An end to all good things

Today was the last day in Vietnam.  As such, we spent our entire day with the UEF students, saying goodbye and generally getting ready to leave.  The day started with culture class.  We learned about folk arts such as music and dancing.  He was surprised that today was our last day in Vietnam; apparently he greatly enjoyed teaching our class.

Next, we finished up our language class.  We ended with a test on the Vietnamese we learned over two weeks.  We were then graded on a scale from one to ten with ten being the highest.  I, and about half the class, got a perfect ten.  I personally think the teacher was a little biased in favor of giving us a good grade so the ten is less impressive than it could be.

After that, we played games with the UEF students.  I don’t know what the Vietnamese have with slightly dirty games, but almost every game has been dirty in the right mind set.  Today, we had to find fruit blindfolded, without using our hands.  I had to find a banana with my mouth.  We also tried to feed someone vanilla yogurt while blindfolded.

After that, we played UEF in a soccer match.  Although none of us have ever seriously played soccer before, we put up a good fight.  We played blindfolded and half the people in the neighborhood stopped to watch the stupid Americans playing soccer.  The heat was surprisingly not a factor, we were subbed often and are getting used to it just as I am about to leave.

I will miss all the UEF students.  I hope that someday, they can come visit us at Pitt.

Re: Vietnam war

Today was the Vietnamese war or as they call it here, the American war or the second Indochina war.  Although we do not hear much about the war in America, it is the equivalent of 9/11 here in Vietnam.  This war has colored the government’s perception and how it interacts with the world.  We saw some of the most interesting parts from the war.

The first thing we saw were the Cu Chi tunnels.  These are the tunnels that the Northern supporters in the South used to attack and sabotage the American forces.  They were well hidden and almost impossible to see without aid.  They were also designed for the Vietnamese so they don’t fit my tall frame well.  The few entrances they did have, I was able to get into, but go no further.  Fortunately, they have expanded tunnels for tourist use.

After crawling through the Cu Chi tunnels in the morning, we went to the war remnants museum.  This was originally called the American War Crimes Museum, so as you can imagine, it has a fairy strong anti-American message.  This museum provided a different prospective on the Vietnam War, one that you don’t hear from many wars.  Almost every war that we have fought in has resulted in our victory so we never hear what the other side has to say about us.  Being able to read how the Vietnamese government stated facts about the war and seeing how different their perspective is, is a real eye opener. 

Working in Nam

Culture class was about the philosophy of the Vietnamese.  There was a lot of discussion about Yin and Yang.  This philosophy is very similar to many other Asian philosophies.  We also discussed the collateral of Yin and Yang-elemental philosophy.  Again, this is very similar to other Asian philosophies. There are five different elements that all work together.  This philosophy and symbolism is the basis behind most of the Vietnamese customs.  By understanding how things are represented by the five elements, almost all of the customs, like placing the gate on the southern wall, is understandable.

After that, we went to language class.  Again, the focus was on the basics of interacting in society, we learned how to ask where someone was form, and we learned how to respond to the same question.  We also learned how to say what our job was, although our responses are limited to business and engineering.

Finally, we talked to Patty Ndzana, a real estate agent working in HCMC.  She had been working here since 1995 and was able to tell us what that was like.  She was also able to tell us how conditions had changed in the time that she had been working here.  She was one of the few candid opinions on the government that we have received this entire trip, others have brushed upon the issue, but she discussed pit falls and problems in working with the Vietnamese government.  It was refreshing to learn what it actually was like to do business in Vietnam

Glass egg

The day started with culture class at UEF.  Today, we learned more about the history of Vietnam, and how that history was related to the cultural development of Vietnam.  We discussed the mythological beginnings of Vietnam.  Originally there were 100 tribes of Vietnamese spread throughout Asia. Legend has that they were all descended from one pair of parent, one from the delta, and one from the mountains.  From there we discussed the Chinese occupation around 1000 AD and how it eventually ended.  We then discussed the French occupation and how the French brought their culture.  This culture has been evident to us because there is a cathedral near our hotel that has obvious French Influences.

After that, came language class.  We still are learning the basics.  By the end of the trip, I expect to be able to deal with introductions and not much else.  This is a useful skill, and the classes are fun, but you just can’t learn as much as you want in two weeks.  It makes me wish that I had time to take a language class at Pitt.

The company visit for the day was Glass Egg.  This was a company that created graphical images for various computer games.  They spent some time explaining how the creative process worked, and how they trained Vietnamese workers.  It was fascinating to see the work that was done to make these video games work, and to learn that the workers at Glass Egg are not credited for their work

VTI

Today was Viet Thai International day.  Today we met with several of the ventures that VTI has running.  VTI was originally a coffee distributer that turned into a coffee café.  From there, the people who run VTI, two brothers with the last name Thai, have expanded it into a very large corporation.  This corporation has branches in mostly food and clothing retail, but is one of the premier businesses in Vietnam.

We started by listening to one of the brothers talk about his experiences as an expatriate and how that made him into the hungry business man he is today.  This led into a general discussion on the difficulties of entering the Vietnamese market.  Most of the stuff was related more towards the business majors than the engineers, but there was some applicability there.

Next, we learned about the Hard Rock Café, a venture VTI is into.  The manager worked his way up through the ranks.  This was mostly about how managing a Hard Rock Café works.  Finally, we talked to the human resource officer for Highlands coffee.  This was a guy who had worked for Starbucks for 15 years and then came to expand Highlands.  Because he had been in the Asian market for so long, he had fascinating examples of what it was like to live and work in various Asian companies.  Discussion did not stick with Highlands Coffee.

We also went to the Bantan market.  It was noisy, crowded, and a thoroughly enjoyable experience.  There we learned how to barter through trial and error, a valuable skill that will be used in other markets like this.  After that, we went to Karaoke with VTI employees.  Although it was still a fun experience, it was not as enjoyable as the one on Saturday with the UEF kids.  Mostly because we were not as close to the people there.

Beach day

Today, we visited the beach.  We traveled down the River in HCMC.  We traveled down to the South China Sea.  It was the most beautiful place I have seen.  The sea was perfectly blue and the sky was clear.  This was a big change from the polluted water that we have been living with in the city.

We visited some of the mega worshiping sites such as the giant Mary and a large Buddhist pagoda.  At the pagoda, we learned some of the ways of worshiping such as releasing a bird and how to properly burn incense. After that, we climbed a huge mountain to see a large stature of Jesus on the hill.  It was a very long and tiering climbing.  The sun was hot and everyone was tired.

After that, we went to the beach.  Everyone got burned.  Unfortunately, no one had sun burn lotion.  I tried to go to the market and get some, but apparently Vietnamese don't get sun burnt, I couldn't find any.

Mekong day trip

Today, we visited the Mekong delta and some of the cacao plants we learned about yesterday at ACDI/VOCA.  The day started the earlier than any other day so far.  The bus ride was long and after we first left HCMC, somewhat tedious.  We travelled through rice fields and saw the people working there.  However, rice fields all pretty much look alike after you see enough of them.  The only distinguishing features were the graves of ancestors buried in the fields; those were colorful and interesting to look for.

The cacao plant was somewhat of a disappointment.  It was a guy in a basically a couple garages processing cacao.  The process was interesting, but the scope was unimpressive.  We then went to a farm where cacao was grown.  Again, this was interesting, but less than impressive.  Although the variety of techniques used to grow the cacao was fascinating, the scope was still basically a farmer and his garage.

After that we went up and down the Mekong River.  The scenery was one of the most beautiful that I have seen.  It was a lush jungle.  There was everything that you would expect from a jungle.  We saw how types of bridges were used, and saw many types of ethnic craft.

After the day trip, we went to a hot pot resturaunt.  It was like a fondue resturaunt got mixed with a factory.  Food traveled around on a conveyor belt and you could take it and cook it in your little pot.  Yet another thing that I wish America had.

Today’s classes were on the culture of the Mekong delta.  We learned how it was a fishing culture.  It has a mix of 5 different ethnicities, three different types of Vietnamese, one that came from Cambodia, and a Chinese.   They have similar cultural values as the rest of the Vietnamese, honesty, family loyalty, and trustworthiness.  After that, language lessons continued from where they left off.  I have got the basics of meeting people down.  It has been a useful thing knowing some language.  Most of the people that I meet love that I can say hello, thank you, and negotiate the price a bit.

After the class, we again tried to visit the market, but because of the timing, we were unable to go.  We went to ACDI/VOCA, a non-governmental organization focused on growing cacao.  They teach farmers how to grow their own cacao plants and turn those cacao plants into cocoa.  They also provide the farmers with startup plants.

Finally we and the UEF kids went to the karaoke bar.  That was an experience that just doesn’t exist in America.  We paid a flat rate and that got us some singing time and any amount of food up to that price.  We sang all American songs and although there was only supposed to be one or two people singing, everyone at least sang the chorus for every song.  The UEF kids protested that they didn’t know the words but they managed to join in on most songs so I doubt they had never heard these songs before.

Day 5

Today, we learned about how the Vietnamese communicate. It is very similar to how other countries around the area communicate; they try for a win-win situation, they care very much about status, and much of this comes philosophy comes from the teachings of Confucius. After that, we learned how to count and interact with people at the market. It is very important to know how to deal with numbers because the Vietnamese bargain when they shop at small stands. Although most of them speak English, there are a few that don’t and so understanding what they are saying helps smooth out the process.
After that, we went to the US commercial service. This is a branch of the government that deals with helping businesses sell products and services to the Vietnamese. He is very connected to the financial sector in Vietnam and because he deals with the regulation, he was somewhat knowledgeable about the governmental sector. He helped us understand how the Government and the Vietnamese financial situation have changed recently. He was one of the most interesting talks we went to.
After that, we went to a dance class with the kids from UEF. We learned some western dances and got to know more of them better. After that, we went to a local street vender and had very good chicken and rice. My policy of don’t ask don’t tell when it comes to food here has resulted in some very delicious and varied meals. Finally, to finish of the day, we sat on the roof of the nicest hotel in HCMC and enjoyed the night.

day without classes

Today was the first that we didn’t have classes. Instead of going to the business college, we went to a business park. The business park, VSIP is a place where businesses congregate because they are offered a tax break and don’t have to deal with utilities. It is like renting an office building, except that usually it is factories in the area. I wonder why no one does this in America.
After visiting the business parks headquarters, we visited II-VI, an optics and semi-conductor company that is based in Pittsburgh but has a factory in VSIP. At II-Iv we saw how semi-conductors and lenses for were made. Most of the people working on the floor were women because they had smaller hands that could handle the equipment better.
After II-IV we had a delicious lunch at the hotel. I ate mollusk. It was good. Although we were scheduled to visit Acenx, the company that I researched, it was canceled because the guy we were meeting was out of the country. Instead we went to a bank. The visit started bad when the person talked in Vietnamese for 5 minutes. It got better once people asked some questions. We learned that the standard interest rate in Vietnam is 14% which is incredible.
After the bank, we went to a noodle shop and had delicious soup for dinner. For seven people, the total cost was 24 dollars. Everything is nice and cheap here in Vietnam, I think the sticker shock is going to be when I get back to the States.

Still jetlaged

Second day here and the company visits have started. Today we visited the Phu Me Hung Corporation, a land developer. They are taking a large section of land south of Ho Chi Minh City and are turning it into a nice city center. They then lease the space for companies. The city is nicer and cleaner than HCMC but the places are more expensive.

Preceding the company visit, we continued our lessons in the morning. We got a lecture in the history and statistics of HCMC. I could barely understand the presenter but the slides gave some interesting information. After that, we had language classes, still learning the basics. I forgot what we learned the day before but struggled through. The fact that I have sung before is helping me with the inclinations.

The food is still delicious, plentiful, and cheap. The canteen food is better than most restaurants.

First day awake

Well, after flying across the world, jet lag is catching up to me. Between that and the heat, I can barely keep my eyes open but I will until tonight

Besides that, fun first day of class. We were introduced by a puppet show and a song. By the end, we had started to make friends with the Vietnamese students.

This friendship was reinforced in the language class where we learned basic conversation. All in all, not a bad day.

15 hour flights are no fun.

First night here and I am already sweating like a pig

Bed for now

First

This is the start of something.

In four weeks, I will leave for Viet Nam. This is one of the few things that keep me going as finals week approaches.  More to follow

By the way, the group I am traveling with can be found at
http://www.vietnamplus3.pitt.edu/