Growing up Vietnamese-AMERICAN and Phong Nha-Ke Bang: The Caves of Wonders

Oh Harrow, dear friends. I am balls deep into this vietventure and have been absolutely hashtag-amazed with every stop we've made. My parents are both Vietnamese (well, they'd tell you they are Americans now :D) and have been spending their first 10 years of retirement exploring their motherland and all of Asia. My father is from the south, my mother from the north- both immigrating to the United States separately after the Vietnam War ended. They met at the University of Washington while they were both studying to become chemical engineers. They waited 20 years before returning to their native land and I feel so grateful to be able to come back with them regularly and learn about my culture.

Before my first trip to Vietnam in 2008, I actually didn't identify with the Vietnamese part of my Vietnamese-American heritage. My parents raised my brother and me to fully embrace America, as they did when they first came here. Each of my parents fully recognized the opportunities available to them in the states and believed in their potential to achieve them. They committed to rebuilding their lives here. Growing up, we spoke English at home and they raised us without typical traditional Vietnamese parenting values. The Vietnamese values that they did instill in us, they were thoughtful in how those values would translate to our American life. They considered themselves to be forward thinking folks :P Sure, they recounted stories of their motherland, but I felt the point of those stories were more to help us to feel grateful to be in America.

I started looking more closely at the Vietnamese part of my heritage after my first trip here. First, my dad is a completely different person in Vietnam. He is super outgoing and ridiculously friendly, striking up conversations with strangers literally everywhere we go. In America, he's a bit more of a homebody, satisfied enough with our nuclear family that he doesn't seek social activity outside of our house. He is also a fierce protector when we're here, making sure that we're always safe and weary of being cheated. He has always been a confident man, but he really kicks it up a whole bunch of notches when he is navigating (or rather, commanding) his motherland. Seeing my dad light up in Vietnam truly sparked my feelings of fondness for this country.

I am happy to be feel connected to my parents' motherland. For me, forging a bond with my Vietnamese heritage wasn't going to happen in America, it needed to happen here, fully immersed in the country's chaos and beauty. I suspect that I still don't typically identify with being Vietnamese the way others might, but I have a sincere appreciation for the place my parent's came from and I know their journey from Vietnam to America largely influenced my upbringing. I wish my Vietnamese was better, but I know enough to haggle :P and I know enough to make meaningful connections with folks that I meet. I am grateful to be here with my parents feel lucky to have the heritage that I have.

And with that, let me tell you a little bit about Phong Nha-Ke Bang, another UNESCO World Heritage site featuring larger than life caverns of stalagmites and stalactites.

My parents have been exploring Vietnam quite intensely for the past few years, but this trip was the FIRST time they had ever been to this national park. I love that Vietnam still offers these surprises, as small of a country as it is. I was so impressed with how well maintained the park is. Vietnam doesn't have a great reputation for taking care of their natural treasures. Beautiful landscapes are littered with trash and there seems to be no regard towards preserving fragile areas for future generations I am so pleased that they seemed to actually put thought into this park. In the Paradise caves, they built a wonderful walkway through these gigantic caverns creating a genuine experience that minimizes the disturbance of these sleeping rock giants.

The ride to the caves was hands down THE MOST BEAUTIFUL motorcycle ride I have ever been on. It is quite popular nowadays to buy a bike and explore the country from north to south or vice versa. If this is something you're considering doing, seriously put this national park on your list of stops. The surroundings felt UNREAL. I rode with my dad, which is always really fun! Kellen rode with Ethan but I couldn't resist a photo op with my favorite TA :D

Thanks for reading! Next up on my tour de Vietnam is a visit to my favorite beach town of all time, Nha Trang. Can't wait for some sun and sand :)