Today we visited the US Consulate General located in Ho Chi Minh City. While the embassy is located in Hanoi, they handle many of the diplomatic relations and issues with Southern Vietnam. The consulate helps United States issues with emergencies such as sickness, accidents, theft, and births abroad. They also assist the Vietnamese by educating them on the United States government and culture through hosting programs, posting on social media updates and containing a library of material that is represents United States pop culture. Through this the consulate is able to improve the opinion of Americans and American government to the citizens. They show them American movies, recordings of presidential debates and the election to advocate for the US. While beneficial to the Vietnamese, the gain of popularity of America makes peace much easier between the countries and gains another ally for the United States.

After my discussion with several students from the University of Economics and Finance, I realize that Vietnamese students love to shop, eat and watch American. Thus, popularity of the States in Vietnam is helpful to the United States economically. The US, in turn helps out Vietnam by providing them with tourists and safety to those tourists is provided by the consulate. They communicate with the CDC to speak about food dangers, recommended vaccinations, and sanitation hazards.

Additionally, the consulate provides visas for the Vietnamese to come to America, which is unfortunately an excruciating process. Applicants are interviewed to make sure that they are coming to the States for approved reasons, and many can be denied. The consulate handles each of these applications with care, ensuring the safety of the United States. If the applicants pass the tests given and interviews, they can come to the US for a definitive period of time.