We started today as we have every other day so far by going to UEF and hearing a lecture, followed by a language lesson. Today’s lecture was more focused on the cultural aspects and influences in Vietnam. One thing that stood out to me today was that the different sections of Vietnam (north, middle, and south) have different cultural influences. The north is the only area considered to be the “original culture” however the middle of Vietnam has been influenced by Indian culture, and the south has been influenced by Islamic culture, allowing distinctions to be present between the three geographical areas. We then moved on to our language lesson where we covered how to say numbers 1 through 10 and then up to 100 and applied this to learning how to read times on a clock. This came pretty easy to me and the other students because the way to say numbers above 10 is simply by combining the numbers within 1 through 10. For example, the way they say 32 is by saying ‘3’ ’10’ ‘2’ in that order. After our time at UEF, we were off to lunch where we ate at a local Vietnamese restaurant. I ate a lot of great and interesting food today including chicken feet, crab soup, and “special beef.” I’m loving trying all these new foods and just keep reminding myself that this is a once in a lifetime trip so even if I don’t like something, I’m happy I tried it.
Next, we had our last company visit for the week at VinaCapital. VinaCapital is one of the largest asset management firms in Vietnam and utilize the amazing potential for development and growth in Vietnam. The CFA talked to us and gave us a very convincing presentation on the reasons for investing in Vietnam and showed many areas that Vietnam is expected to grow as a whole over the next decade. For example, factory work is a huge area for growth within the country and is already playing a huge role in putting Vietnam on the competitive global map. Also, VinaCapital has a foundation that helps the families of poor children in Vietnam get enough money to pay for medical procedures such as heart surgeries and hearing aids. Hearing their story and seeing pictures of their success made me feel proud to visit a company with such a good mission.
One general observation that I have made so far on this trip is that everyone I have talked to has been extremely kind and patient with us. From the students helping us learn Vietnamese, to showing us what they do for fun and how to properly eat the food, I have been overwhelmed by their kind nature. One of the Vietnamese students at lunch today took the time to show me what his favorite food was and even insisted he buy it for me. Also, although I knew that the focus of this trip was development and globalization, it has been so interesting to me to see firsthand the effects of these topics on Vietnam. I am genuinely excited to see where the country and Ho Chi Minh city is in 10 years and hope to someday be a part of their advancement.