St. John's University Athletics
St. John??' Volleyball Explores Ho Chi Minh City
5/11/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
- St. John's Travels To Vietnam
- Photo Gallery: Walking Tour of Ho Chi Minh City
- Postcard: Greetings from Vietnam Part II
- Initial Thoughts: Elizabeth Austin
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.
ch??o bu???i t???i
(good night!)
??? Red Storm ???
