A Day at a Robotics Event in Vietnam
That day, I started my day early, as usual. Around 5:00 a.m., I woke up because that day was one I’d been looking forward to during my backpacking trip in Vietnam. We were scheduled to visit a robotics event attended by various participants and showcasing many fascinating technologies. Not wanting to be late, I immediately got out of bed and tidied up the belongings still scattered around the room.
The first thing I did was perform wudu to pray the Fajr prayer. The morning atmosphere was still very peaceful. Some of my friends had also started to wake up and were getting ready to pray. After finishing my prayers, I felt calmer and more enthusiastic about the day’s activities. I prayed that the entire event would run smoothly and provide a meaningful experience.
After praying, I headed to the guesthouse’s dining room. It turned out that some friends had already woken up and prepared a simple breakfast for all of us. We ate together while chatting about the day’s activities. The morning atmosphere felt warm as we joked around and speculated about what the robotics event we were going to visit would be like. Some of us hoped to see advanced robots, while others were curious about the latest technology on display there.
After breakfast, I returned to my room to shower and get ready. I wore comfortable clothes because we were expected to do a lot of walking while at the event venue. I also made sure my phone, wallet, and other essentials were packed in my bag so I wouldn’t leave anything behind.
Once everyone was ready, we gathered in front of the guesthouse and walked together to the Mixue outlet, which had been designated as our pickup point. We often use that spot as a meeting place because it’s easy for Grab drivers to find.
Upon arriving at Mixue, we waited for our supervising teacher, who would hand out transportation money for the trip to the event venue. While waiting, we chatted casually as we watched the bustling activity of Hanoi’s residents. The streets were filled with vehicles, vendors were opening their shops, and many people were heading to work or school.
Shortly afterward, the supervising teacher arrived and distributed the transportation allowance to each group. After receiving the money, we immediately ordered a Grab through the app. A few minutes later, the car we’d ordered arrived at the location. We quickly got into the car and began our journey to the robotics event venue.
The trip to the venue took a few minutes. During the ride, I enjoyed the view of Hanoi from the car window. I saw many office buildings, shopping centers, city parks, and various modern structures that showcased the city’s rapid development. That made me even more curious about the event we were about to attend.
Upon arriving at the venue, I saw a fairly large building filled with people from all walks of life. There were school students, college students, teachers, and members of the general public who all seemed enthusiastic about attending the event. However, before entering the building, we had to wait a bit because several other groups were still on their way.
While waiting for the rest of our friends to arrive, I took in the atmosphere around the venue. Many participants had brought their projects—robots and various other technological devices. Seeing this made me even more eager to enter the exhibition area.
Once our entire group was together, we were finally allowed to enter the event area as a group. My first impression upon stepping into the building was one of awe. The venue was very spacious, clean, and filled with various exhibition booths featuring eye-catching designs. Almost every corner showcased technological innovations, ranging from educational robots and industrial robots to artificial intelligence devices, as well as various research projects from schools, universities, and tech companies.
My friends and I immediately started walking from one booth to another. Each booth had its own unique features. There were robots capable of automatically following a line, robots that could avoid obstacles, robotic arms capable of moving objects, and various other projects based on the Internet of Things (IoT). We also saw several participants presenting their projects to visitors.
As a vocational high school student majoring in Software Engineering, I was very interested in seeing these various innovations. I realized that technology is advancing very rapidly, so as a student I must continue learning to keep up with these developments. Visiting this event gave me great motivation to keep developing my skills in the field of technology.
In addition to seeing various robots, we also visited the bazaar area located within the event venue. There were many booths selling a variety of electronic equipment, computer accessories, souvenirs, snacks, and other tech products. My friends and I strolled around casually, browsing the products on display. Although I didn’t buy many items, I was still happy to see various innovations that I had previously only seen online.
Several times I stopped to take photos and videos to document the trip. I wanted to capture those moments because, in my opinion, the opportunity to attend a technology event abroad isn’t something that comes along every day.
After wandering around for quite a while, our chaperone contacted all the participants through the group chat and asked us to gather at a designated spot. Once all participants had arrived, we held a group photo session in front of the main exhibition area to document the event. We stood in a line wearing our school’s backpacker uniforms. That moment became one of the most cherished memories from our time on this program.
Once all participants had arrived, we held a group photo session in front of the main exhibition area to document the event. We stood in a line wearing our school’s backpacker uniforms. That moment became one of the most cherished memories from our time on this program.
After the photo session ended, the accompanying teacher announced that the activities at the robotics event were over and we were allowed to return to our lodging. Before heading back, the teacher gave each participant some spending money so we could buy food of our own choosing.
On the way back to the lodging, my friends and I discussed what food we wanted to buy. After walking for a while, we found a fried chicken stand that looked pretty busy. Finally, we agreed to buy some fried chicken and a few drinks to enjoy together back at the lodging.
Upon arriving at the lodging, we immediately gathered in the dining room and enjoyed the food we had bought. Even though it was just simple fried chicken, the atmosphere of eating together felt very enjoyable. We shared stories about our favorite booths at the robotics event, the technologies that caught our attention the most, and various funny experiences we had while at the event venue.
After finishing lunch, I performed the Zuhr prayer. Then I returned to my room to continue working on the travel journal that had been assigned by my school. I began writing down the various experiences I’d had since leaving Indonesia up until participating in the activities in Vietnam. I tried to write them down in as much detail as possible so that all those experiences could become memories I’d always cherish. As the afternoon drew to a close, I paused my work briefly to perform the Asr prayer. Afterward, I resumed writing my book until late in the evening. There weren’t many activities outside that day after returning from the event, so I used the time I had to finish my school assignments.
When Maghrib time arrived, I performed the Maghrib prayer, followed by the Isha prayer in congregation with my friends. After finishing our prayers, we gathered again to enjoy dinner together. The dinner atmosphere was warm as we shared stories about our respective experiences during the robotics event.
That night, we didn’t do much else. Since we were quite tired after a full day of exploring, we decided to return to our respective rooms to rest. Before going to sleep, I reflected once more on all the experiences I’d had that day. Visiting the robotics event in Vietnam gave me a lot of inspiration and motivation to keep learning and developing my skills in the field of technology. I hope that someday I, too, can create something useful and have the opportunity to participate in international technology events like the one I attended that day.
Feeling grateful and full of enthusiasm, I ended the day by going to bed early so I’d be refreshed and ready for the next activities on my backpacking trip in Vietnam.