Getting the Important Things Done Upon Our Arrival in Da Nang, Vitenam - Day 1

Day 1 Our first impression when we arrived at the Da Nang Airport was efficiency and order. There vwas no chaos, no people running around not knowing what to do. Everybody was lining up single file towards the Immigration Exit. People were directed right away to where they were supposed to go.

We had some problems with our E visa as there was some confusion between the 0 and the O entered on my husband's passport. He entered 0 insead of O, therefore the computer rejected his E visa when we were trying to board the plane in Toronto. However, after a lot of explanation and help from the airline, they eventually allowed us to fly.

  But as soon as we alighted from the plane at the Vietnam Airport, an Immigration Officer was waiting for us directing us to the Customs Office where they questioned us about our E visa problem. After they were satisfied with our explanation, they instructed my husband to reapply for a new visa. Therefore there was no holding up of other passengers at the airport. My husband had to pay another US$ 30.00 for a new visa and was granted one within 20 minutes, very efficient indeed.

 The second thing we did was getting a SIM card at the airport. For US$ I0, we got our SIM card within 10 minutes. Done! We have data for the duration of our visit in Vietnam! The third thing we did was getting some cash in Vietnamese currency. An ATM machine outside the airport allowed us to do that and we got some VND right away, no problem.

The 4th thing was charging our cell phones. There was a free charging station outside the airport and we could power up our cell free of charge! With our cell phone powered up and a SIM card loaded, we were able to order a Grab taxi using our cell phone. The Grab taxi came within minutes taking us to our first hotel in Da Nang!

These essential services provided to tourists visiting Vietnam upon our arrival to this country made our first visit to Vietnam much easier! Two thumbs up for Vietnam!

  RT, Da Nang Airport

  Da Nang, Vietnam, 2026

Applying for a Tourist E Visa for Vietnam - Not a Smooth Process

I was not interested to visit Vietnam until J. suggested to us as our destination for this winter vacation. Since it was easy getting our E visa for Cambodia, we thought the process for getting one for Vietnam would be more or less similar. How wrong were we! The prosess was much more complicated than we thought. First, we went online to complete the e visa application on our computer, but simple data such as our birthday was rejected for no reason at all. I really hate it whenever we are asked to apply things online but the software hjas bugs in it and doesn't work well at all. We kept trying and with the same rejection coming up for no reason at all!!! After trying a few times, we were frustrated. Then we thought we would try the online application on our cell phone. Viola! My husband was able to enter our data much more easily this time. However, a couple of days later, we received an email form the Vietnamese Immigration Department informing us that there was some incorrect personal information recorded on my husband's application. He had to redo it which he did and paid another U.S. 25.00 for it. However, I didn't receive any notification to inform me about my application which left me wondering what was happening to mine. Between three to five days after our applications, we received our E visa for Vietnam! We booked our flight tickets and met up with J. in Hong Kong. Getting our E visa for Vietnam wan't as easy as we thought but we look forward to our family holiday in Vietnam! RT, Hong Kong, 2026

Sweet Stay, Phnom Penh - The Best Homestay We Have Ever Had Anywhere!

After our training sessions with the teachers at a local highschool in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we checked out of the hotel and into another one located in a different district for the remainder of our stay in this city. Our second accommodation was called the Sweet Stay Homestay, a place which was closer to the new Techo International Airport. Unilke all the other B&B places where we had problems finding helping for checking in, this time we had little difficulty finding and checking into the Sweet Stay Homestay. From our past experiences, there usually was no one receiving us at the Air B&B, but Sweet Stay was different.

As soon as our taxi stopped not far from the homestay, a nice lady came out immediately to the street to receive us. After taking our lugguage to our room, she came right back to the living/ dining area and welcome us with some tea and a plate of fresh cut fruits! What a nice pleasant surprise and we felt welcome upon our arrival!

  Located on the second floor, our room was spacious, clean and nicely furnished; it came with a balcony as well as a private bathroom. while the living/ dining area was on the ground floor. Designed to provide guests with a space for dining and relaxation, the living/ dining area has been furnished with a few sets of comfortable sofas and chairs. Guests could choose to socialize with other guests on the big couches or could sit by themselves in the corner chairs should they prefer to do so.

We could order our drinks from the bar. The place was cosy, warm and inviting. We enjoyed our meals in the dining area as well as hanging out and conversing with other guests. We met a couple of other guests from Europe and we had some interesting conversations.

  We stayed at the Sweet Stay for three nights and each day, either the staff or the host did something nice for us or served us some delicious food that we didn't even order.

We simply loved the hospitality and warm welcome we have experienced at this lovely homestay! Our breakfast was not included since the price for each night of stay was already low. With a kitchen staff serving dishes made to order, the food was always fresh. We could choose local, western or Asian dishes from the menu. The lady who prepared the dishes was amazing!! We could tell that she cooked with her heart as each dish was a 5 star experience for us! Just for the food alone, we will definitely come back to this cozy comfortable homestay!

The owner of the Sweet Stay Homestay also provided transportation service to his guests. We booked him to take us in his vehicle to see some attractions in Phnom Penh on the second last day. We were not disappointed!

I would give this homestay 10/ 10!

  RT, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 2026

A Hotel Review in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Though I have been to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, numerous times over the years, I have never stayed in a hotel until this time. Due to the lack of space in our missionary friend's condo, we needed to stay in a couple of hotels while we were visitng the city.

For our first hotel, we stayed where our team members were staying in order to make transportation and meeting up with our team easier. We stayed at the Indra Hotel. The price was a bit on the high side according to Cambodian standard. The location - excellent as it is conveniently located with many shops not too far away.

Therefore, when we had some problems with our computers and cell phone, it was easy for us to go to repair shops close by and had our problems resolved. The room was very spacious! In fact, this was the biggest room we have ever stayed at any hotel.

Our room also came with a good size balcony furnished with fine wooden chairs and tables.

The best part of the hotel was its cozy dining room and the outdoor patio. Since we were still finalizing our workshop presentation material, the dining room was a comfortable place for us to work during the day.

On the day we booked this hotel, it also included breakfast which we found was good as everything was presented beautifully! Unfortunately, the weather was a bit too cold for us to enjoy the hotel's outdoor swimming pool. We went to the pool ready to swim but it was a bit too chily for a dip.

Overall, I would give it an 8/ 10 for the Indra Hotel. RT, Phnom Penh, CambodiaAAA

Techo International Airport - The Pride and Cambodia's Technological Achievement!

After our teacher training events and a couple of church presentations on two Sundays, we were finally abe to relax and do a bit of tourist stuffs. The first thing we did was moving out of the hotel we have stayed for the past week and transferred to a different hotel located closer to the Techo International Airprot - the new airport recently opened.

It is about 25 km south of Phnom Penh. The traffic in Phnom Penh has not improved since we were here more than a decade ago. In fact, it has gotten worse since there are now more cars, motorcycles and other vehicles on the roads but without the addition of new highways and roads. Fearing that we might miss our flight leaving Cambodia a couple of days later, this move made us feel better.

The Techo International Airport is named in honour of Techo Moha Ponn, a legendary 15th century Cambodian king known for his construction ofcanals and infrastructure. It is built on a massive 26,00 hectacres, or about 10 square miles. This makes its land area three times larger than Singapore's Changi Airprot and one of the largest airport sites in the world by surfae area.

The airport's architecture is inspired by a "Floatung Krama" - the traditional Cambodian scarf the sweeping, wing like roof is designed to symbolize warmth, welcome and nationl identity This projct is a massive investment estimated at $1.5 billion for the first phrase, a joint venture between the Cambodian government and a Cambodian -owned conglomerate

The Techo International Airport is not just an airport but a ,onumental national project reflecting Cambodia's economic aspirations and technological achievement! We are glad to see the newly built magnificent airport and cheer for Cambodia's achievement! RT, Cambodia

The Upper Room - Helping Young Cambodians and Developing Their Capacities, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Cambodia has had one of the highest concentrations of NGOs per capita in the world. The official regulator, the Ministry of Interior's Department of Associations and NGOs (DA NGO), provides the latest available data. There are over 5000 registered local and international NGOs and associations in Cambodia. These organizations operating in Cambodia are trying to help the country and its people to rebuild from the devastations it experienced during the 1970's Khmer Rouge era. My husband and I do not belong to any NGO, but we are affiliated with a very established church group from Toronto, Canada.

 

Our church has been involved in a number of projects in Cambodia since the beginning of year 2000 and I started joining them around 2010. Though many charitable organizations are in Cambodia supporting the people in various ways, the needs are still tremendous. Each time we visit this country, we are delighted to learn about more organizations starting their projects here.

On our recent visit to Cambodia we met an energetic and dedicated couple who share the same goals as ours, helping Cambodia. It was a pleasure meeting Pastor D and his wife who have started a project called the Upper Room. Pastor D invited us to visit the Upper Room and shared his goals and vision with us. He explained that through his research work, he found that there are numerous established churches and NGOs located throughout Phnom Penh.

 However, at this current location, there are much fewer groups offering support and services, therefore, he decided on this location. He hopes that the Upper Room project will help Cambodians to :" Break the cycle of poverty through holistic, relationship-based development that addresses spiritual, physical, educational and social needs.

  Some of the key programs are:

  - Providing free quality bilingual ( Khmer/ English) education to children from poor families

  - After school programs such as tutoring, computer clases and library access

  - Leadership training and career guidance to teenagers

  - Community health and family support

  - Economic empowerment

  - Spiritual and discipleship ministry

  We had a tour of the building office and learned about its facility and programs. We prayed and asked God to bless this plae and the many people coming though here each day!

  RT, The Upper Room Cambodia

Sharing Our Experiences with Cambodian Teachers at a Professional Development Event in Phnom Penh

Teachers around the world face many challenges each day. Cambodian teachers, in particular, are faced with some serious challenges such as:

  - A massive shortage of teachers in remote regions forcing existing staff to teach double shifts ( both morning and afternoon ) leading to extreme burnout.

  - Attraction and retention issues: Low pay and inadequate incentives fail to attract high quality candidates and result in low retention rates

  - Difficult working conditions and low resources

  - Inadequate training and professional development

 

As a former educator, I totally understand the challenges facing the Cambodian teachers and appreciate how difficult their jos are. Though there are not much I can do to help them with the shortage of teachers, their low pay and working conditions etc., I can ertainly help out in the area of teacher training and professional development. We are grateful to God that both my husband and I are healthy and mobile enabling our travel to Cambodia and to share our experiences with some of the local teachers there.

There was a lot of planning on the schools' part to organize the full day professional develpment event for their teachers. The students would need to stay home for the day in order to free the teachers attending the training. Our presentations delivered in English, needed to be intrepreted in Khmer so that the Cambodian teachers could fully understand them.

 In order to make our presentations easier to understand, we broke up the contents into four modules and included a few interactive activities. We also arranged the group of 35 teachers including primary and elementary schools, into six smaller groups for discussions enabling the teachers to get to know each other and providing them more time for sharing. According to the teachers' positive feedback and participation, they seemed to have enjoyed and learned a few strategies from this professional development day. This made us very happy and we felt that our work and preparations were well worth it!

  We thank God for a productive and fruitful day! If God is willing, we will see the teachers again next year as we have already received a verbal invitation from the school!

  RT, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 01, 2026