Today we got to sleep in an hour later than normal which really helped me recharge from the last two days. After breakfast we went to the consulate which was unexpectedly above a mall. There, we listened to the Consulate General talk about what a consulate does. He explained how they démarche messages from their governments to the other’s consulate and then they relay the message to their own government. The consulate head is responsible for reporting information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Consulate General also explained the relations between America and Vietnam. Today 93% of Vietnamese have a favorable opinion towards Americans. And the Vietnamese who fled during the war and are coming back home are being welcomed by the government because they are helping the economy. The US is also moving towards domestic manufacturing goods rather than importing, which is pushing Vietnam to manufacture more complex products rather than clothing. The relationship between Vietnam and the US is the strongest it’s ever been.

Later that day we went to a water puppet show, which is something I’ve never heard of. The show was to demonstrate the culture and history of Vietnam using puppets in a pool. There were some really comedic acts such as: two farmers trying to hit a fox that was eating their fish, two geese having a baby, and boat racing. I was surprised how well it was performed and the live music was amazing. After that we went out for pho again for dinner and toured the city a little more. I looked at shops and clothing but I didn’t buy anything. Now tonight I have to get to bed early so I can get up at 6 am tomorrow for the beach trip. Should be fun!