Hey Everyone,

Today, I ate fish for the first time in ten years in Vietnam! After language class and a development lecture at UEF we got into the bus and drove to Phu My Hung development’s New City Center and ate some very delicious food. I ate salmon and tuna rolls at the restaurant (I was pretty scared but it turned out pretty well! Afterwards we drove to Phu My Hung’s offices and watched a really interesting presentation about the development of South Saigon from 1976 to present day.

Phu My Hung development has created a much more modern and green development than that of Ho Chi Minh currently. The buildings all were new, aesthetically pleasing, and there were both condos and large single family homes in the development. I also noticed an increased number (and frequency) of western restaurant chains and company headquarters in this area than that of Ho Chi Minh proper. Also there seemed to be fewer people on the streets and fewer shops set up on the sidewalks and the sides of the road.

The development had a lot more green space than Ho Chi Minh, and the Phu My Hung representative that spoke with us told us about how sustainability and having green spaces was a top priority for the company. He went on to describe the various properties for sale and the free public green spaces as well as the community centers. However a lot of the land that is currently free green space is slotted to be developed soon which makes it slightly less impressive.

Currently a person can buy an apartment for about $110,000, however Phu My Hung is hoping to make future developments more expensive in the middle to upper price ranges- closer to $200,000-$300,000 for an only slightly larger apartment. Although the representative did say that affordable housing would be available as well, the development was geared towards people with a slightly high budget.

Either way the view from the offices was amazing, and the development itself was beautiful!

Until tomorrow,

Audrey Case