CSB president MaryAnn Baenninger and husband Ron

Benedictine Center for Lifelong Learning Offers Trip to Vietnam

07/12/2006

Join MaryAnn Baenninger, president of the College of Saint Benedict, and her husband, Ron, for a journey to “Vietnam: Land of the Ascending Dragon,” from Jan. 11-24, 2007.

The trip is sponsored by the Benedictine Center for Lifelong Learning at CSB/Saint John’s University, and will be led by travel guide Leslie Senden of AER World Tours. Senden, who has been to Vietnam 17 times, has designed the trip for CSB and SJU alums, parents and friends.

Participants will visit Ho Chi Minh City (formerly known as Saigon) and the Presidential Palace; see the famous Chu Chi tunnels 20 miles to the north; enjoy a boat trip on the Mekong River Delta; attend Mass at three different cathedrals; tour the delightful town of Hoi Ann; explore the ruins of My Song, an important religious center; tour Da Nang and China Beach; visit the Thien Mu Pagoda and Buddhist Monastery; explore the Imperial City and Tombs of the Emperors; visit Hue University; tour Hanoi; and experience a water puppet show.

Features of the trip include round-trip airfare from Los Angeles; two in-country flights in Vietnam; full sightseeing and excursion program including admission fees; 11 nights accommodations in hotels; 24 meals (10 breakfasts, eight lunches and five dinners) and all land transportation in air-conditioned coach buses.

Cost of the trip is $4,395 per person, based on double occupancy. Book the trip by Aug. 4, and save $750 per couple. The registration deadline is Sept. 8, when a $500 deposit is due. Final payment is due by Oct. 10. Checks should be made payable to CSB and sent to BCLL, College of Saint Benedict, 37 S. College Ave., St. Joseph, Minn. 56374. There is a $125 surcharge per person for using Visa or MasterCard.

For more information, as well as a complete itinerary, please call 320-363-5685 or 1-866-763-3345; or visit the BCLL Web site .

A trip overview and social will be from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 18 at the Basilica of Saint Mary School, room 103, Minneapolis. The school is located just north of the basilica on West Laurel Avenue.

Two experts will be on hand to discuss the trip – Senden and Richard Virden, a 1963 graduate of Saint John’s and a former U.S. Foreign Service correspondent to Vietnam.

Although the meeting is open to anyone (even if you don’t plan on making the trip), please contact BCLL director Thom Woodward at 1-866-763-3345 or by e-mail at twoodward@csbsju.edu by July 17 if you plan to attend the meeting.