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/