Day Twelve: Hen Gap Lai, Vietnam

The beginning of our last day in Vietnam. I sent off breakfast at the victory with one last Pho appropriately. We boarded the bus and headed off to a sports facility about ten minutes from the hotel for the big U.S Vietnam game. The stands were filled to capacity (about twenty people), great turnout. You could feel the energy in the crowd. As self-appointed team captain, I took it upon myself to get my team warmed up and mentally prepared for the court. We were to play basketball and then soccer, and to our surprise we were not playing against our UEF classroom friends, but rather the official UEF basketball and soccer teams. I told my teammates not to be intimidated, as we were Americans, and even if we were totally outclassed in athleticism, technical skill, and just general knowledgeability of the game, we could still pull away with the W if we just played dirty like any good professional team. Dr. Berman told me to immediately take out their best shooter, so I was prepared to throw some elbows if need be. Needless to say, we did not win the basketball game, yet (to my surprise) we did beat the Vietnamese team in soccer (although I’m pretty confident they and their third string players in). Regardless, we got to dump the imaginary Gatorade on Coach Schultz, and left the now sovereign American territory of that court chanting USA. However, before we expressed our national pride, we got to exchange gifts with our Vietnamese friends. I gave a Pitt hat to Will! And, as everyone knows, after any good pewee athletic event both teams had to head to Pizza Hut together. However this is Vietnam, so we went to a noodle restaurant instead. The restaurant specializes in food from Hue, the ancient central capital of Vietnam.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel and took one last victory dip in the Victory pool. After showering, me Pete and Alex headed to the Ben Thahn market one last time. We were only there for a little before walking back to the hotel, where we were all getting ready for dinner. We met in the lobby, guys in suits, girls in their Ao Yai that they had been fitted for earlier in the week, to take some group pics with the UEF kids. Most people, myself included, went upstairs after pictures to change into business casual before dinner.    

Our farewell dinner took place on a floating restaurant (I forget the name of the boat). It really was a fantastic way to send off the trip. Everyone was there, from our UEF friends, to our language teacher, and it really made for a great experience. The views of downtown Saigon and the riverside were stunning, the food was great, and we got to hear some stories from Dr. Berman. He explained to us that the side of the river opposite downtown used to be all low marshland during the war. He said that you could be sitting on top of the Rex Hotel drinking a beer, and look across the marshes and see tracers and firefights going on in the distance. He told us about his previous post-war trips to Vietnam, one of which he and a friend rented a boat and sailed down the Saigon River. Kate also brought us a cake with Plus 3 Vietnam, UEF and Pittsburgh written on it. The UEF kids have been so great to us this trip. Vic was running around putting icing on people’s faces and then getting pictures with them. It was great to see just how close we have come with the UEF kids on this trip. After our tour of the river, we said our bittersweet goodbye to our Co, and boarded the bus for the ride back to the Victory one last time.

We were back at the hotel around ten, and everyone went upstairs to finish packing and blogging. At 11:30, we all met in the hotel lobby with the UEF kids. We were going to walk to a small park in the middle of a large roundabout just a few blocks from the hotel, that we had seen the first day and always talked about going to, but hadn’t done until now. It was sad, we all knew we were going to have to part ways in just a few hours, but we were trying to make those last few hours count. We walked the streets of the city on last time, and then all hung out together in the hotel for the next few hours. Everyone was making jokes, and having a great time; it was clear to see just how many great friends I made on this trip. Reluctantly however, 2:30 rolled around, and we all headed down to the lobby to finish checkout. Dr. Berman stood at the door of the bus, waiting to shake our hands and hug us and thank us for a great trip. I thanked him fro making this trip one of the greatest experiences of my life, but I wished I could have told him how much he helped open my eyes to the people, culture, and history of this wonderful country. Once we arrived at the airport, we had to finish the hardest part of the trip. Saying goodbye to our Vietnamese friends. Bo, Vic, Kate, and Vy had come with us to the airport say their final goodbyes. There were many teary eyes and long hugs. It was so tough to say goodbye. In just two weeks we had so many great memories, and formed such strong bonds. But eventually the time came to part ways.

I’m sitting here typing this, now twelve hours into the fifteen hour flight from Hong Kong to Newark. I’ve had some time to reflect on the past two weeks, and I can say a lot for certain. For one, Plus 3 Vietnam was undoubtedly the greatest experience of my life. Not only did I get to visit a foreign country, I got to see history and culture from a totally new perspective, and I made friends that will last a lifetime. I can also say I will almost certainly be returning to Vietnam (did somebody say ten year reunion trip, 50 year anniversary of the Fall of Saigon?). I’m excited to get home to America to see my family, to see my friends who are back from college, hang out with my dog, and eat a burger. But part of me wishes this plane was heading in the other direction. Thank for two of the greatest weeks of my life Vietnam. Hen gap lai!

Day Eleven: Chao Co!

Thursday marked our last day at UEF. We began the day with a last history and culture class. We learned about Taoism in Vietnamese religion and Vietnamese art. Taoism, although not directly practiced by a large portion of the Vietnamese population, is very evident in Vietnamese culture. Concepts of yin and yang, and traditional Chinese values on numbers are important to Vietnamese culture and tradition. Vietnamese art is not visually complex, but is typically full of subtle symbolism. After our final history and culture class we had about a thirty minute break, where we headed downstairs and a few buildings down to the small café we had frequently gone to the past two weeks, for our last cup of Café Sua Da. We sat in a line looking out at the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City. It was mostly quiet; everyone wanted to soak in the sights and sounds of the city for one of the last times. The coffee may have been sweet, but the experience was a bittersweet one. Afterwards we had finished our Cafe Sua Da, we headed back to the classroom for our final Vietnamese language class. We did some review games to go over everything we had learned over the past two weeks, and said our thanks to our teacher (in Vietnamese, “Co”). After class, we headed to Kent for the last time, and had an excellent lunch. We also took a ton of pictures overlooking the city from the eighth floor of the university.

We left straight from lunch and went to the Xa Loi Pagoda. The Xa Loi Pagoda is a very important place in Vietnamese culture and religion. During the Presidency of U.S backed South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem, there was a great deal of persecution of the countries’ Buddhist population. Xa Loi was the sight of much of the unrest in Saigon. While the trip to the Pagoda was intriguing, it was surreal when considered in the context of our next visit. We left the Pagoda and walked just a few blocks down the street, where on our right emerged a small green space, lined with trees and flowers. A set of stairs led up to an impressive statue of a Buddhist monk meditating, his body crowned with flames. This was a memorial devoted to Thic Quang Duc, a Vietnamese monk who famously publically immolated himself at the intersection we were standing on to protest the repressive policies of President Diem’s Administration. Behind the striking statue was a mural, which documented the persecution of the South Vietnamese Buddhist population, and their unification as a religion in culture in opposition to their persecutors. Much like the Cu Chi tunnels, this visit was eye-opening: this was a place where history happened, and although we did not take place, you could feel the energy and importance of the place in world history. After we had walked the grounds of the memorial, we walked as a group to the War Remnants Museum, just a block from the Victory. The War Remnants Museum, formerly named the War Crimes Museum, is a museum that documents the atrocities committed by the aggressors of the Vietnamese people, most notably the Americans during the war. Dr. Berman explained to us some background to the museum, but told us he would not go in with us. He does not particularly like the portrayal of the American soldiers, which is understandable, as he lived it. The first floor of the museum was devoted to showing the support of nations around the world for North Vietnam, Vietnamese Communism, and the NLF. The second floor was a bit more unsettling. One room was devoted solely to the atrocities of American forces against Vietnamese soldiers and people. While some images simply showed U.S soldiers being rough with Vietnamese prisoners, which I honestly did not considered that upsetting, as it is wartime, and any army is not going to pamper their POWs, other images were more upsetting. U.S soldiers waterboarding Vietnamese prisoners, setting fire to villages and relocating their residents, even dragging prisoners behind moving trucks. This is the kind of stuff that we would never talk about in history class, yet it is still important to consider. I believe, in order to be informed on the topic, more Americans need to understand the ugly side of the conflict. Of course the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese committed atrocities of their own, but American troops were not above these atrocities. It seems in wartime, there can never be a moral high ground. All the participants are guilty of some level of injustice. Another room showed the effects of the use of Agent Orange and other chemical defoliants, both environmentally and biologically, on Vietnam. The walls were covered with images of Vietnamese children born with grotesque birth defects in areas affected by the implementation of chemical defoliants. It is truly tragic that so many innocent people had to live through such terrible circumstances because of the poor decisions of the U.S military. Outside the museum was a replicated South Vietnamese POW prison, which showed tiger cages, small cells that would trap the brutal Vietnamese heat and hold large numbers of prisoners with very little food and water. While these prisons were operated by the South Vietnamese, and not the U.S, they were yet another atrocity of war.

After leaving the war remnants museum we headed back to the hotel, where we swam for a bit before heading out to dinner with the UEF kids. We went a noodle restaurant called Hong Phat, where I ate Cambodian Yellow Noodle Soup. It was a bit of a change from the rice noodles I was used to seeing in similar dishes. Xin Chao!

Day Ten

Wednesday morning began a little differently than usual. Instead of heading to UEF for classes, we took the bus to the New Worlds Hotel for a cooking class. The New Worlds Hotel was quite impressive; it was a five (?) star hotel, so it was unlike anything we had seen on the trip before. I mean this place was so fancy even the guys on the bathroom signs had pocket squares. After a quick tour of the hotel, we began our cooking class by learning how to make Vietnamese spring rolls. The head chef would demonstrate the process and explain the ingredients, and then allow us to make our own. For the regular spring rolls, we began by taking two pieces of brittle rice paper and overlapping them, and then hand-brushing them with water to make them flexible. Next we’d place shrimp, lettuce, and basil onto the paper and roll it all tightly. The rice paper becomes somewhat transparent when you brush it with water, so the pink of the shrimp and the green of the vegetables can be seen. The chef explained to us that the separation and different colors of the ingredients in the roll is representative of the seasons in Vietnam. Next we made a fried pork roll. For this we used a thicker, green bean paper instead, and placed into it a mixture of pork, vegetables, and mushrooms. We then rolled them and placed them into deep oil, and let them fry for five minutes. After we made each roll we were allowed to eat, and although I’m no five star chef, I think I proved I know my way around a Vietnamese spring roll. After cooking lessons, we had lunch at the hotel. Again, this is a five star hotel. And it was a buffet. Needless to say this was probably one of the top three best meals of my life, not including any of my mom’s home-cooking. I would go into the specifics of what I ate, but to be honest I ate so much food it all sort of began to blend into one.

After lunch we headed back to the hotel, and got ready for our last business visit to Newport Saigon Corporation (NSP). NSP is one of the largest ports in Vietnam, with many terminals all across the country’s coast and rivers. NSP is actually run through the Vietnamese Navy, yet still has to compete with other privately owned ports in the country. The stacks of shipping crates seemed to stretch on endlessly, but what was more impressive was how busy the port was. At the entrance, there was a line of what had to be over 100 trucks waiting to accept crates. NSP really served as an indicator of just how rapid the economic expansion of Vietnam is. On our tour we got to see the control tower, where the unloading of ships and storage of crates is managed. We also got a quick bus tour of the port grounds, on which our tour guide sang us a traditional Vietnamese song. It really was a great way to end the business visits on this trip.

After we got back to the city, a group of us walked to the Ben Thanh market. Bargaining wasn’t as simple without the UEF students by our side, but I think we handled ourselves pretty well. For dinner we went back to the same place as last night to get Banh Mi (seems to be a group favorite). We also got our suits when we got back to the hotel. I’ve got to say that tailor did a fantastic job, he hammered out more than 20 great suits in less than a week. Xin chao!

Day Nine: Ban Mi and VSIP

Tuesday began earlier than usual, as we were making another trip out of the city. About an hour north of the center of the city is Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) I. VSIP is an industrial park company that utilizes a partnership between the governments of Vietnam and Singapore to create industrial parks across Vietnam. We visited the original park, built in 1996, but there are currently three other parks active across Vietnam, and one under construction. Industrial parks, and VSIP in particular, are very important in the Vietnamese economy, and very desirable to growing businesses. VSIP and similar parks provide a sort of "one-stop-shop" for businesses: the parks services eliminate the need for companies to deal with different government agencies, and the civil and electrical infrastructure is much more reliable than the cities. After our briefing with VSIP, we met with David Baker, the chief engineer of photooptics for II-VI Inc. II-VI is a high tech electronics manufacturer founded in PA (by a Pitt alum nonetheless!) with manufacturing plants in Singapore, China, and Vietnam, particularly in VSIP which we were already visiting. David spoke to us about the growth and globalization of II VI and their reasons for globalization. Although the cheap and plentiful labor makes manufacturing in Vietnam desirable, there are a few obstacles to overcome. David told us a story about his first year working in Vietnam, when he employed around 30 Vietnamese from central Vietnam in VSIP (which is southern Vietnam). His employees, who had been working for him for eight months, left work to visit their families in central Vietnam during the Vietnamese holiday of Tet. The issue arose however, when half of his employees that left, stayed with their families living off of their income from the past eight months for another four months, and then returned looking for jobs again. For this reason, David and other employers of laborers in Vietnam have had to come up with incentives for workers to stay with their companies after training.
After our briefing, David took us on a tour of VSIP I and two of the II-VI facilities in the park. During the tour, we not only got to see firsthand some of the industrial processes at II-VI, but we got to hear some interesting stories about the history of VSIP. David explained to us how last year, after China built an oil rig contentiously close to Vietnamese waters, there was public uproar against the Chinese throughout Vietnam. This anger manifested itself in riots, which actually started in VSIP one, and spread across the nation. Vietnamese laborers rioted uncontested for a whole day, as the VSIP contract with the government originally prevented government police and military presence in the parks. The rioters targeted what they thought were Chinese business, burning and looting some buildings. However, the rioters mistook the lettering on some buildings, and ended up looting some Japanese and Taiwanese factories as well. This whole ordeal took place just two days after last years Plus 3 group visited VSIP!

For lunch we ate at a very nice restaurant near VSIP. I tried Jasmine Tea, which was very good, barring my inexperience with pretty much any tea at all. After lunch we headed back to the hotel. After a quick trip to the co-op, I went with a small group to the post office, as some people wanted to send post-cards, and then we went on a search for some Café Sua Da. We stopped at The Coffee Factory, which had some okay Café Sua Da. We had however received a tip about a coffee stand in the park behind the cathedral called Café Bet, which was supposed to have excellent Café Sua Da. Our search for this Café was fruitless however, and Café Bet will live on in our imaginations as a place of mythic wonder, like the Fountain of Youth or Cleveland. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to relax for a little before dinner. For dinner we met with some UEF students, and they showed us to a small shop just a few blocks from the hotel, where we got to try Banh Mi. Banh Mi is a type of Vietnamese street sandwich with pork, vegetables, and a spicy sauce. It was delicious! Hen gap lai!  

Day Eight: Mac Qua!

Our day began with a trip to UEF for a language class. During this class we learned how to barter in Vietnamese. This was especially useful, because after this class we went to the Ben Thahn Market. The market was full of different vendors for clothes, food, souvenirs, etc. With the help of our UEF friends, we were able to barter with the vendors to bring down the prices, sometimes more than half the original cost. The vendors were very, aggressive (?) salesmen; they weren't afraid to grab you by the arm as you walked by their shop and try to sell you something of theirs. Negotiating prices on a t-shirt also becomes fairly easy when there are five shops all selling the same shirts immediately next to each other. All you have to do is ask your friend if they want to try the next shop and the vendor will drop the price down. I bought a lot at the markets, much of which I will withhold in tis blog, because my family, whom I bought much of it for, reads these posts. I will say that I got some nice chopsticks and some Vietnamese t-shirts. We were supposed to get lunch at the market, but I was too busy shopping and exploring that I forgot to eat.

After our market trip we headed back to the hotel to get ready for our afternoon business visit. Our visit today was a quick bus ride downtown by the Rex Hotel where we visited Vina Capital. Specifically we learned about Vina Capital Foundation in Vietnam, a group that uses donations from the Vina Capital Company to make charitable donations throughout Vietnam. One of their main focuses is Vietnamese healthcare. Vina Capital Foundation funds many medical trips with trained doctors into more impoverished areas of Vietnam to provide medical services, and funds training sessions between Vietnamese doctors and medical professors across the world. Although still a business visit, it was interesting seeing the more philanthropic side of the development in Vietnam. Miss Lan was particularly excited by this. She explained to those at Vina Capital who gave our briefing that UEF uses a case study of Vina Capital in Vietnam for teaching purposes, however neither she nor the other professors truly understood all of what Vina Capital did in country. She said she thought the social responsibility of the corporation was important, and that her students should have a better understanding of Vina Capital and companies like it so they can understand how to give back to their community when working in business related fields.

After our business visit, we headed back to the hotel, where my VSIP business visit group me to go over the types of questions we would like to ask the company for tomorrow. For dinner, we went to a small restaurant with the Vietnamese students. We ordered Vietnamese pancakes to share. The pancakes are more like giant omelets, with shrimp and mushrooms that you cut up and roll in lettuce and basil and dip in fish sauce. After dinner we all went to a karaoke bar (my first experience with that), which was actually pretty fun. Another great day in HCMC! Xin Chao!

Day Seven: Joints and Jesus

Sunday was our earliest day of the trip. We were on the bus by 7, for the long trip to Vung Tau for a beach day. I can’t say much about the ride, as I was asleep the entire time, but I woke up to the Vietnamese Coast, and, interestingly enough, my first look at the Pacific Ocean. Before heading to the beach however, we visited a giant statue of Jesus that was on top of a nearby mountain. To get to the statue, we had to climb probably a thousand steps in the dead Vietnamese heat, it was pretty exhausting. I did however finally get a rice hat at a shop on the trek up. Once we reached the top we were able to go inside the statue (after we took our shoes off) and go to the top. The view from the top of the statue was incredible, you could see miles of coast and the surrounding towns. Afterwards we headed back down to the bus and had a quick drive to the beach. The first thing we did was head immediately into the water, as we were all sweaty and hot from the hike up to the statue. The water was so warm, nothing like any of the Jersey beaches I’m used to. We played some games on the beach with the UEF kids that came with us, and hung out in the pool at the hotel we were at for the day. Lunch was in the hotel, and there was tons of food. At the end of the meal they brought out hotpots for each table, which were even better than the last time I had one. After lunch we got to spend a few more hours on the beach before boarding the bus and heading home. Yes I got sunburned.

On the trip back we stopped at a Vietnamese truck stop, which as really cool! There were tons of small stores and vendors. I tried Vietnamese whole milk, which was really sweet, and shrimp paper, which was rice paper with hundreds of tiny shrimp in it. Everyone got different candies and we passed them around on the bus so we could taste each one. They were great! After getting back to the hotel everyone headed back to their rooms to shower and get ready for dinner. For dinner we split into two separate groups. One group (about 14 people) went to a Restaurant called Soul Burger, which is supposed to be one of the best burger places in Ho Chi Minh City. I went with the smaller group of six with Kate, deep into the city to a small corner restaurant (because I can eat a burger when I’m stateside right?). There we got Bun Bo Hue, a dish much like Pho but with different broth and noodles. I also got to eat pork joint! Which I won’t do again! Sorry this post is a bit shorter than others but most of the day was spent sitting on the beach.

Day Six: My longest post for sure

Saturday began early, as the trip to Cu Chi was a long one. Our drive out of the city was particularly interesting. Our ride to us out past the touristy and upper/middle class areas of the city, and we got to see what the city was like for most of its residents. There were fewer tall buildings and restaurants, but the streets were just as lively. Our trip brought us out of the metropolitan area of the city, and we found ourselves for the first time driving through rural Vietnam. The difference was stunning, a stretch of farms dotted with small huts and quiet street corners. Something interesting we noticed was the different types of houses that seemed to be most common. About half of the homes were wooden or metal shanties with thatch roofs, while the other half were colorful and made with brick. After about an hour of driving we pulled into a large parking lot with old war vehicles lining the sides. We arrived at the Cu Chi tunnels.
The tunnels were an incredible experience. We began our journey by meeting with a tour guide and heading into the nearby jungle. The busy sounds of the city had been replaced by the subtle yet eerie buzzing of insects. The jungle here was young and thin, as the original vegetation in the area had been destroyed by heaving U.S bombing and the use of chemicals such as Agent Orange. During wartime, much of the area we walked on would have been a wasteland. Dr. Berman printed out some bomb craters as we walked through the jungle, which would have gone unnoticed under the vegetation if it weren’t for his eye. We walked by piles of salvaged munitions and arms from the U.S forces, and got to see some of the weapons used by both sides. Before heading into the tunnels, Dr. Berman gave us a brief description of the Cu Chi district during war time, its strategic purpose, and the fighting that went on there. Dr. Berman explained how the 25^th Infantry, better known as Tropic Lightning, set up their basecamp in the Cu Chi district, and were harassed by Viet Cong using the tunnels to attack them from the inside, and slip away without detection. The tunnels had first been constructed to counter the Japanese occupation of Vietnam during WWII, and were subsequently expanded during the French and American occupations. At their height, the tunnels spanned over 250 kilometers.

Perhaps the most eye-opening experience of the trip for me however, was the video we watched next. It was a Viet Cong propaganda video from 1967, which focused on the methods, and successes of Viet Cong fighters against American Soldiers. Dr. Berman said he personally found the video offensive, and I could understand why. In the video, Viet Cong were considered “American Killer Heroes” for how many U.S soldiers they killed.  Particularly, the video told the story of a young girl, who lived as a rice farmer with her family in the Cu Chi district by day, and fought with the Viet Cong by night. The girl was a talented sniper, and was apparently credited with killing almost 100 U.S soldiers (although then again this was a propaganda video). Most people would expect me to find this offensive. And I did…a bit. But more than being offended, I was astounded. Throughout my high school career we had learned an American perspective of the Vietnam War. Even in AP U.S, we took a very macroscopic, political approach to our reasoning for entering and staying in Vietnam. The U.S at the time had a policy of containment, and in order to defeat communism, which in practice was oppressive and unfair to people (we knew this), we had to stop its spread. This I understood. I understood that the Vietnam War was tragic, an unnecessary loss of human lives, and in the end we did not achieve our objective. I also understood that it was necessary in order to continue our foreign policy, and I understood that we had an obligation to protect those who’s right to democracy was threatened around the world. All this was clear to me. I did not have a very definite opinion of the war, and truthfully I still don’t. But watching that video changed something for me. All I could think afterwards was, why the hell we were in Vietnam? Again, I understand all the political and moral reasons for sending American troops, but truthfully, we had no business being there. These were a people who had been oppressed not just by the French or the Japanese. They had been living under the boot of Imperialist nations for over a thousand years. These were simple rice farmers, who, after fighting back against aggressive invaders for generations, had learned to build a culture around killing the enemy. And I didn’t have spite for that. It would have been impossible for them to live any other way, after so much fighting. I want to keep this blog professional, but I really have no other way to describe how I felt about the war after watching that video than f*cked up (sorry mom). The Viet Cong were experienced killers fighting in their own backyard for their own perception of freedom. I can’t say whether one side was morally right or wrong in what they did. I can’t even say whether one is morally right for what they were fighting for. All I can definitively say, after learning about the life and culture of the Viet Cong in Cu Chi, is that the only true “objective” achieved by wither side, was putting lots of people to death. Sorry if I got a little dark there, but I felt like it was such an eye-opening experience that I had to share it.

After the video we headed deeper into the jungle, where got our first look at the tunnels. Our guide put us in a circle, and challenged us to find the entrance to the tunnel that was somewhere in between us. After we were unable to find it, he revealed a cleverly concealed trap door that could not have been larger than 1 foot by 1 foot, and slipped into the tiny space below, sealing it behind him. We stood awkwardly unsure of what to do for a bit until he emerged from a hole around 50 feet behind us. Afterwards we were taken to a series of expanded tunnels, which had functioned as command posts, hospitals, and battle stations during the war. The tunnels themselves were tiny, even after their expansion, often forcing you onto your hands and knees. The tunnels sometimes opened up to large rooms, which served various functions. The last stretch of tunnels we entered was 30 meters long with no large breaks, and had a series of turns, intersections, and slopes that made traversing it a bit more difficult, and a lot more nerve-racking. It would truly take a different kind of person to live down in those tunnels. After exiting the last tunnel, we walked to a pavilion where we saw some of the traps Vietcong would set up. After the tour ended, we took the bus to a restaurant on the nearby Saigon River. The river was full of floating hyacinths, which at some points completely covered our view of the water. After lunch we visited Den Ben Duoc temple, near the tunnels. The temple was truly interesting. The walls of the temple were covered in names of those who had died fighting in the Cu Chi district. The names ranged back to the beginning of the Japanese occupation. Was especially interesting however, was that the names were not just Vietnamese. The temple had the names of every person that died there, including the French, Japanese, and Americans. I thought it was truly incredible that they could still show respect to another nations dead, even after they had fought against them.  The outer walls of the temple were covered in murals that depicted every occupation Vietnam had experienced in its history. To complete our Cu Chi visit, we went to a Vietnamese soldier cemetery. We were only there for around fifteen minutes, but the experience was still a powerful one. You forget for a moment that they were supposed to be the enemy. All you see is graves, and pictures and names of young men who had died. Afterwards we made the long journey back to the city. We got back to the hotel and immediately headed to the pool (the tunnels had left us hot and dirty). For dinner a group of about six of us went to a nearby restaurant that specialized in Central Vietnamese foods, which is largely based on seafood. I had a sort of Pho with Tuna, which was great. We then returned to the hotel for a final fitting for the suits. I usually leave the nightlife out of the blogs for my parents, but I will say that the club we went to Saturday was on top of the second tallest building in the city, and had an incredible view. Hen gap lai!

Day Five: The day where we inevitably had to explain football to Vietnamese people

Friday was another long, but exciting day. We began the day at UEF, with the continuation of our Vietnamese History and culture class. Today we learned about Vietnamese religion. The most popular religion practiced in Vietnam is Buddhism, however there are many other religions practiced throughout the nation, such as Catholicism and Taoism. Vietnamese religion is not as simple as this though. Because of its position between two major cultural centers, India and China, Vietnamese religion is actually a mix of different religions and cultures. The popular Buddhism of Vietnam is in reality a combination of Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The Vietnamese people are also very accepting of other religions, and will often celebrate the holidays of the other religions in their communities to show respect. After this lecture we had another Vietnamese language class where we learned Vietnamese numbers, which was a struggle to say the least.

After a quick lunch, we headed to the U.S Consulate. After another quick security check, we were back on American soil. We had a briefing with four members of the Consulate, Nate, Garett, Malika, and Terry, who told us about their work in economic, political, social, and consular issues respectively. Malika’s job was particularly interesting; she works on a person-to-person level with Vietnamese citizens, getting their opinion on how the Consulate can do better to inform and assist people on issues such as education and visas. She also works in programs that help improve Vietnamese students’ chances of applying ad being accepted to American colleges. Afterwards we headed to the American Center in Diamond Plaza for a consulate organized program. In this program we met with Vietnamese students to answer their questions about American Universities. The turnout was impressive to say the least, there were around five Vietnamese students for every one of us. We split into smaller groups to answer their questions. It was fun helping answer their questions about college in the U.S, but what was even better was getting a glimpse of their perspective of the United States. They were truly unafraid to ask anything, and I received questions ranging from “what is American football” to “what do you think of the Baltimore riots”. Seeing just how different their understanding of the U.S and U.S colleges was than us, and genuinely helping them understand what school in America is like was undoubtedly the most rewarding experience of the trip so far. I also made many new Vietnamese friends, some of whom share my interest in architecture.

After the meeting, we headed back to the hotel to relax before the night. For dinner, all of the guys went with our Vietnamese friend Ba to a Vietnamese hot pot restaurant. It was certainly the most authentic Vietnamese restaurant we had been to so far. We got to try bird and pig brain, some interesting firsts for me. After dinner we went and got some Café Sua Da at a local Café, and relaxed until we called it an early night for the trip to Cu Chi in the morning. Xin Chao!

Day Four

Day four in Vietnam began a bit earlier than the others, as our morning schedule had something new. Instead of heading straight to UEF, we headed to the Jade Emperor Pagoda, a Taoist Temple built in 1909. It was truly an incredible experience. Apart from being my first experience with Taosim, it was such a stark contrast to the fast-paced, rapid westernization and development we had been experiencing. Just two blocks away from a budding finance University and a flurry of fruit smoothie shops and Cafes was a quiet, shady temple hanging with the mist of a four-thousand year old religion. After the temple visit we returned to UEF for a lesson on Vietnamese History and Culture. We learned about hte many different peoples and cultures that make up Vietnam's population, beyond just the Viet people. Vietnam is home to many culturally different peoples such as the Khmer, E De, and Hao. We also got to try some culturally significant Vietnamese food, such as the Rambutan, a spiky tree fruit with a sweet juicy core. After the lesson we headed to Kent university for another delicious Vietnamese lunch.

In the afternoon we got dressed in business casual and headed to Glass Egg Digital Media for another business visit. Glass Egg is a 3D artwork producer that primarily makes 3D objects and landscapes for video games. Glass Egg is one of the best in the industry worldwide; they have contracts with Microsoft and Sony, and produce most of the cars and maps for the Forza racing game series. The founder and CEO of Glass EGG is Phil Tran. Phil Tran is a Vietnamese immigrant who came to America at the age of 12 in 1975. His father was a member of the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN), and in desperation to get his family out of the city before the North Vietnamese arrived put out a message for someone in the U.S to take his family in. Luckily his message was answered, and his family was saved. After Phil told us his story, Miss Lan, a professor from UEF and Dr. Berman's counterpart, began to tell us her story. Miss Lan rarely speaks of her own childhood in Vietnam, but perhaps something about hearing Phil's story encouraged her to do so. Miss Lan's father was a member of the South Vietnamese Army during the fall of Saigon as well. Unlike Phil's father, he was not so lucky. Miss Lan's father was captured by the North Vietnamese and killed, and Miss Lan's family was forced to live under communist rule. Miss Lan's childhood was very painful; family of South Vietnamese sympathizers were socially, economically, and educationally discriminated against. It's impossible to know just what Miss Lan's feelings are, but had I lived her childhood, it would be difficult for me not to harbor some sort of resentment for those like Phil Tran, who were able to escape. Regardless, the whole experience was incredible. Hearing the stories of how two living people experienced the same historical event, and seeing them talk about their lives in a room together today was like being present for the filming of a documentary. 

After our Glass Egg visit, we headed back to the hotel to relax in the pool. For dinner we went to a barbecue restaurant with some of the students from UEF. The tables at the restaurant had built in grills, and we cooked our own food. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel to end the night.

I just learned how to make titles! Day Three: Pat Wall and Smushball

The third day in HCMC was another great one. Although I woke up feeling a little sick, I pushed through breakfast to UEF (with the help of some ibuprofen). At UEF we had another Vietnamese language class and a lesson on rural development in the Mekong delta. We learned just how different the delta is economically, environmentally, and socially than the city. Our professor was very knowledgeable and passionate about the delta, as he was born and raised there. He also had some insightful comments, such as "you can tell a good professor because they will make things clear and then confuse you again in a single lesson." After UEF we ate lunch again at Kent. By this time I had regained my appetite, which was good because the food was particularly good today.
In the afternoon we headed to Diamond Plaza downtown to visit the U.S Commercial service. The U.S Commercial service is a governmentally run operation that acts as a consultant and advocate for American business in Vietnam. As a division of the U.S consulate it is technically U.S soil, however to my dismay we did not get to visit the part of the building where they kept the roaming herds of buffalo and double cheeseburgers. We got to talk Pat Wall, the head of the department, who explained how he worked to promote the growth of U.S enterprise in Vietnam. Pat had a great understanding of the trends in enterprise in Vietnam and working with the Vietnamese government.
After the meeting we headed back to the hotel, where me and a few others got to head to the hotel swimming pool to relax for a bit. For dinner our friend from UEF (and basically our HCMC tour guide as well) Kate took us to Broken Rice Restaurant. The food was great, but the star of the night was Smushball, the house cat who we discovered on the second floor of the restaurant and named appropriately. Smushball was friendly and excited, not afraid to hop up on your lap while you were eating or play around with your leg. He was also especially photogenic! After dinner we took some taxis deep into the city to a Cafe. We split into two groups to fit into the taxis; I was in the first group, meaning we didn't have Kate with us and didn't quite know where we were going. We were dropped in a small four way intersection at some train tracks deep in the middle of Saigon with no cafe in sight. The next twenty minutes were a bit exciting and a bit terrifying as we tried to figure out where we were, where we were supposed to go, and how to get a hold of Kate with no international calling plans or Wifi. Luckily we were eventually able to get a hold of Kate, and she explained to us how to get the cafe. The Cafe was tucked away in an alley with a bi of a hidden entrance, but when you walked inside, it was like a hidden paradise. It seemed to go on forever, with terraced levels, indoor and outdoor seats, and a pond and waterfall. The cafe also had the best Cafe Sua Da (iced coffee with condensed milk) I've had on the trip yet! Afterwards we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

Another great day in HCMC! We started the day at UEF, where we had a lesson on urban development in the city. We learned how the city was growing rapidly and shifting economically, and discussed what changes needed to be made to promote and accommodate growth. Afterwards we had some time to wander the streets, and I got to try Vietnamese iced coffee with condensed milk (pretty famous in the city). It was great! We ended the morning with another Vietnamese language lesson and lunch at Kent university again. 

We then returned to the hotel and changed into business casual for the trip to Phu My Hung. On the trip we got to see much of the city we had not seen before. At Phu My Hung we were given a great presentation on the history and future of the company. Phu My Hung is a development company that designs and builds complete and self sustaining communities in South Saigon. These communities have homes and apartments, businesses, schools, restaurants, and shops for the residents, who not only come from Vietnam, but many surrounding Asian and Pacific nations. After the presentation we were given a quick tour of one the communities and an opportunity to ask questions about the company.

Afterwards we returned to the hotel where met up with some of our Vietnamese friends! They took us out to dinner to a local Pho restaurant and also took us to a park to try some street food. The food was great, but the best part was riding through the city on the backs of mopeds! After dinner we walked around the city and did some late night sightseeing. The streets of HCMC are truly unlike anything in the United States. It was a great day in Vietnam! Can't wait till tomorrow! Xin chao :)

My first full day in Vietnam is over! Although I was still a bit drowsy from the flight in, I had a great time! From what I've seen so far far, Ho Chi Minh city is vibrant, lively, and welcoming. And humid. Very, very humid. 

We started the day with a Vietnamese breakfast in the hotel, which is much different from most western breakfasts. Vietnamese breakfasts are much larger meals with lots noodles and pastries. After breakfast we boarded a bus and headed to the University of Economics and Finance to meet our new Vietnamese friends. When our bus pulled in we saw the group of students waiting eagerly with large flowery leis which they would give to us. After meeting some of the Vietnamese kids and taking some pictures, we headed up to the top floor of the University, which had a great view of the city, for a welcoming ceremony. The ceremony was fantastic, with speakers from the University and Ministry of Education, and traditional Vietnamese dances. After receiving gifts from our Vietnamese friends and taking more pictures, we headed downstairs for a Vietnamese language class. In our language class I met Will a student at UEF. Will was proactive at teaching us Vietnamese, explaining to us pronunciations and words before the teacher even did. I can see why Vietnamese can be such a difficult language to learn, as it has 12 vowels and six different tones for each.

Afterwards we headed to Kent University for lunch. We ate family style, and all the food was delicious! After lunch we boarded the bus again and headed to HUTECH University. At the university we split into two groups, business students and engineering students. The engineering group met Dr. Viet, who, apart from telling us about engineering at HUTECH, gave us an interesting perspective on life in Vietnam by telling us stories of his time as a teenager, and explaining to us his unique personal philosophy. 

After our HUTECH visit, we headed back to the hotel to relax for a few hours before dinner. We got a chance to explore a bit of the city, and get a feel for just how lively it is. For dinner we went a local restaurant called nha hang ngon. At the restaurant we got an inside look on how traditional Vietnamese foods are prepared, and got to try foods from each of Vietnams different regions. It was certainly some adventurous eating! After dinner we headed back to the hotel, where we hung around for a little, but still being exhausted from the way in, called it an early night. Xin Chao Saigon! See you in the morning :)

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