Last Day

Today, we played soccer and basketball against the UEF students, including players on the actual university soccer and basketball teams. We held our own in soccer (I scored a goal!), but the basketball team beat us pretty handily. We then had a free afternoon, so I went with a group of UEF and Pitt students to another cafe. I gave a few t-shirts to the UEF students, and I received some pretty cool gifts in return. After going to the cafe, we went around the city with the UEF students and I saw some beautiful landscapes and views of the city's skyscrapers.

**Disclaimer: I'm just sitting on the bike. I most definitely did not ride on a motorbike

For dinner, all of the Pitt students were taken to a boat restaurant. The meal was one of the best that I have had here, and being able to tour the waterfront via boat was absolutely stunning. I always like to end a trip with a beautiful view, and I got exactly what I was looking for.

When we got back, I picked up the suit that I ordered, and I love it! We all look pretty good in our suits, if you ask me.

To conclude, I had more fun and learned more than I could have ever imagined in just a two-week span. I have made countless friends, both American and Vietnamese, who I hope I can stay in touch with, no matter how far (or near) they may be. Plus3 Vietnam has been the best experience of my entire life, and I truly think that I am better prepared to be an engineer because of the things, both tangible and intangible, that I learned and experienced on this trip.

Our Last Classes!

Today, we had our final culture and language classes. Our culture class was very interesting; we learned a lot about the religion in Vietnam. Even religions back home, like Christianity and Judaism, are integrated in the beliefs of many Vietnamese people. There are even Christian churches in Vietnam, but they look a lot like pagodas, except they have a cross on the top. When class concluded, we thanked our professor and gave him a few gifts from America.

Our language class began with a few games, in which we were put in groups of four and received some help from the Vietnamese students. The final “exam” was just a conversation in which one person in the group spoke about himself or herself in front of the class. I was ‘volunteered’ to be my group’s representative. There was no actual grade for the exam, but I think I did a pretty good job anyway. At the conclusion of class, we all thanked our professor and gave her some more gifts. I also gave her a mug just to remind her that I’m the best student!

During lunch, Mike and Dr. Berman announced that we would not be going on a company visit because the Vietnamese people are protesting against China’s government, and the industrial park that we were going to go to was a potential area for protest, as many industrial parks are. In fact, a few Korean companies in VSIP, the industrial park that we visited last week, faced vandalism because people thought that they were Chinese companies. Although I haven’t seen any protesting, it’s a pretty big deal that these protests are going on because these are the first government-supported protests since the Vietnam/American War.

Anyway, I used my free afternoon and evening to relax, as usual. A few of us went back to the Ben Thanh market, and I bought a few more gifts for my family. I'm starting to realize how close we are to leaving, and it definitely makes me a little sad. I'll just try to make the most of what time is left!

Wednesday, 5/14: Saigon Newport Corporation and the War Remnants Museum

Our departure from the hotel was at the usual time, but we did not have class today. Instead, we went straight to a company visit. After a 45-minute long bus ride, we arrived at Saigon Newport Corporation, the largest shipping industry in Vietnam. The facility was absolutely massive, and I took plenty of pictures. We were briefed in a large auditorium, and then kept our speaker busy with a very long question and answer session. After the briefing we were taken to the main control room, and I was very impressed. The room was very open, and even though the jobs of those people is very stressful, it seemed like a rewarding and interesting job. We were then taken outside and were shown the storage area via a bus tour. There were dozens of huge cranes lifting boxes to and from ships on the nearby river.

Side note: my mom does finance work with a shipping country, and although the company works for does not ship to Vietnam, her boss is going to Saigon Newport Corporation next week for a big convention!

After we got back to the hotel, we were given a nice long break for lunch. We then met back in the hotel and walked to the War Remnants Museum together. The outside area of the museum contained many American vehicles that the Vietnamese claimed after the Americans left the country.

The inside was much more difficult to walk through. There were exhibits that had pictures of victims of the war, and children of people who were exposed to code orange, the chemical used to clear out forests. Quite frankly, I did not enjoy being in the museum, but I do think it was necessary for me to see some of the pictures to better understand exactly what both sides went through during the war.

I was able to relax after going to the museum by going to an authentic café with a few Pitt and UEF students. There were no chairs; we sat on pillows and sipped delicious ‘ca fe sua da’ (pardon my lack of accents). It was one of the most authentic and enjoyable experiences that I have had thus far. I also went bowling with some Pitt and UEF students later that night.

What I did today

Today was a relatively easy day. I was running late for breakfast, so I just downed a huge plate of rice with egg as quickly as possible. We got on the bus at our usual time and left for the university. At the university, we first listened to a lecture on Vietnamese culture from the same professor who spoke to us last week. We learned about the culture and tradition in each specific region. There was a lot of information about tradition with sex and marriage, which was very interesting and a bit funny at times. The lecturer was very easy to listen to and the information was fascinating, but everyone in the group was too exhausted to think of a question for the lecturer.

We then went to Vietnamese language class and practiced more conversational phrases. We finished learning new things after about fifteen minutes, and spent the rest of the class playing competitive games. For the first two games, a person on each team was assigned a number 1-10, and whichever person recognized the teacher say his/her number first scored a point. The third game wasn’t really much of a game, but it wasn’t nearly as competitive, so I liked it. We had to have a conversation in Vietnamese with another student, and whoever spoke with a better accent scored a point. Uma and I were against each other, but our accents were both apparently very good (I can’t really tell whether or not I’m doing a good job most of the time), so we both scored a point.

After class and lunch, Dr. Berman let us know that we were getting the afternoon off. The company that we were supposed to visit is very far away, and we all looked very exhausted, so he canceled our plans for the afternoon. I’m looking forward to getting some extra rest and hopefully spending more time with the Vietnamese students tonight.

The Ben Thanh Market and Buddhist Temple

Today, we practiced bartering in our Vietnamese language class. After class, we went to a huge market to go practice our language skills. I bought a few gifts for my family and I also got a lot of clothing for myself. Everything was super-cheap after I negotiated the prices down.

After our trip to the market, we went to a Buddhist temple. The temple was incredibly peaceful, and I'm very glad that we were able to visit.Thich Quang Duc, the Buddhist monk who immolated himself in a famous protest, sacrificed himself near the temple. We walked to the location at which he killed himself and viewed the shrine to him. The shrine was absolutely beautiful, and after seeing it I began to think about the incredible bravery and will required to do what Thich Quang Duc did.

Our trip to the beach!

Today was planned to be the most relaxing day of the trip. For the most part, it was, but there was definitely an exhausting experience thrown in as well; it wouldn't be a full day in Vietnam without one!

Our day started very early today with a departure time of 7:30 am. We took a long bus ride to the beach, and when we got there we saw a huge statue of Jesus Christ on a hill next to the ocean. This hill was massive, but we determined that we were going to climb it in order to see the statue. We scaled the mountain, which was exhausting in the tropical heat, and reached the peak in 20-30 minutes. We took a bunch of pictures of the statue, and realized that we were allowed to climb to the top of it.

  

We entered the monument, but a lot of people were stopped because of how they were dressed. Most of the girls had to wear towels around their waists to be let in because their shorts were too short. After we entered, we got in a long line to reach the top. We slowly ascended a spiral staircase, and at times it didn't seem worth it to reach the top; however, I stayed in line and I'm very glad that I did. The view from the top was breathtaking, and I was able to take a bunch of great pictures of the scenery.

We spent the rest of the day at the beach, and it was very fun and relaxing. I am feeling refreshed and ready to take on my second and last week on the trip!

The Cu Chi Tunnels

On Saturday, we traveled to the Cu Chi region of HCMC and explored the tunnels dug by the Vietcong. The tunnels were very intricately designed, and they truly are an engineering marvel. The tunnels were a key advantage exploited by the Vietcong because they were so narrow that it was difficult for an American soldier to navigate them. There were also many booby traps and dangerous creatures in the tunnel. Here is a picture of a typical tunnel (I had to squat very low to get through them!). Notice the bat in the back of the picture.
 

The tunnels were not completely narrow, however. There were many rooms in the tunnels, such as: bedrooms, kitchens, and hospitals so people could live in the tunnels for years if they wanted to. Here is a picture of a typical room in the tunnels.

After getting out of the tunnels, we took our bus to a soldier's memorial for the people of Cu Chi. Thousands of graves were marked with the names of soldiers from the Cu Chi district. Many, if not most, of these people were killed by American soldiers. This memorial really portrayed the war in a perspective that I was not used to, and I really appreciate Dr. Berman's idea to take us to this memorial.

In conclusion, I learned a lot about the history of the war, gained a new perspective that is rare for Americans, and even tied in the structure of the tunnels with my own engineering interests. The tunnels were exhausting, but today may have been the most fun and enriching day of the trip.

Update on this week's events

It has been a long time since I last posted, so I figure I'll briefly cover everything we have done in the past few days:

On Tuesday we had the usual language class, along with a lecture on urban development. Later that afternoon, we visited an urban planning company called Phu My Hung. We were able to use our knowledge from the morning lecture to understand the operations of the company, which made the visit very enjoyable.

On Wednesday we visited two companies, starting first thing in the morning. We went to VSIP -- Vietnam Singapore Inductrial Park -- and attended an information session about the park. Because I researched this company before the trip, I was already prepared with a couple of questions to ask the speaker. The presentation was very interesting, and I learned a lot of information that simply could not be found on the internet.

Our second destination was II-VI, which is one of the companies that rents buildings in VSIP. II-IV was my favorite visit, as the company's work is directly related to my studies as an aspiring mechanical engineer. I learned a lot of new stuff about semiconductors and optics, which were two Physics II units that were not covered with very much depth. Because of this, the presentation and tour presented me with a lot of new information that directly tied into my course work.

On Thursday, we returned to the university for language class and our first lecture on Vietnamese culture. Both lectures were fascinating as always, and I am definitely beginning to feel like I have a much-improved general understanding of the Vietnamese culture and its people. In the afternoon, we visited Glass Egg Digital Media. The state-of-the-art technology of Glass Egg's office was a spectacle, and the operations of the company are rather interesting as well. Glass Egg has designed cars for several racing video games that I once played frequently, such as: Forza Motorsport 3 and 4, Battlefield 2, and Need for Speed.

On Friday, we spent our entire day at the school. Today's lecture covered rural planning in the southern region of the nation. We had yet another language class, and several students and teachers were telling me that I am doing an excellent job with the language. I can't really tell whether I'm actually excelling or the Vietnamese people are just being nice, but it is very redeeming to use the phrases I am learning when outside of the classroom. In the afternoon, we played a few games with the Vietnamese students, and we were presented with gifts by the English Club.

All of the Vietnamese students are so pleasant to be around, and the company visits are all academically-enriching in very unique ways. I couldn't be any more happy with my experience on the trip thus far!

The First Few Days

Hi everyone!

This is my first post detailing my adventures in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Today is my second day in the city; however, it is the fourth day of the trip, as getting all the way to Vietnam from Pittsburgh is a lengthy process.

Now that I am here, though, I am having a great time. Our days are structured in a way that make them both educational and fun. During the mornings, we go to the University of Economics and Finance for Vietnamese language classes and various other lectures. In the afternoon, we travel by bus to a different location every day. On the first day, we visited the US Consulate; typically, we will be spending our afternoons at companies. On these visits, we will be briefed on the activities of the company and will be given a tour of the facilities.

I am making a lot of new friends, learning about Vietnamese industry, and trying all sorts of new foods. Hopefully the rest of the trip will be as productive and exciting as these past two days!