May 9th

We spent most of today at UEF and hung out with the students.  First, we heard a lecture on the Mekong Delta, which is a crucial part of Vietnamese culture and agriculture.  Almost half of the agriculture in Vietnam and much of the fishing industry comes from the Delta, but all of this is in danger due to many different factors.  The Chinese damming of the river up North and climate change are two huge factors that can deeply hurt the Delta and the Vietnamese economy.  We had language class as well, where we learned numbers and how to bargain because in Vietnam bargaining is a very big part of their culture.  Following that, we had an activity with the English club at UEF, where we did a variety of activities including the chicken dance.  They were all so lively and excited to have us there, it was so fun to dance and play games with them.  We were given gift baskets at the end of it where I was able to try lychee for the first time and it was really good.  After that we went back to the hotel and just relaxed for the rest of the day.  It was nice to have a day mostly to ourselves so that we could catch up on sleep because we haven’t gotten much this trip.

Things I learned:

“Mot, hai, ba”- 1, 2, 3

“bot di”- lower the price

Day 4!

Today was probably the most fun I’ve had in Vietnam.  First, we had a lecture on the history of Vietnam.  I did not know how much the Vietnamese had to go through in order to get their freedom and I now understand why they have such a proud culture here.  Then, we had language class where we learned how to introduce ourselves and say we go to Pitt.  The more we practice and repeat the words, the easier it is to understand them and the structure of the language.  After that we left UEF and went to Glass Egg Digital Media, which is an outsourcing computer company.  They design many characters and maps for video games, and their specialty is designing cars for video games.  I did not realize how expensive and time consuming it is to complete these designs; one car takes 200 man hours to complete and costs $30,000!  The two people who gave us the tour were the CEO and the CFO and they were some of the coolest people I’ve ever met.  They let us into their office where there was a beautiful view overlooking Ho Chi Minh City.  We were able to see the tallest building in the city from the office as well.  The CEO and the CFO also own the nightclub that we went to the second night and they said they could give us preferential treatment there.  I could not believe how nice these guys were to us even though we had just met them.  This was by far the best company visit to date because the people were so great and because I could see the workers using some of the things from computer programming that I learned this year, which was really cool.  When we got back to the hotel we went to dinner at a restaurant close by.  I wasn’t there for it, but Jared, one of the kids on the trip and my roommate, ate pigeon brain which is awesome but disgusting at the same time.  To end the night we went out with the Vietnamese students again and it was a lot of fun.  We met people from all over the world and hung out with them for most of the night.  They were from Israel, China, Australia, and Amsterdam and they were all really nice and awesome people.  We walked home and on our way we came across city hall.  It was a really nice building and in front of it there was a garden with a statue of Ho Chi Minh in the middle of it.  They call Ho Chi Minh “Uncle Ho” because of all the things he did for Vietnam.  I thought it was really interesting how much they admire him here.  I really like seeing all of the staples of the city and I want to explore a lot more of it.  There is so much to see here, and I hope I have time to see it all before I leave.

Things I learned:

The Vietnamese are some of the most forgiving people in the world.  They’ve been wronged by many countries but are always willing to forgive when the conflict is over.

Crab spring rolls are delicious.

“Cam on”- Thank you

Day 3

We had another eventful day in Vietnam today.  We went to the Industrial Park where VSIP (the owner of the industrial park) talked to us about what their business does in general.  It was really cool hearing how they deal with the government in Vietnam and to see how quickly industries are going to Vietnam to make their products.  Then we heard a presentation and went on a tour with II-VI, which mainly produces lasers, thermoelectrics, and optic materials.  It was really awesome because they took us through the factory where they made the products and they showed us the process behind the materials that they were making. This has been my favorite company visit by far to this point because it pertains to engineering and everything was so interesting to see how they went from the start to the finish of the product.  After we finished the company visits, we went to a porcelain shop, which was really cool because they had things of all different shapes and sizes and everything was beautiful.  I was able to get onto the roof of the building, which overlooked the city.  It was a breathtaking sight that I will never forget.  We went out to dinner with the Vietnamese students again and I actually had French fries at the restaurant.  That is the first time I had American food since I had been here, but I don’t miss some of the American food as much as I thought I would.  Following dinner we went to a karaoke bar, which was a lot of fun.  Sweet Caroline came on and we all sang it together.  That was my favorite part of the day because we all took part in it and everyone had a fun time singing the song together.  It is really awesome seeing how much closer we are becoming as a group on a daily basis.

Things I learned:

No one in Vietnam actually owns their land. It all belongs to the government and the government can do what it wants with it.

Nothing is ever free.

Motor bikes are awesome.

Day 2 in Vietnam

Another day goes by in Vietnam.  We have done so much already that it’s hard to believe that I was in the U.S. just a couple days ago.  Today was another good and fun day, but it was long and wiped me out.  We started off at UEF again, where we heard a lecture on the economic development in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh specifically, that was really cool.  For example, there are about 630 motor bikes per 1000 people in Ho Chi Minh.  That’s insane!  If you’re here though it is definitely believable because EVERYONE has one.  My goal is to go on one by the end of the trip; we’ll see how that goes.  After the lecture we had language class which was another fun lecture.  I actually enjoy going to these classes and trying to learn their language, even though I thought I would hate it originally.  We got lunch next and got to eat a purple soup, which was surprisingly really mild tasting and pretty good (I had pho for the first time at dinner as well and it was awesome).  I want to try more odd foods, like frog legs that my dad always likes to joke about eating.  After we were done with the school, we went to Phu My Hung, which is a development company that is responsible for the construction of south Ho Chi Minh.  It was pretty cool, but it was creepy at the same time.  They like to call their work “The Master Plan” and the part of Ho Chi Minh that they built is a lot like a utopia.  Anything titled “The Master Plan” seems just a little sketchy to me.  One really cool thing about the trip, though, was that the huge rubber duck that was in Pittsburgh in the beginning of the school year was actually right outside of Phu My Hung’s main building as well.  It’s just one of those odd coincidences that you would never expect to happen.  Finally, we went out to dinner and then went to a Vietnamese club with some of the UEF students.  The club was a lot of fun and it was cool experiencing what a Vietnamese club was like.  The funny thing was that they played a lot of American music that was not very current.  I specifically remember them playing “Low” by Flo Rida and it immediately brought me back to middle school when it first came out.  Overall, the club was a lot of fun and I think everyone in our group is becoming a lot more comfortable with each other already.  Also, the UEF students are awesome.  I really feel like I got to know many of them today and they’re all great people.  It’s so cool to see in what ways they are similar and in what ways they are different from people in America.  For example, many of them listen to American music (one girl, Julia, even likes country music which made me so happy), but they don’t eat a lot of fast food.  I look forward to getting to know them even better over the next couple of weeks.  

Things I learned:

There are exercise parks in Vietnam that have stationary bikes at them.

“Chao ban.  Minh ten la Conor.”- Hello, friend.  My name is Conor.

Too many old creepy guys like to go to clubs and dance awkwardly in the back.

First Day!

Today was our first full day in Vietnam and it was awesome.  We started off with breakfast, where we had food such as dumplings and rice noodles with vegetables.  It’s weird how in America dumplings and such are strictly lunch and dinner foods, while here they are eaten for breakfast on a daily basis.  We then went to the University of Economics and Finance to meet the students and the associate professors.  We all joined together in singing Michael Jackson, and Abe was pulled out of the crowd to sing along to a song by Jason Mraz.  He did not know the words but he had fun with it, and it made everyone laugh.  Then, we were taken to Vietnamese language class where we learned the vowels and different tones of the language.  Vietnamese is easily one of the hardest things I’ve ever tried to learn, especially since I tend to mumble a lot.  The tones are so hard to distinguish, and saying something in a different tone will completely change the meaning of the word.  So, even though I think I may be learning how to say thank you, for example, I could be saying something completely different.  The Vietnamese students were really helpful with learning the language though.  Even though they had fun laughing at our horrible pronunciation of the words and vowels, they were so patient with us and helped us out a lot.  We also took pictures with the students, which was awesome too.  They love to take selfies, which made me crack up, and to throw up the peace sign while taking pictures.  After that we went to the U.S. consulate in Ho Chi Minh and they gave us a tour of the grounds and its history, especially with regards to the Vietnam War, along with a description of what they do there.  I did not truly realize how much of an influence the U.S. tries to keep over Vietnam, and the world until today.  Finally, Dr. Berman and our friend Tin Tin took us out to dinner, where we made our own Vietnamese wraps filled with all kinds of different Vietnamese food.  All of the food is completely different from anything I’ve had in America and I can’t wait to try more.  I’m really excited to see what the rest of the trip will be like.