Today we visited the Cat Lai Terminal as well as the Ben Thanh market. The Lai Terminal is a massive port located at the shore of Saigon. This hub is essential to the shipping and supply lines of all of Vietnam. Gaining the opportunity to see such a massive operation up close is truly special. I was blown away by the scale of everything. Massive cranes weaved around us as they worked hard to meet their quota of 81 crates per hour. The amount of coordination to maintain this operation is clearly huge. Something I noticed by spending time in the terminal was the heat. I am impressed by the workers for being able to work long shifts in the intense heat and humidity.

After lunch, we made our way to the Ben Thanh market. This messy labyrinth of a shopping area must have had 100 shops. Each one with a worker calling you over and trying to sell you something. The selling style in Vietnam is much more in your face and pushy. All the prices are highly negotiable and we clearly stand out as tourists. The shopkeepers even tried to get me to buy three t-shirts for $60. They’re relentless and its hard to walk away. Luckily I finally escaped the booth and ended up finding better deals elsewhere. This experience taught me that haggling is very difficult, and I should leave it to the professionals. Despite the scams, I still had a blast learning to negotiate for better deals.