Today we resumed classes at UEF. Despite getting more sleep last night than I've gotten in Viet Nam, I felt more tired this morning than any other morning (go figure). Business class was a little tedious - a discussion of Vietnamese monetary policy in the current financial crisis. I wanted to learn about the topic, I just couldn't understand what he was talking about (his English was okay, I just didn't understand the material). It passed by pretty well though. Language class was fun, as always. We ended early, and got through lunch pretty quickly, and since our afternoon visit was nearby UEF, we had some time to explore the local area. Anthony, Kelly, Nick, and I went with Krysta, just walking around. This area of the city was a bit quieter than our hotel's location. We were able to get a really cool view of the daily lives of the local Vietnamese. It was a nice little change of pace.
In the afternoon, we visited ASCENX Technologies. They're an engineering firm, specializing in services for the semiconductor industry. The founder of the company, Tung Bach, is a really awesome guy. He started off by telling us about his personal history. He is what is known as a Viet Kieu - "Overseas Vietnamese." Tung's family originally comes from the north. His great-grandfather owned one of the largest shipping companies in Viet Nam. However, most of the family's wealth was lost when they fled to the south in the mid-40s (when Ho Chi Minh came to power and declared independence, establishing a Communist state in the north). Tung was born in Saigon in 1970. After the city fell, his family was actively searching for a way to leave the country. Luckily, his uncle was recruited to pilot a boat full of fleeing refugees (he had served in the South Vietnamese Navy and had experience piloting boats). Tung was able to get aboard the boat, which made its way to Indonesia. His uncle and his aunt brought him to San Francisco, where he eventually met up with other members of his family who were able to leave (though not all; sadly, his father was lost at sea). Tung was able to really give us some perspective on what life is really like in Viet Nam. He has certainly suffered hardship, not least of which is the prejudice shown to him as a Viet Kieu. His company is a small enterprise that is just starting out. Currently, they provide service work such as maintainance of outdated technology. Tung called it "lower-level engineering." He said that Vietnamese engineers don't get the same level of training as those in America, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, or elsewhere. Therefore, his main goal is to continue training his engineers, sending them out to other countries so that they can improve their engineering skills, so that he can improve the level of engineering work that his company can provide (and, in turn, help improve engineering work in Viet Nam). He envisions his company as a service that can reach out to help people (as well as make some money), and it was really cool to hear him speak. Afterwards, he graciously treated us all to Highlands Coffee on the ground floor of the building. I had an iced white chocolate (delicious).
That evening, we had a homestay family dinner. A local Vietnamese family that has a house down on the Saigon River operates a service where people can come and eat a traditional Vietnamese meal. There house is also traditional; it was quite beautiful. They showed us around the house and the garden. The food itself was delicious. It was again family style, similar to the welcoming meal in quality and quantity. We had several excellent dishes, and it was quite a cool experience. Next up - Delta adventures.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Day 4
Our morning on Thursday was a little different from the previous ones. Instead of having classes that morning, we went on a visit to a local high school. It's a school for the gifted, and is one of the top 3-5 high schools in all of Viet Nam, so it was a really interesting visit. The architecture of the school was really cool. It was founded in 1928, so the place had some really cool history. It's hard to describe what it looked like; my best description would be a Mediterranean villa or something like that. The main complex was only one story, with classrooms opening onto a covered walkway, which surrounded a large open courtyard. A statue of the man whom the school was named after (his name escapes me, but I believe he was some sort of Communist revolutionary) was on a pedestal at the center of the courtyard. It was a pretty cool place. It seemed really intense though (the current president of Viet Nam went there as a kid). The vice president of the school openly admitted that the kids didn't have any free time, spending their hours either in class or doing homework. The students had to show proficiency in 4 areas: Math, English, Vietnamese Literature, and one of their choosing. The students were really cool. Like the students at UEF, they were really excited to talk to us, spoke excellent English, and had really favorable views of America. I find it funny (in a sad sort of way) that most of the Vietnamese seem to have a deep love and respect for America and the American people, and yet the only thing most Americans know about Viet Nam is that we fought there and it is currently Communist. Thus, most people seem to view Vietnamese as still "the enemy". I know that I had some hesitance coming here, wondering how the Vietnamese would receive an American. I have found nothing but warm reception, and typical American perceptions could not be further from the truth. Also, it's been really comforting to know that, despite the image that the media tends to present, there are still many people around the world that have a deep respect for America and everything we stand for.
We had some time off after the high school visit, so we were able to go out and grab some lunch. Tom and I went exploring down Vo Van Tan (the street our hotel is located on). We went down pretty far (a good 2o-25 minutes), and found this delicious, sit-down restaurant. I had a large plate of Cantonese fried rice (a meal I discovered from breakfasts at the hotel). On the way back, we got hit with our first monsoon rain. Naturally, I was without a jacket or umbrella. I've been less drenched getting out of a pool.
Our afternoon site visit was a meeting with Mark Oakley, a representative of Duane Morris (a large multi-national law firm). He gave us an overview of the current economic situation in Viet Nam (and how it ties in with the global economic downturn). Mark was extremely intelligent (and had one of the coolest British accents I've ever heard), and he presented us with a lot of information. He did, however, do an excellent job explaining everything, and I learned a lot. Overall, it was a great presentation.
We went to a local restraunt, MTV Cafe (no affiliation), for dinner. The food was really good but the service took awhile. We'll probably go back with the rest of the group. After dinner, we went with two students from UEF (Khoa and Chi) down to the Ben Thanh Market. It was an unbelievable sight. Similar in style to Rice's back home, but much more intense and much larger (and we came at night; it's apparently even bigger during the day, which I can't wait to see). We then headed to a local coffee shop called Highlands Coffee (a chain; I suppose similar to Starbucks, but with a much more relaxed atmosphere). The smoothie which I order contained mango, strawberry, banana, and peach. It was one of the best things I've ever tasted. By that point I was really tired, so upon getting back to the hotel, I decided to stay in and rest up. Lame, but necessary. More posts to follow.
We had some time off after the high school visit, so we were able to go out and grab some lunch. Tom and I went exploring down Vo Van Tan (the street our hotel is located on). We went down pretty far (a good 2o-25 minutes), and found this delicious, sit-down restaurant. I had a large plate of Cantonese fried rice (a meal I discovered from breakfasts at the hotel). On the way back, we got hit with our first monsoon rain. Naturally, I was without a jacket or umbrella. I've been less drenched getting out of a pool.
Our afternoon site visit was a meeting with Mark Oakley, a representative of Duane Morris (a large multi-national law firm). He gave us an overview of the current economic situation in Viet Nam (and how it ties in with the global economic downturn). Mark was extremely intelligent (and had one of the coolest British accents I've ever heard), and he presented us with a lot of information. He did, however, do an excellent job explaining everything, and I learned a lot. Overall, it was a great presentation.
We went to a local restraunt, MTV Cafe (no affiliation), for dinner. The food was really good but the service took awhile. We'll probably go back with the rest of the group. After dinner, we went with two students from UEF (Khoa and Chi) down to the Ben Thanh Market. It was an unbelievable sight. Similar in style to Rice's back home, but much more intense and much larger (and we came at night; it's apparently even bigger during the day, which I can't wait to see). We then headed to a local coffee shop called Highlands Coffee (a chain; I suppose similar to Starbucks, but with a much more relaxed atmosphere). The smoothie which I order contained mango, strawberry, banana, and peach. It was one of the best things I've ever tasted. By that point I was really tired, so upon getting back to the hotel, I decided to stay in and rest up. Lame, but necessary. More posts to follow.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Day 3 of My Viet Nam Adventure
Day 3 began similar to the other days - a good breakfast, then a bus ride over to UEF. I was greatly anticipating class this morning, as we were having our first class on Vietnamese history and culture. I was not disappointed. Our professor exuded enthusiasm, and was passionate about Vietnamese history. The Vietnamese have a proud, rich culture, and I was really glad to learn more about it. For me, the most interesting part was gaining some perspective on how the Vietnamese view their own history (a big thing for me to learn, as a history major. The most important knowledge I gained from my history class at Pitt is that history is all about interpretation). The Vietnamese see their history as one long struggle for independence against oppressors and invaders, whether they are Chinese, French, or American. The main reason why they don't harbor ill will against Americans is this: we were in Viet Nam for about 15 years, the French maybe 60-70 or so, but the Chinese ruled Viet Nam for over 1000 years. Our professor said that "in the history of the world, only two peoples have been ruled over for that long a time - the Vietnamese people and the Jewish people." He also said, "Every single Chinese dynasty, from the Ching up til now, has attacked Viet Nam at least once. Hu Jintao (current President of China) - not yet." Though the Vietnamese are currently on pretty good terms with the Chinese, there is an underlying sense of distrust that I found really fascinating.
Our afternoon site visit was incredible. We went to see the Phu My Hung Corporation, an urban development corporation located in South Saigon. South Saigon is actually their master project. Since I'm going into Civil Engineering, this stuff is right up my alley, and I was really excited to hear what they had to say. As we entered South Saigon, I was stunned at the difference between this new area (District 7) and the older districts of the city. The only difference between South Saigon and an American city such as Miami is the number of motor bikes. The facilities of Phu My Hung were up to standards with American business (as were those at Glass Egg the day before). The presentation at Phu My Hung was really interesting. Over the course of the past 20 years, they have turned a minimally populated swamp into the foundation for a new downtown center for HCMC. They have planned out everything - roads, bridges, waste mangement systems, corporate buildings, residential buildings, and even landscaping. I found the entire project really interesting. It would definitely be something I'd be willing to get into.
That evening, a group of us went down to the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel. The Rex is an important landmark in the center of District 1. The rooftop had a really nice atmosphere. It was a very relaxing place to hang out. There was a cool breeze blowing in, we had amazing views of the city, and the entertainment was excellent. There was one really good band that came on, a string group that played a lot of salsa music (from what I've seen, the Vietnamese seem to be really into Latin music, for whatever reason). All in all, it was a great place to finish off the evening. More updates coming soon!
Our afternoon site visit was incredible. We went to see the Phu My Hung Corporation, an urban development corporation located in South Saigon. South Saigon is actually their master project. Since I'm going into Civil Engineering, this stuff is right up my alley, and I was really excited to hear what they had to say. As we entered South Saigon, I was stunned at the difference between this new area (District 7) and the older districts of the city. The only difference between South Saigon and an American city such as Miami is the number of motor bikes. The facilities of Phu My Hung were up to standards with American business (as were those at Glass Egg the day before). The presentation at Phu My Hung was really interesting. Over the course of the past 20 years, they have turned a minimally populated swamp into the foundation for a new downtown center for HCMC. They have planned out everything - roads, bridges, waste mangement systems, corporate buildings, residential buildings, and even landscaping. I found the entire project really interesting. It would definitely be something I'd be willing to get into.
That evening, a group of us went down to the rooftop bar of the Rex Hotel. The Rex is an important landmark in the center of District 1. The rooftop had a really nice atmosphere. It was a very relaxing place to hang out. There was a cool breeze blowing in, we had amazing views of the city, and the entertainment was excellent. There was one really good band that came on, a string group that played a lot of salsa music (from what I've seen, the Vietnamese seem to be really into Latin music, for whatever reason). All in all, it was a great place to finish off the evening. More updates coming soon!
Day 2
Day 2 began after some much needed rest. I had been working on very little sleep over the past few days (not exactly sure how many days, the whole time zone shift really threw off my calendar), and a long sleep was necessary. Breakfast was again delicious, and again quite interesting. It does take a little getting used to, but the food really is quite good. That holds true for all of the meals so far. As an added bonus, most of them have been free and all-you-can-eat, which can help make anything taste better. I also was able to find the fried egg station, which added a nice touch of "traditional" breakfast food.
At UEF, we continued our classes. Today we had two: a continuation of the language class, and a class on Vietnamese business. We had the business class first, which was interesting. Not being a business student, it was certainly outside of my realm of expertise. The topic of the lecture was “Tax Policy Reform in Viet Nam.” It was an interesting topic; the only problem is that I know almost nothing of tax policy in the U.S., so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. Either way though, it was informative. Afterwards, we continued our language class. I’m really enjoying that class. Our professor teaches Vietnamese as a Second Language (VSL?), and she’s very encouraging and really engaging. The language is still really difficult, but I’m enjoying it.
We did have one rather interesting experience. On our way down from the Can Tin at UEF (on the 6th floor), we decided to get into an elevator. The elevator was rated for 9 people (i.e. 9 Vietnamese-sized people). So naturally, we fit 10 Americans and 1 Vietnamese person inside (upon reflection, we figured the girls are Vietnamese-sized, and though there’s no direct conversion, the 8 American guys are approximately 12 Vietnamese, giving us a grand total of 15). We were all crammed pretty tight inside the elevator. I was facing away from the door and couldn’t turn around, though the walls were mirrored so I could see. We proceeded downward from the 6th floor, til we neared the 1st. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but I know I saw the doors open while we were still moving. Suddenly, we dropped, hitting the basement floor (only 1 story at most though, so not a very hard hit. I barely even felt it). I was pretty much in shock. The elevator seemed to instantly heat up. Several people were pretty claustrophobic, and things were getting rather tense. Thank God we had the Vietnamese man there. He told everyone to remain calm, whipped out his cell phone, and called the emergency number. Within 5 minutes, someone came to pry open the doors. It was an incredible experience, but one which will forever change the way I look at elevators.
In the afternoon, we had our first site visit: Glass Egg Digital Media. It was a very informative session. Glass Egg essentially created the industry of outsourcing video game art, and they are currently one of the top businesses within that field across the globe. They regularly work with some of the biggest names in the video game industry: Microsoft, EA, Sega, and many more. It was really cool to see how they developed digital art (something about which I had very little background knowledge) and to get a glimpse of the growing tech industry in Viet Nam.
Just as our meeting was ending at Glass Egg, the men who we were meeting with (executives of the company) suggested a destination for us that evening: Club Lush (their offer had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were partial stakeholders of the club). It was a very trendy place. The music was mostly modern American music, the same kind that would be played at any dance club back home. There was also a mix of Asian music in there (mostly Japanese, I believe). It was a cool club, and everyone had a good time.
Oh, forgot to mention my exciting dinner: KFC (the most popular fast food chain in Viet Nam. In fact, I can’t find a McDonald’s anywhere). The food was similar to the U.S., but the service was much more welcoming. They even had employees walk around to give you toothpicks (a big thing at Vietnamese meals) and they cleaned the food off the table for you. Also, they gave us our drinks in glasses! Though not quite Vietnamese food, it still was a cool experience.
At UEF, we continued our classes. Today we had two: a continuation of the language class, and a class on Vietnamese business. We had the business class first, which was interesting. Not being a business student, it was certainly outside of my realm of expertise. The topic of the lecture was “Tax Policy Reform in Viet Nam.” It was an interesting topic; the only problem is that I know almost nothing of tax policy in the U.S., so I didn’t have anything to compare it to. Either way though, it was informative. Afterwards, we continued our language class. I’m really enjoying that class. Our professor teaches Vietnamese as a Second Language (VSL?), and she’s very encouraging and really engaging. The language is still really difficult, but I’m enjoying it.
We did have one rather interesting experience. On our way down from the Can Tin at UEF (on the 6th floor), we decided to get into an elevator. The elevator was rated for 9 people (i.e. 9 Vietnamese-sized people). So naturally, we fit 10 Americans and 1 Vietnamese person inside (upon reflection, we figured the girls are Vietnamese-sized, and though there’s no direct conversion, the 8 American guys are approximately 12 Vietnamese, giving us a grand total of 15). We were all crammed pretty tight inside the elevator. I was facing away from the door and couldn’t turn around, though the walls were mirrored so I could see. We proceeded downward from the 6th floor, til we neared the 1st. I’m not entirely sure what happened, but I know I saw the doors open while we were still moving. Suddenly, we dropped, hitting the basement floor (only 1 story at most though, so not a very hard hit. I barely even felt it). I was pretty much in shock. The elevator seemed to instantly heat up. Several people were pretty claustrophobic, and things were getting rather tense. Thank God we had the Vietnamese man there. He told everyone to remain calm, whipped out his cell phone, and called the emergency number. Within 5 minutes, someone came to pry open the doors. It was an incredible experience, but one which will forever change the way I look at elevators.
In the afternoon, we had our first site visit: Glass Egg Digital Media. It was a very informative session. Glass Egg essentially created the industry of outsourcing video game art, and they are currently one of the top businesses within that field across the globe. They regularly work with some of the biggest names in the video game industry: Microsoft, EA, Sega, and many more. It was really cool to see how they developed digital art (something about which I had very little background knowledge) and to get a glimpse of the growing tech industry in Viet Nam.
Just as our meeting was ending at Glass Egg, the men who we were meeting with (executives of the company) suggested a destination for us that evening: Club Lush (their offer had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that they were partial stakeholders of the club). It was a very trendy place. The music was mostly modern American music, the same kind that would be played at any dance club back home. There was also a mix of Asian music in there (mostly Japanese, I believe). It was a cool club, and everyone had a good time.
Oh, forgot to mention my exciting dinner: KFC (the most popular fast food chain in Viet Nam. In fact, I can’t find a McDonald’s anywhere). The food was similar to the U.S., but the service was much more welcoming. They even had employees walk around to give you toothpicks (a big thing at Vietnamese meals) and they cleaned the food off the table for you. Also, they gave us our drinks in glasses! Though not quite Vietnamese food, it still was a cool experience.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City
As I mentioned before, I got very little sleep going into the first full day. However, I wasn't tired. I was too excited. The first order of business was a shower. The water pressure was a little weak, and you needed to flip a switch on the wall in order to get warm water, but overall it was, like the rest of the hotel, very clean and more than adequate. The hotel offers a complimentary breakfast. The fare is interesting, to say the least. They had several options for drinks. I went with the "Orange Juice", which tasted more like Tang than anything else. I did not try either the Soy Milk or the Water of Boiled Corn, though I feel compelled to try them before I leave. Most of the food was more like lunch or dinner than breakfast. There was rice, along with macaroni and beef (quite delicious), and several other dishes of noodles and meat. The food was very good, if not exactly typical breakfast food. The fruit was also very good, including bananas, pineapple, and papaya. They also had toast, along with delicious strawberry (at least I'm pretty sure that's what it was, the signs weren't translated) and pineapple jam.
After breakfast, we boarded the bus for the University of Economics and Finance (UEF), the school where we are taking our morning classes on Vietnamese business, language, and culture and history. The bus took a good half hour to get there, but getting to see the streets of HCMC in the daylight was well worth it. Again, the traffic is something that can't be described. There doesn't appear to be even the hint of order or rules, and though it looks abysmal to American eyes, somehow it simply works. There's really no other way to put it. The drive also gave me a really good feel for the city. Though aspects of Viet Nam and HCMC in particular are quite advanced, there is still a very strong traditional core. Countless small shops line the streets. They offer everything, ranging from meat to bread to tires to wedding dresses to inflatable pool toys. Even with the insane traffic, and the millions of people living in the city, it has a very relaxed feel to it.
Upon arriving at UEF, we were immediately welcomed. They had hung a greeting banner in our honor, complete with Pitt's crest, which was a really touching gesture. We had a reception with a group of students and with several members of the faculty and administration of the university. The students were all extremely friendly, were excited to meet us, and spoke with excellent English. We also had our first Vietnamese language class. After just an hour and a half of work, I can honestly say that Vietnamese is, without a doubt, the most difficult language I have ever had any experience with. To start off, there are 11 different vowels (the Vietnamese do use the Roman alphabet, though they have a number of different diacritical marks. The extreme differences in pronunciation of vowels that differ only by a diacritical mark are so acute that, in practice, they become separate vowels entirely). The language is also based very heavily on tone. There are 6 different tones in the Vietnamese language. For a Westerner, these are very difficult to produce, and even harder to notice in the speech of others. Different tones produce different meanings for words with the same spelling. For example, the phrases "He is sleeping" and "He is stupid" are spelled exactly the same way, differing only in the tone of your voice. My goal over the next 2 weeks is to gain a little bit of skill in working with these tones.
Our plan for the afternoon was a tour of the city and a visit to the U.S. Consulate. The first stop on our tour was the old Presidential Palace (or Independence Palace), currently known as the Reunification Palace. Originally built by the colonial French government, it served as the home of the President of the Republic of Viet Nam (South Viet Nam), and the center of government for the South. It was taken over by the Communists in 1975 during the Fall/Liberation of Saigon (depending on your perspective). The building now serves as a museum, preserving the palace as it was under the South Vietnamese government. We were able to see the lavish offices and living quarters of the President and his family, as well as the bunkers in the basement. After leaving the Palace, we went to the center of town and stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. They both occupy a very large square (or possibly more of a circle). As its name implies, the Cathedral was built by the French. It's a very large, beautiful, traditional cathedral, in the style (though not quite as impressive) as the original Notre Dame. The Post Office is a large building. The outside facade is modeled after the old train station in Hanoi. Inside, it still serves as an actual functioning post office.
Our final stop of the day was the U.S. Consulate. The consulate is built on a rather historic site, home to the original U.S. embassy to South Viet Nam (the embassy is now in Hanoi, the current capital of the country). It was the site of a famous attack by Viet Cong commandos in January 1968, an important event in the War. In addition to touring the grounds, we were able to meet with Charles Bennett, Chief of Consular Section in HCMC. He graciously gave us his time, discussing the U.S. Foreign Service and the current state of affairs in Viet Nam. It was really interesting to get his perspective; Mr. Bennett has served for over 20 years in the Foreign Service, entirely in Southeast Asia. It was also comforting, after seeing portraits of Ho Chi Minh on every wall, to view more familiar faces (President Obama and Secretary Clinton, the Vice President's face hadn't arrived yet). I was able to learn a great deal about the way diplomacy actually works on the ground.
For the evening, we were treated to a welcome dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant. We were served a 5-course, family-style meal at a long low table. It was clearly a high quality restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. It consisted of pork, many different types of seafood (including excellent seafood spring rolls), and much much more. The quantity and quality of the food was beyond compare. After the meal, I went back to my hotel room, and sleep deprivation finally caught up with me. Exhaustion necessitated postponing further exploration of Vietnamese nightlife. I'm tired from posting now, but I'll hopefully be able to get caught up later on tonight.
After breakfast, we boarded the bus for the University of Economics and Finance (UEF), the school where we are taking our morning classes on Vietnamese business, language, and culture and history. The bus took a good half hour to get there, but getting to see the streets of HCMC in the daylight was well worth it. Again, the traffic is something that can't be described. There doesn't appear to be even the hint of order or rules, and though it looks abysmal to American eyes, somehow it simply works. There's really no other way to put it. The drive also gave me a really good feel for the city. Though aspects of Viet Nam and HCMC in particular are quite advanced, there is still a very strong traditional core. Countless small shops line the streets. They offer everything, ranging from meat to bread to tires to wedding dresses to inflatable pool toys. Even with the insane traffic, and the millions of people living in the city, it has a very relaxed feel to it.
Upon arriving at UEF, we were immediately welcomed. They had hung a greeting banner in our honor, complete with Pitt's crest, which was a really touching gesture. We had a reception with a group of students and with several members of the faculty and administration of the university. The students were all extremely friendly, were excited to meet us, and spoke with excellent English. We also had our first Vietnamese language class. After just an hour and a half of work, I can honestly say that Vietnamese is, without a doubt, the most difficult language I have ever had any experience with. To start off, there are 11 different vowels (the Vietnamese do use the Roman alphabet, though they have a number of different diacritical marks. The extreme differences in pronunciation of vowels that differ only by a diacritical mark are so acute that, in practice, they become separate vowels entirely). The language is also based very heavily on tone. There are 6 different tones in the Vietnamese language. For a Westerner, these are very difficult to produce, and even harder to notice in the speech of others. Different tones produce different meanings for words with the same spelling. For example, the phrases "He is sleeping" and "He is stupid" are spelled exactly the same way, differing only in the tone of your voice. My goal over the next 2 weeks is to gain a little bit of skill in working with these tones.
Our plan for the afternoon was a tour of the city and a visit to the U.S. Consulate. The first stop on our tour was the old Presidential Palace (or Independence Palace), currently known as the Reunification Palace. Originally built by the colonial French government, it served as the home of the President of the Republic of Viet Nam (South Viet Nam), and the center of government for the South. It was taken over by the Communists in 1975 during the Fall/Liberation of Saigon (depending on your perspective). The building now serves as a museum, preserving the palace as it was under the South Vietnamese government. We were able to see the lavish offices and living quarters of the President and his family, as well as the bunkers in the basement. After leaving the Palace, we went to the center of town and stopped at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Post Office. They both occupy a very large square (or possibly more of a circle). As its name implies, the Cathedral was built by the French. It's a very large, beautiful, traditional cathedral, in the style (though not quite as impressive) as the original Notre Dame. The Post Office is a large building. The outside facade is modeled after the old train station in Hanoi. Inside, it still serves as an actual functioning post office.
Our final stop of the day was the U.S. Consulate. The consulate is built on a rather historic site, home to the original U.S. embassy to South Viet Nam (the embassy is now in Hanoi, the current capital of the country). It was the site of a famous attack by Viet Cong commandos in January 1968, an important event in the War. In addition to touring the grounds, we were able to meet with Charles Bennett, Chief of Consular Section in HCMC. He graciously gave us his time, discussing the U.S. Foreign Service and the current state of affairs in Viet Nam. It was really interesting to get his perspective; Mr. Bennett has served for over 20 years in the Foreign Service, entirely in Southeast Asia. It was also comforting, after seeing portraits of Ho Chi Minh on every wall, to view more familiar faces (President Obama and Secretary Clinton, the Vice President's face hadn't arrived yet). I was able to learn a great deal about the way diplomacy actually works on the ground.
For the evening, we were treated to a welcome dinner at a local Vietnamese restaurant. We were served a 5-course, family-style meal at a long low table. It was clearly a high quality restaurant. The food was absolutely delicious. It consisted of pork, many different types of seafood (including excellent seafood spring rolls), and much much more. The quantity and quality of the food was beyond compare. After the meal, I went back to my hotel room, and sleep deprivation finally caught up with me. Exhaustion necessitated postponing further exploration of Vietnamese nightlife. I'm tired from posting now, but I'll hopefully be able to get caught up later on tonight.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Arrival in Ho Chi Minh City
Okay, first post! I can't even figure out where to begin here. Let's start with arrival. We landed in HCM around 10:30 pm, our time. The total travel time was approximately 24 hours, including a 15 hour flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. Surprisingly enough, the flight was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I slept off and on, ate multiple meals, read, and watched bits and pieces of movies. Since we were traveling to Hong Kong, one of our meals/snacks was a bowl of Chinese noodles, which were quite good. With these noodles came a Chinese almond cookie. Upon reading the label, however, I saw that the "Chinese" cookie was made in San Francisco and bore the label "Product of USA". I found that pretty amusing.
When we left the airport in HCM, the first thing that hit me was the humidity. It was probably comparable to some of the most humid days I have ever felt in my life. And Dr. Berman described it as "a cool night" in Viet Nam. This will definitely take some getting used to. We then hopped on a bus heading back to our hotel. Just looking out the windows and watching the action of HCM was awesome. The traffic is probably the most impressive thing. The sheer volume of motor bikes cannot be described. I saw pictures and videos before my trip, but that didn't quite do it justice. Also, there are few, if any, rules governing the road. There may be laws on the books, but none in practice. People drive where they please, turn when they please, use whichever lanes they please, and occasionally even use the sidewalk (if they please). Though there are some traffic lights, people tend to view these as more of suggestions than actual rules. We drove along at a pretty constant pace. The traffic prevented us from ever driving very fast (I'd say never over 20 mph), but there were very few stops. Everyone just kept moving, albeit at a fairly slow pace.
We checked into the hotel, which is actually quite nice. The beds are pretty low, but I am used to my dorm bed, which was at least 3 feet off the ground. After putting our stuff down, several of us went out exploring the city. We walked around for awhile, getting our bearings, and trying to find some of the landmarks that Dr. Berman had told us about. We did see many geckos, which are on many of the walls you see. They are small, no more than about 4-6 inches long, but are some of the fastest creatures I've ever seen. We went back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. After all of those hours of travel, and considering that it was nearly 1am, I thought I would fall right to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I guess adrenaline was still in effect. After little sleep, it was time for Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. But that's a story for a different post.
When we left the airport in HCM, the first thing that hit me was the humidity. It was probably comparable to some of the most humid days I have ever felt in my life. And Dr. Berman described it as "a cool night" in Viet Nam. This will definitely take some getting used to. We then hopped on a bus heading back to our hotel. Just looking out the windows and watching the action of HCM was awesome. The traffic is probably the most impressive thing. The sheer volume of motor bikes cannot be described. I saw pictures and videos before my trip, but that didn't quite do it justice. Also, there are few, if any, rules governing the road. There may be laws on the books, but none in practice. People drive where they please, turn when they please, use whichever lanes they please, and occasionally even use the sidewalk (if they please). Though there are some traffic lights, people tend to view these as more of suggestions than actual rules. We drove along at a pretty constant pace. The traffic prevented us from ever driving very fast (I'd say never over 20 mph), but there were very few stops. Everyone just kept moving, albeit at a fairly slow pace.
We checked into the hotel, which is actually quite nice. The beds are pretty low, but I am used to my dorm bed, which was at least 3 feet off the ground. After putting our stuff down, several of us went out exploring the city. We walked around for awhile, getting our bearings, and trying to find some of the landmarks that Dr. Berman had told us about. We did see many geckos, which are on many of the walls you see. They are small, no more than about 4-6 inches long, but are some of the fastest creatures I've ever seen. We went back to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. After all of those hours of travel, and considering that it was nearly 1am, I thought I would fall right to sleep. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. I guess adrenaline was still in effect. After little sleep, it was time for Day 1 in Ho Chi Minh City. But that's a story for a different post.
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