The company visit to VinaCapital Foundation was equally inspiring as it was impressive. Vina Capital Foundation is a non-governmental organization whose mission is to empower disadvantaged children and their mothers across rural Vietnam. The foundation’s eight programs target various different problems faced by these families, including childhood health complications and education on women’s rights. The speaker and CEO, Rad Kivette, very simply explained the paradigm of the foundation: healthy children make healthy mothers which makes healthier communities and a healthier Vietnam. I found this to be an incredibly moving and meaningful perspective on women’s involvement in governing society. Even though the United States is far more advanced than Vietnam in terms of the roles of women in society, no one so bluntly admits the importance of women as equal to men in shaping our nation. VinaCapital Foundation also has plenty of statistics to back up their work, including that around seventy percent of poor families they help in rural Vietnam escape poverty because they have healthy children, thus stimulating the economy. It is really impressive how the foundation’s work not only saves children’s lives from deadly diseases but also improves their family’s quality of life in the future. I am glad to have learned about the foundation’s work and progress in Vietnam, and I hope they continue to make strides to improve the lives of Vietnamese girls and women. 

To end the day, we had a Vietnamese culture class where we learned about different Vietnamese ethnic minority groups, including their clothing, food, and traditions. We each received our own nón lá, a type of conical and multi-faceted Vietnamese headpiece worn since ancient times. It was very exciting to receive our own nón lá and decorate them to our pleasure. I am excited to experience more of the Vietnamese culture in the remainder of our trip, especially during next week’s visit to the Mekong Delta.