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.