Soc Trang - Providence Orphanage

We found the Providence orphanage in
Soc Trang, after a lot of stopping for directions, and as luck would have it there was an older nun there who spoke English and remembered Rosemary Taylor, Sr Susan and Mary Nelle from tjhe days when they made the trip to Soc Trang to take babies back to their nurseries in Saigon. She said that Do is one of the most common last names in that part of Vietnam, in fact it was her family name. She told us that there were no records kept in that time, because of the war and confusion. The compound is no longer an orphange, but a day care center. They use only a small part of the original area, as the government confiscated the hospital and several of their buildings in 1975 after the was ended.

The people of the Soc Trang area belong to the Khmer ethnic group which is the second largest minority in Vietnam, Chinese being the largest. The city and surrounding area are about 1 million people, and they are traditionally rice farmers, but the Tiawainese are building many factories there now. The top photos are of the old orphanage. The people are very dark skinned, some much darker than you Chris.

We visited a pagoda, and every kid we saw wanted to practice their English on us. "Hello what is your name?" They are so cute, and all of the people are friendly.

After looking over the breakfast buffet, I told Len, "You aren't in Kansas anymore Dorothy". It is difficult to be brave about food at 7am when your stomach is a little queasy. We both have had a touch of tourista.

Yesterday we drove through an area south of Saigon where the main industry is making rice wine which is 40% alcohol. they sell is in big gallon plastic jugs all along the roadside. Phi says it is the cause of Vietnams overpopulation problems.