I am competing in the 12th annual VTV9 Binh Dien Cup hosted in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam with a team put together by my agency, Bring It Promotions. We are the first team to represent the United States in volleyball in Vietnam!
The morning was ours to go where we pleased. Naturally, I want to see and do as much as possible in a new place. My roommate, Rachel Ritchie, and I grabbed breakfast (tried and loved passion fruit) and ventured out for a walk. We met up with Jordan and Maggie Speaks at the War Remnants Museum. The museum was a very sobering and informative trip. We began by exploring old tanks and helicopters left behind by the US, then went into an area that described the horrendous situation for prisoners, and last took a look at some of the consequences and politics behind the war. It was fascinating to see the history that we have been taught from a different perspective.
After the museum, we tried traditional Vietnamese coffee on ice. It’s super strong but sweet since they mix in condensed milk. Its DELICIOUS! Rachel and I are coffee fanatics and luckily there’s no shortage of shops.
Julia Brown had gotten stuck in China on her connecting flight the day before (I can’t even imagine the stress!). We were praying it all worked out so she could meet us at the Ho Chi Minh airport to head to Da Nang. Just as we were checking our bags, she showed up, and we hopped on our flight.
As soon as we picked up our bags, there were several men from the tournament waiting for us. They took some video and loaded us into a bus to Tam Ky. We have the opportunity to be the first team representing the US to ever play in Vietnam. We will be competing in the 12th annual VTV9 Binh Dien Cup hosted in Tam Ky, Quang Nam Province, Vietnam. Everyone here is so supportive and excited to have us. One bus ride through the mountains later, we dropped our bags and went straight to training.
The first training was expectedly shaky, but what we weren’t expecting was the lack of air conditioning. Every dive on the floor left a puddle behind to be wiped up. Despite the jet lag and excessive sweat, we started to connect as a team. Directly following our first training, and absolutely drenched in sweat, we tried on our very own cusom Ao Dai. We had sent measurements, but tweaks were very necessary. From impossible zippers to feeling like our broad shoulders would tear the fragile silk, it was a good thing that adjustments were being made. After soaking our Ao Dais in sweat, we came back to the hotel, ate more Pho, and called it a night.
