first week of arrival was an orientation week, when we had chance to learn vietnamese culture, including their language and how to roll the springrolls. I enjoyed that "culture week" a lot! Also, I am very grateful that despite the well-organised schedule of the program, the timetable is very flexible that we have plenty of time to explore the city, and even book a flight to travel around! I have never expected to have booked a ticket to travel to Hanoi in order to visit one of the 7 wonders of nature, the Ha Long Bay, in my second weekend trip. The travel agent in the hostel where we live was very helpful and our weekend trips would not have been this perfect without the organisation by the travel agent. The staffs and local students (since we live in the hostel of Saigon Tourist Hospitality College) are very nice and friendly. They even showed us around the city and brought us to try their local food. The most unforgettable experience is trying their traditional food, balut. Although eating a half-fertilised duck egg seems so disgusting, it actually tastes okay. After this trip, I really think that south east asia is such a lovely place to explore, and I wish I could spend more time to travel some other places in Vietnam!