Day twelve: The Last Stand

            So our last day is the Nam… We woke up at 8:30 to go to UEF for the final time. We had our last history class, which was again extremely intriguing and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time… It was so interesting that I had to go out and get water a few times just to get a good break. After history we had our final language class. We had our oral tests that we had all been studying for ceaselessly the night before. Me and Jay decided to go first so we could set the example for the rest of the class for how to do it the right way. Needless to say we set the bar preeeeeeetty high for the others. Everyone did pretty well, no need to share grades for fear of embarrassment to my peers.

            In the afternoon after lunch the UEF students had a party with us where we played many odd game show games that were pretty obscure. Throughout the whole party we were in anticipation for the big soccer match against the UEF kids. The game was so much fun and sooooo sweaty. If I remember correctly we lost 5-4, it was a valiant effort. We really should have won; I let the team down on a couple open shots. It was very dejecting the miss the shots for the team, but what is a man supposed to do who hasn’t played a soccer game in years.

            I hope this blog was enjoyable for all the readers (mom and brothers), I attempted to be funny the last one hopefully it is and I hope you got a taste of this incredible Plus 3 trip I just experienced. 

Day eleven: The Final Countdown

So today you really felt the trip beginning to wind down. We had to be up at 7:30 to take a bus to the Cu Chi District of Ho Chi Minh City, to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These are the tunnels that the Viet Cong hid in during the war in which to attack the American base camps stealthily. We got to the tunnels and first watched a movie about the history about the people of Cu Chi and learned about the area during the war. Then we toured around the site seeing the secret manholes, traps, B52 bombshell holes and just got a general feel of the camp. Then we finally got a chance to crawl in the tunnels. It was incredible, completely dark and soooo small. You had to crawl on your knees the whole time; I can’t even imagine how it was to crawl miles in army gear and with a pack in those tunnels. We only were in them for ten minutes and I was dripping in sweat when we got out.

            In the afternoon we went to the War Remnants Museum, which was only a block away from our hotel. The history of the War Remnants Museum is extremely interesting. Dr. Berman explained that about ten years ago the museum was called the “American War Crimes Museum” and was extremely anti- American and very graphic. Then the Vietnamese government changed the name again more recently to the “War Crimes Museum” which was a museum that had different sections based on the different countries that have been in wars with Vietnam. Now it is less vulgar and is more general towards any specific country and just shows the history of the wars Vietnam has been involved in. 

Day ten: The Tenth Day

On Wednesday we had one of our more uneventful days. In the morning we had our cultural history class. We learned about the yin and yang for the majority of the class. We learned what was traditionally polite in Vietnamese culture in regards to asking questions to friends and strangers. The majority of the lecture was interesting although it got slow at some points. The instructor was extremely charismatic about his material, which is refreshing to see.

            Language class was again amazing. We received a packed that had all the essentials for basic conversation on it. It will suffice as a very good cheat sheet. We were informed that on Friday we would have a mini test to see how much we have learned in the class. The content we learned today was a little bit of review then more vocabulary. Lunch at the canteen was very lame and very repetitive to the previous days….

            In the afternoon we had a company visit to CBRE, which is a real estate company. We met with Patti Joslin Ndzana, when we arrived their meeting room was taken to we went to a café down the block for our quick information session then question and answer. The session was more about her life, views on Vietnam and how she got to where she is today. That was fine with me because most Vietnamese were hesitant to speak about their views on the country with us. 

Day nine: Glass Egg Digital Media

So in the morning on Tuesday we had our traditional Vietnamese history and language classes at UEF. For the history class we learned about Vietnamese culture, the classroom was very warm today so everyone in the group was lacking energy. We learned about how to approach Vietnamese people and the polite mannerisms to utilize. In between history and language we all got coffees at the canteen.

            In language class we had another fun day. I was used for examples many times. The class has been getting progressively better because we are learning more and more words which we have all been using while in town. For lunch we ate at the canteen, the food is definitely starting to get repetitive but its still good.  

            In the afternoon we had a company visit to Glass Egg Digital Media. We met with Phil Tran and Steve Reid the CEO and CFOs’ of the company.  First we received a tour around the facility, which was essentially upwards of 100 people on computers doing stuff that I don’t understand at all. They specialize in designing cars for video games. We then received what would typically be a business presentation to a potential customer then were given the chance to ask questions. The stories of the owners and how the company works and operates were extremely interesting to me. 

Day eight: Viet Thai

Monday was an extremely busy day. The whole morning and front half of the afternoon were focused towards the Viet Thai International Joint Stock Company/ Highland Coffee. In the morning we were spoken to by Dan Thai the second in command of the Viet Thai company about how him and his brother have gotten to where they are today and also gave us business advice. He is an extremely intelligent man who is very business savvy. Then the manager of the Hard Rock Café in Ho Chi Minh City, which is owned by Viet Thai. He spoke to us about his life and what he does as manager of a Hard Rock Café. We ate lunch at the Café then proceeded to Viet Thai’s commercial retail mall where we shopped for a little while.

            When the time came we went to a Highlands Coffee and met with the manager and spoke with him for a little about his life, the coffee, the companies plans for the future and he also answered questions. I was extremely interested in what he had to say considering I am extremely interested in doing business internationally.

            After this I went back to the hotel to change and get ready to go to Ben Tan Market to do some shopping. I was extremely successful bargaining with the Vietnamese although we don’t speak the same language. I was very happy with the gifts a got for friends and family. 

Day seven: Vung Tau

Sunday was our Vung Tau Day Trip. Vung Tau is a peninsula that is east of Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a beach town that is right on the water. We woke up early and took an hour and a half long boat ride on a hydro- planer boat. I was rather tired that morning so I slept the whole ride down. I was told that the water that we were riding down on was heavily used for oil mining.

            Once we arrived at Vung Tau we went to get a quick drink then went to a Buddhist temple. We received a quick lesson from our guide, Tin. He explained to us the beliefs and ideologies and that the religion welcomes everyone. The temple was a beautiful building and required that you remove your footwear before you go in.

            It was an extremely hot day out and our next visit was this mountain. There is a big statue of Jesus at the top as well as an incredibly view overlooking a coastline of Vietnam. On the hike up the mountain everyone in the group was sweating so much considering it was actually 100 degrees outside. I put sunscreen on before we started but my shoulders were so incredibly burnt after the hike. The view was incredible and well worth the hike but once we got down the whole group agreed it was time for a necessary lunch break.

            After lunch we went to the beach for a couple hours and just relaxed and swam in the ocean. We played some mindless games that Tin and Anh our teachers from UEF designed. It was a very long day but I really enjoyed the break from all the companies and relished the chance to just chill out a little. 

Day six: Mekong Delta

On Saturday we had our fist day trip. We woke up very early and proceeded to get on the bus for about two hours to the Mekong Delta. Driving through the country was a very beautiful site. We drove past a lot of farmland, which was very cool to see the farmers working in the fields. First we went to Cho Gao Cocoa Cooperative where we had a local farmer show us the step by step process of producing cocoa at his farm. It is a process that up until that day I didn’t know anything about so I was very interested and learned a lot.

            Second we went to the plant for ACDI/ VOCA Success Alliance plant where we were given samples of the chocolate that they make. The chocolate was the best chocolate I have ever eaten. Then the farmer gave us a tour of his land where we saw all the other products they produce.

            For lunch we ate at a very nice restaurant. It was a fun experience because wedding was going on right next to us. We ate an assortment of seafood and meats. The opportunity to try different foods is something I have relished but it certainly has come with some costs.

            In conclusion we explored the Mekong Delta on a boat. After we all bought our Vietnamese hats for a dollar we were all good to see the delta. We went to different little communities to see what each produced. The last place we visited was a community where a religious group used to live so the layout of the area was very cool. We climbed over a bamboo bridge that had crocodiles just a few feet below us. 

Day five: ACDI/ VOCA Success Alliance

Today we had a guest lecturer, Nguyen Anh Tuan, at UEF who spoke about rural planning and development for the Mekong Delta. He was a very charismatic man who spoke to us for an hour going through the different cultural and geographical aspects of the Mekong Delta. I was not feeling very well during the class so I was having some trouble being completely attentive but from what I read in his handout after the class I was very interested about the Mekong Delta.

            We had our language class after the Mekong Delta lecture. Our tour guide Tin told the teacher to call on me more during the class because I had been quiet the previous few classes so throughout the class I got called on to speak more which was fine with me. Speaking Vietnamese is fun for me; I have never spoken a tonal language before and its interesting practicing making the sounds.  

            In the afternoon we had a company visit with ACDI/ VOCA Success Alliance. This is the company that my partner and I, Jay, had for our pre- departure presentation. ACDI/ VOCA is a small NGO that focuses on the production of cocoa plants in Vietnam. This company is not as heavily funded or big as our previous company visits but nonetheless the group was excited to learn about the company.  The visit was interesting and the questions asked were very good. It is amazing what the company does for the Vietnamese farmers. The opportunity for them to benefit their lives is something that is amazing on its own. 

Day four: cam on

So today we had both language and culture classes at the UEF campus. The culture class I found very interest and informative. The instructor spoke about how to properly refer and act towards Vietnamese people. In the break between culture and language I got an iced coffee from the canteen, it was very good. The language class today was very funny. The teacher is very good at making everyone interact and make strong efforts to participate. I’m really enjoying the opportunity to learn Vietnamese.

In the afternoon we had a company visit to the U.S. Commercial Service for Vietnam. We met with the principal commercial officer. We spoke for an hour and a half with him. He started the meeting with him explaining a little bit about himself and his current job. He left a lot of time for questions which was very nice since the group had a lot to ask him pertaining to how his job works and what he is there to do.

            What I have enjoyed most about these company visits on top of learning about the companies is how all of these people have gotten to where they are today. It’s extremely interesting to hear the different stories and their impressions of Vietnam and their extreme optimism for Vietnams future. I am really enjoying this trip so far. It has greatly exceeded my expectations from all aspects. The people are so friendly and the country is so interesting. The UEF students that we hangout with at nights are awesome and its great to see how they are as interested in us as we are about them. 

Day three: Busy day

So today was an extremely busy day. We went to VSIP first and watched a presentation about what the company has done and its future plans. I was again very intrigued about what Vietnam is doing to improve its living and economic situation. The vision and fore- site that these companies have is simply remarkable. After VSIP we stayed on the VSIP campus and received a tour of II-VI, optics company. I personally was very confused about what was going on because it was a trip more geared to the engineering students. Nonetheless I enjoyed seeing the lenses and the process and care they take to create the lenses.

            After the morning company visits we returned to the hotel and ate lunch. Most of the group including me napped after lunch until 2:30 when we went to a bank for another company visit. The bank was interesting and I enjoyed hearing about how the banking system has progressed over the last 20 years in Vietnam.

            In the late afternoon and early evening a group of eight of us walked around the district- 1 area. We shopped and got coffee; it was a very relaxing afternoon. It was very nice to not be rushing to anywhere.

            For dinner the whole group took cabs to a restaurant named Pho 24. It was a very good meal and again nice to get out and see a different part of Ho Chi Minh City. 

Day two: Exploration

Day number two was a very busy and exciting day. I woke up at 7am this morning and went to go eat breakfast. I ate another egg this morning and had an assortment of other breakfast foods.

            We arrived for our second day at UEF and it was not very humid out which was very nice because it rained early this morning. We had an hour-long lesson on present day Vietnam that was very interesting and informative. After the lesson the group went to the canteen and I bought an iced- coffee, which was incredible delicious. After the coffee we had our second day of Vietnamese lesson classes. The language is awesome, I am having some trouble retaining what we are learning but I am really enjoying the lessons.

            We had our second company visit this afternoon at Phu My Hung Corporation. We traveled the 45 minutes to the main office building and went upstairs to checkout the view for a few minutes then went into the presentation room. A Phu My Hung representative presented to us their business plans both in the past and for the future. It was by far the most interesting presentation I have ever sat through. The Phu My Hung Corporation is a great company that I hope will continue to grow and change the infrastructure of Ho Chi Minh City and hopefully Vietnam. Then we were showed the business layout on a miniature three- dimensional model.

            Jay and I explored the Ben Tan market. It was an incredible scene with so many different goods. I’m excited to spend more time there and to buy stuff to bring home.

            For dinner the Vietnamese students from UEF took us out to a restaurant and took us to eat frozen yogurt. Today was a very good second day for my trip in Vietnam. 

Day one: The beginning

So my first day in Vietnam was very exciting. My roommate and I woke up at 5am because of the jetlag. We subsequently went to the gym very early in the morning and worked out a little. From the roof top view we watched as some, what seemed like, elementary school aged children lining up to start their day. After that I went to eat breakfast in the hotel lobby. I ate an egg and some other foreign foods.

            We went onto the bus and drove through the Vietnamese streets for about 25 minutes until we arrived at UEF. Once we got to UEF we got a tour from our tour guide, Tin. After that we had the welcoming ceremony which was the UEF students performing a series of skits. I socialized with the Vietnamese student who sat next to me, Nguyen. He was extremely sociable and very nice. I spoke to him about his studies and his future plans for education after UEF. After this we had a half- hour break in which we hung out and became accustomed to the “Canteen.”

            After the UEF visit we went back to the hotel and changed into business casual clothing and proceeded to visit the U.S. consulate. We received a tour from the U.S. delegate, which was extremely interesting and informative.

            I greatly enjoyed my first day/ impressions of Vietnam and look forward to exploring the rest of the culture and learning more about the culture too!

Related Links

http://www.vietnamplus3.pitt.edu/