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.