School Days in Vietnam Stories from the Heart

About the Book

School Days in Vietnam is the third book in a trilogy that encompass five years of teaching English in Thailand, Myanmar, and Vietnam. I only taught for a year in Hanoi and used the second year to travel and carry-on with other missions in my life that included writing much of this book and other stories about travel. I had wanted to live in Hanoi since first visiting in 2004, but the opportunity didn’t present itself until eight years later through employment as an English teacher in an international school. In my mind I had high expectations and a goal of remaining in Hanoi for two years. Everything was more interesting and meaningful than I could have expected and at the end of two years I felt tied to my friendships and the amazing lifestyle that was simple yet lavish in humanity. I was totally enamored with Vietnam, the people, the natural beauty of its diverse geography, and the culture that separates it from all other nations. I made more friends than I had in any other country, and in North Vietnam I enjoyed a weather pattern that was near to the tropics but decidedly four seasons.

About the Author

Larry Welch was a resident of Hanoi for two years. In his first year he taught English with Horizon International Bilingual School; in his second year he wandered through North Vietnam meeting people, learning about culture, history and lifestyle, and taking photographs. Before employment in Vietnam he was an English teacher and vice principal with the Horizon International School in Rangoon, Burma and for two years he taught students at the Suankularb Wittayalai Rangsit School near Bangkok. When away from Thailand he continues contact with his students and has ties to the Full Moon Rubber Plantation at Nakhon Phanom. More recently, he has been a volunteer teacher with students at a small village school in Northeast Thailand. A veteran of only six years of teaching, it is his belief that it’s impossible to have a bad day when surrounded by the good natured humanity that children bring to their classrooms.