After thirty-plus hours of tumultuous travel, we have finally arrived in Ho Chi Minh City. Three flights and numerous time zones later, our trip can finally begin.

The first day of this trip was an amazing experience and has gotten me looking forward to the rest of the two weeks. After a suit and traditional dress fitting from a tailor in the hotel lobby we went to a restaurant for an authentic Vietnamese lunch. After that we made out way to the University of Economics and Finance (UEF) to be greeted by some of the schools students that will be accompanying us during parts of our trip. After an introduction ceremony we met with some of the UEF students who showed us a dance and a game for us to try. We then went on a bus tour of the city before ending the day with a fine dining dinner on the 24th floor of the UEF building.

Almost everything in Vietnam was new and different in terms of culture, however one of the things that stood out to me most was how friendly everyone that I met today was. Another thing that was surprising was the mania of rush hour traffic that we navigated during the evening bus tour. The signs of globalization and development are definitely apparent, after even one day of exploring the city. During the bus tour we saw skyscrapers and high-rise apartment buildings with even more being built, and lots of high end shops lining the streets. The EUF building was also state of the art, including the top floor where we had dinner which served us an amazing fine dining experience that none of us were expecting.

Overall the experience was amazing and I can’t wait for what the rest of the trip has to offer.