In the morning we visited one of the largest and most modern container ports in Vietnam, Cat Lai Terminal from Saigon Newport Corporation. We toured their terminal and learned about all of the services offered, such as transporting and storage of the cargo. They use special software to track the location of each container for their clients, and have a special system of organizing the containers through customs based on the level of threat.

The location of the port in relation to Ho Chi Minh City as well as international ports make the terminal so valuable. There are other ports in the country that are able to accommodate larger mother ships instead of only feeder ships.

After our site visit we had lunch at a surprising place: Pizza Hut. However this Pizza Hut wasn’t like the ones I’ve went to in America, it was a more upscale sit-down restaurant. The pizza flavors were much more exotic with seafood options and lots of corn. I had a personal pan pizza with pineapple, corn, ham, and some kind of dressing and it was amazing!

After lunch we visited the Reunification Palace, also known as the Independence Palace. Similar to the White House, this was where the President of South Vietnam resided and eventually stepped down. We saw the living chambers, official offices, and even the bomb shelter. The palace was so hot, it’s hard to imagine how government officials stayed cool in suits and such.

Tomorrow is our final company visit, can’t believe this trip is almost over!