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Student Photo Gallery: Vietnam & Cambodia

The MV Explorer recently docked in Viet Nam, the third foreign port of the Spring 2014 50th Anniversary voyage. From a berth in Ho Chi Minh City, students set forth to explore Viet Nam and Cambodia through field labs, field programs, and independent travel. The students visited tropical landscapes, historic sites, bustling cities, and participated in various cultural experiences. Here are some of the best student images from their time in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Jay Jarosz from the British Columbia Institute of Technology photographed this scene in central Ho Chi Minh City. “What struck me about this scene is the diversity of the architecture: a glamorous, well-maintained colonial building (People’s Committee Hall), a worn-down residential building, and a new modern office building (Vincom Center). In a way, these three buildings represent modern Viet Nam and it’s mix of influences and income levels.”
While exploring the Ben Thanh night market, Jessica Mercier from College of Charleston captured a man on the side of the street selling Valentine’s Day balloons as motorbikes sped past.
Kayla McCarty from the University of Mississippi visited the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, known as Cambodia’s “Killing Fields” as part of the Cambodia Express Field Program (left). “I took this picture after laying flowers for the victims, and I feel it truly captures the dark and unexplainable beauty of the place.” John Molloy from York County Community College visited Phimeanakas, one of the temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, while on a field program. The Hindu temple pictured was built in the 10th Century.
On the last day of the Mekong Delta Overnight trip, Jay Jarosz, a student from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, met a group of local women as he departed from Mekong Lodge. “The description for the program described the local people as ‘friendly, warm and generous’. I felt this description was very cliche, but the people of the Mekong really delivered on this with the villagers enthusiastically greeting us everywhere we went.”
Monika Ireland from Sullivan University visited Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, in Northern Vietnam. “The fog and clouds actually added this whole mystic dynamic to the bay. Although I’ve visited many beaches I’ve never seen anything like the geography in Ha Long Bay, where it seemed as though the islands within the bay were just floating as far as the eye could see.”
John Molloy from York County Community College was touring the Angkor Thom temple as part of the Temples & Egbok Services Field Program when he captured this moment. “The monkey seemed to consider itself as the young pups’ mother, grooming and nurturing them like her own. The connection between them was unlike anything I had ever witnessed in-person.”
Kailey Sabel and Melanie Hobbs (pictured), both from the University of Wisconsin at Madison visited the Dieu Giac Orphanage as part of a Semester at Sea Field Program, where they played with the children and learned about the daily life of orphans in Vietnam.
During the Cu Chi Tunnel & Cambodia Field Program, Courtney Smith from Transylvania University had the opportunity to witness the prayer ritual of Cao Dai, a unique and relatively new religion indigenous to Vietnam.
Josaih Savig of Colorado State University photographed a quiet moment in a street filled with chaos. “The streets of Vietnam are an exhilarating experience. Among the thousands of motorcycles swarming the streets many have several people sharing one bike, like this one with the boy pretending to make calls on his toy cellphone to pass the time. Other motorcyclists regularly carried huge boxes, baskets and sometimes even small trees.”
While snorkeling on Phu Quoc Island, Spencer Calligar from High Point University captured the fishermen returning with the day’s catch to prepare for the popular night market that evening. Phu Quoc’s economy is supported predominantly by fishing and tourism.
Avery Segal, a student at the University of Florida, captured children using two liter soda bottles as kite spools to fly kites over Can Tho in the Mekong Delta.
Written by: Administrator
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