Today, we visited my team’s company, Tan Cang Terminal. This was my favorite site visit not only because I had done so much research on it previously, but because of the large-scale industrialization that took place. We were given a professional presentation that outlined the main initiatives and mission of the shipping company. I asked questions about how their shipping methods affect the Mekong Delta, and the employee went into detail about the different type of ships they use to travel through the Mekong. However, the sustainability initiatives were not very well-discussed or even acknowledged as I believe that environmental sustainability is not one of their main goals. Perhaps the coolest part of this site visit was traveling along the cargo ships path. We were able to see the cargo being loaded onto the ships from the river and all of the different high-tech machines they used to lift the cargo. It was surreal seeing the sheer magnitude of this operation and how many little moving parts contribute to the final end product. Something that was also interesting about this company was how much high-tech security there was in place. I believe that this is due to it being a government company, however we needed to have our visas and passports checked because it would be a safety hazard in case anyone escaped out of the country by ship. We were also given hard hats and reflective belts to wear which proved the highly cautious and highly developed aspect of the company because they cared so much for our safety.

Then we went to the Banh Thanh market! This was an extremely cool experience and almost reminded me of the market in NYC. There were so many vendors selling their products and it was honestly so much fun bargaining for a good deal! Many people were very persuasive and wanted to get you to buy things. However, hidden at the back of the market down one of the side paths, I came across this old woman’s shop. She was selling beautiful hair clips and she was so soft-spoken and kind. I instantly fell in love with her products and bought four things! Without even asking for a discount, she gave me lower prices on every product. This was very juxtaposing from the different vendors because she was extremely quiet and not pushy at all. When I bought many accessories she took both of my hands in hers and thanked me many times. This was an extremely touching experience and even the UEF student I was with said she has never witnessed any vendor like that in the market. I even brought my friend to her shop to buy some more of her products!

Ultimately, today was a deeply insightful and interesting day. I learned a lot about the shipping terminal I researched heavily before and I was able to have my questions answered. Additionally, I was able to buy many Vietnamese products from the market for my friends, family, and myself and I had a beautiful and meaningful experience while doing so 🙂