After over thirty hours of travel, we have finally arrived, and I couldn’t be more excited! We had a busy day today, from welcoming ceremonies at the University of Economics and Finance to the city tour to our welcome dinner boat ride. Our first taste of the city was a delicious lunch of pho. After this, we began our tour, exploring the post office, book vendors, and more. As we walked around, the thing I was most surprised by was the sheer amount of people, cars, and motorbikes everywhere I turned. I also noticed that there did not necessarily seem to be a pattern of the kinds of buildings near each other like I’ve seen in most United States cities I have been to. The skyscrapers seem to be scattered around the city rather than concentrated in a central downtown, and between skyscrapers we saw anything from hotels to small restaurants. This and the large population are both signs of the rapid development that Ho Chi Minh city has experienced.

At the welcome dinner, I was amazed by the performances we got to watch. Hearing a Vietnamese band playing instruments I had never seen (including a literal leaf) while dining on a meal consisting of mostly food I did not recognize truly made me feel like I had begun my immersion in Vietnamese culture. I hope that I can continue trying new foods and experiences as the trip continued. On the other hand, even though there are significant cultural differences, I think they are less jarring than the Culture Smart book explained. My group focused on the communication section of the book, and it highlighted many differences between the United States and Vietnam, including the importance of non-verbal communication and smiling as a sign of confusion rather than happiness. When speaking with the students at UEF, there did not seem to be any communication barriers. As the world becomes more globalized, and as access to the Internet increases, it seems like what may have been distinctly different cultural practices are blending together more and more, especially for younger people.

Throughout the day, the thing that amazed me most throughout was how overwhelmingly friendly and welcoming the Vietnamese people are. As soon as we arrived at UEF, we were given leis, stickers, and gifts aplenty. Even though we had just met our new friends, we took pictures, danced, and sung as if we had known each other our whole lives. I hope that making these connections across the world will help teach all of us to be more welcoming and accepting of people different than ourselves.