Published: May 11, 2007
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam
Fact of the Day:The Notre Dame
cathedral, a neo-Romanesque structure, was constructed between 1877
and 1883 using bricks from Marseilles and stained-glass windows
from Charters. The cathedral is closed to visitors except during
Sunday services, which are held in Vietnamese and English.
The Red Storm took its last day off before competition to
explore historic Ho Chi Minh City. Before putting on their walking
shoes, the squad met for an hour team practice. After practice, the
volleyball team was joined by Vietnam Television (VTV). The
national TV station filmed the first American team to compete in
the VTV Cup as they enjoyed a authentic Vietnamese lunch.
Once lunch was finished, it was off to explore the city. The
group took taxis to the center of the city and then began walking
towards the city’s historic Notre Dame Cathedral. Along the way,
the team stopped in local shops to admire the unique silk scarves
and dresses. A couple of the ladies purchased postcards to send
home to their parents, while the others took pictures of the
sights.
Just a couple of blocks later, the Red Storm found themselves in
quite a predicament. In Vietnam there are not many intersections
with traffic lights. Instead the mopeds and cars yield ever so
patiently and maneuver around one another to go through large
intersections. The squad was not quite sure how to make their way
across the street. With the advice of their tour guide, the team
began walking at a moderate pace across the street and like Moses
parted the Red Sea, the Red Storm parted the oncoming mopeds and
safely crossed the street.
As the team approached the courtyard, they were greeted by a
familiar site. One they saw in photographs from their fellow
student-athletes from the men’s soccer team who stood there just
shy of one year ago – the Notre Dame Cathedral. After the stopping
to take a couple of photos, the team continued on to the Vietnam
War Remnants Museum.
“It was nice to have the opportunity to see more of the city,”
said Elizabeth
Austin. “Each district within the city is so different. I
really enjoyed going to the Vietnam War Remnants Museum. There were
a lot of photographs and they depicted a different aspect of the
war that I think a lot of us are not familiar with.”
While at the museum, the Red Storm was joined by the coaching
staff and Dr. Le and his assistants. As the squad was
exploring the city, head coach
Joanne Persico-Smith and assistant coaches Mario
Treibit and Li
Chen met with the president of Hong Bang University.
“It was a great honor to meet the president of Hong Bang
University,” said Persico-Smith. “We were glad to have the
opportunity to thank him for the warm reception at the airport and
we set up an exhibition match for next Thursday with the Hong Bang
volleyball team.”
Upon returning to the hotel, the coaching and support staff
attended a brief technical meeting with the tournament directors,
while the team relaxed and showered for dinner. At the end of the
technical meeting Persico-Smith and Dr. Le sat down with VTV for a
brief interview on the team’s first trip to Vietnam and playing in
the 2007 VTV Cup.
The Red Storm then boarded a bus for a welcome dinner hosted by
the Vietnam Volleyball Federation. At the dinner, the squad showed
off their American friendliness as they mingled and posed for
photos with each and every team.
Before heading to bed, sophomore Valeria
Kovaleva checked in with RedStormSports.com to post the team’s
second postcard from Vietnam. To view her postcard, click here.
Tomorrow the team will begin competition at the 2007 VTV Cup
against Zhong Cai (China). The match will kick off the fourth
annual international tournament. First serve is scheduled for
Noon.
chào
buổi
tối
(good night!)
– Red Storm –