Vietnam Plus 3 Monday May 5 + Tuesday May 6

May 5 and May 6 overview points

• Welcoming Ceremony
• Language Class
• US consulate
• Wrap and Roll Restaurant

• Urban Planning and Development Lecture 
• Phu My Hung Corporation
• Street Food

Pictures

Monday
Finally, the Vietnam trip is starting! I woke up excited and anxious to meet the students. They hosted our group at the UEF Tham Long Campus. The welcoming ceremony included traditional dance and singing along to Michael Jackson’s Heal the World. I took lots of “selfies” and group pictures. After the ceremony, we attended our first Vietnamese language class. Some of the UEF students joined us. The first lesson was on the alphabet and how to pronounce vowels. The Vietnamese language does not contain many words. Instead, meaning is conveyed through intonation. There are six tones. For example, the word ma can mean ghost, which, horse, grave, mother, or rice-seedling depending on the tone. Also, about two-thirds of words are derived from Chinese. After spending time at the University, Dr. Berman led the group to the US consulate. The officers explained that this area used to be the site of the US embassy before the Viet Cong attacked. We walked outside to a plaque commemorating the Americans who were killed during the attack. The plaque commemorating the Viet Cong attack is located right outside the consulate’s walls. Interestingly, it is tall enough to be visible from inside the compound. After the tour, we talked to some of the officers in a conference room. They conduct interviews with Vietnam citizens who want to live or study abroad in the United States. They also handle situations where Americans are sent to jail or loss their passports. Dr. Berman treated us to dinner at the Wrap and Roll Restaurant. Tables are supplied with meats and greens to wrap in rice paper. It was similar to making burritos but with Vietnamese food!

Tuesday

Today we attending a class on urban planning and development in Ho Chi Minh City. The country has quickly been transitioning from a “centrally plan based economy” to a “market based economy.” The country’s most recent endeavor is joining the Trans-Pacific Strategic Partnership Agreement, or TPP. HCMC is unquestionably the economic center of Vietnam. It “accounts for 58% of regional GDP” and “21.3% of national GDP.” Phu My Hung Corporation is responsible for the development of the Southern New Urban Area. We were given a chance to meet with specialists from Phu My Hung who showed us a promotional video and led us through the company’s history. They actually held a competition for the master plan of the area. We spotted a giant inflatable duck outside some of the windows and took pictures. This duck was also in Pittsburgh at the start of the year. We sat in a conference room where we were allowed to ask questions. Some of the students presented the specialists with gifts after the Q and A session. The group was then led on a tour of the Phu My Hung New Urban Area. The area is completely sustainable by containing schools, shopping malls, grocery stores, and houses and apartments. Many of the residents are foreigners. I was surprised by how expansive the area was. At night, some UEF students showed us a great restaurant near our hotel. We were seated outside and offered an assortment of food. Later, I rode on a motorbike for the first time.