Today offered a much welcomed (and needed) change of pace.

I think that the sleep deprivation is starting to be felt among the bulk of us, but as we followed our newly established routine, we were able to save our energy while continuing to explore Ho Chi Minh. Similar to yesterday, we began with a lecture outlining the various characteristics and threats facing the Mekong Delta. This was followed by a brief peach-tea-break, and our third Vietnamese language class of the trip. After this information load, littered with yawns and even more laughs, we ventured to our next lunch destination. The food here has yet to lose its appeal, and I can’t imagine that it will any time soon.

After eating our eggs, we were provided with a second serving, though this time it wasn’t edible (man, that one was bad). Our visit with Glass Egg Digital Media left us with an incredibly unique and inspired perspective on a modern and global market. Guillaume Monier, COO, presented us with the SWOT summary of the company. For example, some of the most prominent challenges to be faced in their line of work – developing software – lies within security measures put forth to protect from any unintended release of sensitive information. This security is of great concern to clients of the company, as well, who have even attempted to hack Glass Egg themselves in order to test its strength. Monier described, too, some of the challenges they face due to their Vietnam location; isolation from other similar companies, and therefor a lack of heavy client traffic as opposed to Shanghai. But of course, there is always a positive side to be found. Because Glass Egg Digital Media has chosen Vietnam as their home, they reap the benefits of comparably cheap labor, accessibility to customers, and the bragging rights of a traveler friendly destination. Finally, concerning growth, Glass Egg has continued to hire new employees, offer new products – made possible by advancing technology – and heavily consider location expansion. As a whole, they serve as an excellent example of the development of Vietnam in the global marketplace.

Though we may have been more tired today, with our long trip and endless excitement catching up to us, Vietnam gives us every reason to make our extra waking hours more than worth it. I have found such a love for this country and this trip as a whole – especially the people that I’m lucky enough to experience it with. Of course, the caffeine does its part in helping, too. Hail to Vietnamese Coffee!