Kon Tum

Dear All,

Jennifer is now back in sunny (and sometimes rainy, cold, windy and stormy) Sydney and I first must apologise for our lack of a summary post - life post-holiday has been quite hectic for the two of us. Jen flew out of Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on the 7th while I have stayed on in Vietnam. On the 8th, I made my way to a 'dusty little town' as Lonely Planet states, named Kon Tum, where a large population of ethnic minorities, particularly Bahnar people, reside.

A traditional rong house - where the Bahnar people meet for celebrations etc. it is a communal area.

 Three young girls attempting to ride a bicycle four times too big - they had endless fun falling over.

Apart from the dust, dirt and the occasional bullock-and-cart, Kon Tum is home to six orphanages, named Vinh Son 1 through to Vinh Son 6, each caring for orphans ranging from newborns to adolescents - the larger orphanages care for 200 children while the smaller ones care for nearly 40 children. Through a family friend who regularly visits KT to assist the orphanages, I had arranged to volunteer for just under two weeks and offer what (little) skills I have to be of some assistance - to, well, anyone really. From my understanding, most of the children under care at the orphanages still have at least one parent who is alive, however due to poverty, especially within the ethnic minorities, they are unable to care for their child (NB: there are also Vietnamese orphans).

After arriving and visiting Vinh Son 1 & 2, I was lucky enough to link in with a Nurse and Doctor who had been running health check clinics for some of the orphanages as well as the members of local villages - due to communication barriers with the local hospital/medical centres and also the cost involved when attending such a facility (all must be paid for by the individual), many of the local villages do not seek medical attention. Over the course of the next week, I assisted during health clinics and was fortunate enough to apply some of my clinical skills gained over the past year. This was a fantastic experience and has to be one of the most rewarding things I have done.

One of the buildings at Vinh Son 1 - due to the location of the Wooden Church, a popular tourist attraction situated next to VS1, the orphanage is one of the better-equipped facilities.

The Doctor having a joke with some of the young children - who happen to be ecstatic to see us.

Through local interpreters, we were able to communicate with many of the local villages - although it was still difficult at times.

The health clinics we were one aspect of the visits, we also delivered necessary food, medications as well as equipment that was needed by the respective orphanage. From donations we were able to supply Vinh Son 6 with new plastic table/chairs as the older children did not have any when eating meals (they were using school desks and chairs for 4 year olds). As VS6 is a fair distance from Kon Tum itself, approximately 20km, it sees very little visitors and therefore, in my opinion, it has to be one of the poorest orphanages in the area. We were also able to supply VS6 with 10kg of dried fish, which they were very happy with. NB: All of the pictures below are of Vinh Son 6.

Very excited with new footballs.

The children always seem happy, even if they had very little - they rarely seem to fight with each other and are always content to play around outside.

Chillin'.

A very eager young one unwraps the tables!

Vinh Son 6 on a beautiful day.

The children enjoyed a bit of the ol' Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - next stop, Australian Idol for me.

At Vinh Son 4, during an initial health check, a young girl (6 years old I believe) was referred by the Doctor to the local hospital where she was subsequently diagnosed with Tuberculosis. We were able to supply her with a full course of  medications (6 months worth) as it is quite an expensive burden on an orphanage who cares for 130 children. Unfortunately, Vinh Son 4 is infected with scabies and the only treatment available in Kon Tum contains DDT, toxic by any standard - an attempt to source an alternative therapy is underway. NB all the images below are from Vinh Son 4.

Such a poser.

 How much fun can be had with a woven bag and a tyre tube? Heaps.

The local interpreter and friend singing Incy Wincy Spider with the children.

The remaining money donated is being put towards the children at Vinh Son 6 - in my opinion they are of greatest need. I would like to thank those who donated, I'm sure that we've brought some warmth to the lives of those who are in need and are much less fortunate than ourselves.

Other notable activities I have undertaken while in Kon Tum include assisting in the renovations of Vinh Son 5. As I am about a foot taller then the average person here, I was put to work and helped with the installation of a roof ceiling - I don't think safety standards would have met Australian Occupational Health and Safety regulations....It's okay Mum, I'm fine! I also took a lesson of English (I know, I can barely speak it!) with some young ones at Vinh Son 1. 

Some of the roofing.

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I was lucky enough to be invited to a Vietnamese wedding - I'm happy to report that I am the tallest person in Kon Tu.

The Bride and Groom to-be.

The Bride in her pink dress.

The view from the bridge over the Dakbla river.

The same bridge at sunset.

 Another shot.

 And another.

A view from a hill on sunset.

Kon Tum at sunset.

 The local Convent where the Sisters were drying coffee beans in the courtyard.

Weaving at the Convent.

So folks, that brings to an end my journey in Vietnam - I have had a wonderful time exploring, eating and experiencing this country which has so much to offer. I hope you have enjoyed reading the blog as much as I have enjoyed creating it. If there are any questions, queries or q-comments, feel free to email me. Best wishes for the coming year.

Until our next journey,

Mitchell.